INTERVIEW with Seann Walsh - The Lie-in King

Seann Walsh has always loved a lie-in. So much so that he was once late for his 7pm shift at a pub because he overslept. Hence why he’s named his latest tour The Lie-in King.
Seann Walsh on stage. Photo contributed.Seann Walsh on stage. Photo contributed.
Seann Walsh on stage. Photo contributed.

But in between snoozing, the Brighton-born 28-year-old said he’d always wanted to perform. Growing up with Lee Evans and Jack Dee on VHS, he first took to stand up in 2007.

Prior to that he was “a very hyperactive, energetic child” who misbehaved a lot. “I was very attention-seeking, obviously, very loud and just loved trouble,” he said.

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“I don’t know when I fell out of love with trouble, but I really loved trouble, maybe up until I was about 20 or something. Nothing got me more high than being naughty and getting into trouble.”

True to form, he was kicked out of college for copying his friend’s business GNVQ coursework about an Indian restaurant. “It got to the night before you had to hand in this piece of coursework, and I hadn’t done anything. So I rang him up and said: ‘Look, can you email me over yours so I can see it and use it as a template and format for what I’m going to write. So he sent it over and I just couldn’t be arsed. I took out every time it said Karim’s and replaced it with TK Maxx and handed in a piece of coursework that was identical to his. Can you imagine them reading this? ‘When did TK Maxx start selling onion bhajis?’”

After appearing in numerous panel shows such as Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats, Seann’s big break came in 2011 when he was asked to star in Channel 4’s Stand up for the Week.

His worst heckle, happened years ago went he was supporting Stephen K Amos, “A woman for some reason brought a baby to the gig. And the baby started crying, so I said how old is it and she said five months and I said ‘Five months?! Why’ve you brought a five-month-old baby to a gig?’ and a voice at the other side of the room shouted: ‘Maybe she was having trouble getting it to sleep so she brought it out to see you!’”

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But if he ever tires of the stage, the comic said he’d consider studying film or even taking up a post as a security guard at Tesco Express. “It’s just sort of standing there from eleven til eleven not really having to do anything. It’d be alright,” he deadpanned.

Speaking from the garden of his London flat last Wednesday afternoon, because he doesn’t get signal indoors, “All my neighbours think I’m this weird self-obsessed bloke that rings up his mates and talks about himself and what he’s doing”, he admitted his friends were the funniest people he knew.

Recalling his last visit to Buxton’s Pavilion Arts Centre, saying: “Basically something like 20 people turned up to watch me. But it was really good fun actually.”

Seann Walsh - The Lie-in King is coming to the Pavilion Arts Centre 2 at Buxton Opera House, on Water Street, on March 5. For tickets, contact the box office on 0845 127 2190 or visit buxtonoperahouse.org.uk.