Picking the Lock

Sean Lock has been locked inside a TV studio for too long, recording a new series of the hit Channel 4 panel game, 8 out of 10 Cats, and the much-loved BBC1 quiz show, QI.

But now he’s been let out, he’s back on the road and embarking on his first major nationwide tour in three years – and he can’t wait.

However, a word of warning, coming to The Oxford Playhouse on Tuesday with his new show Lockipedia, audience participation is not only expected but positively demanded by this award-winning stand-up...

“I have a lectern and a book on stage and call people out from the audience to suggest words that I have to find a joke about,” Sean, 46, explains.

“It’s great fun because it breaks up the stand-up, and gets people involved who would never otherwise shout things out.”

So how does it go down?

“People who are not generally lairy or over-confident, they panic at first,” the dad-of-two laughs, “but it soon works really well. It’s a great way of loosening up the show. If the audience doesn’t feel engaged, it can become formulaic. But this really mixes it up and keeps them interested.

“And the audience likes it when you try something new. They enjoy seeing someone put their head on the block. It certainly keeps me on my toes.”

Sean, who lives in London and has won a Time Out Comedy Award, continues that the best material often emerges, “when I make up stuff on the spot. Some people might think it’s scripted, but it’s not. Sometimes you just get lucky, and a piece of improvisation just flies.”

That’s not to say that from time to time Sean is not challenged by the audience’s suggestions. “Some people shout out really tricky things,” he laughs. “In one town recently, they were calling out the names of the outlying villages. Another guy in Colchester the other day shouted out ‘penultimate’. I had to pretend I had this joke about someone being last but one. It worked because I made it into such a struggle.

“And obviously, there are loads of sexual suggestions from the audience! One night, a 15-year-old girl sitting next to her dad shouted out ‘porn’. I said to her dad, ‘you must be so proud.’ But those off-the-wall suggestions make the show different every night. It makes it more interesting for me and for the audience.”

Charming and witty, Sean is a rare example of a comedian who is just as funny when the spotlights are switched off and is truly delighted to be performing live again. “You get such a buzz from being on stage,” Sean says, having won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best Stand-Up.

“In the live arena, you really raise your game. The interaction with the audience is the best bit – it gives you such a thrill. When you’re on the road, it’s the focus of the day. I love it!”

The audience loves it, too.

“I hope it gives them a rush,” Sean says modestly. “Sometimes at the start, there’s a person with his arms folded and a grumpy face in the front row. He’s clearly been dragged along by his partner, who’s said, ‘I’ll go to the motor show with you, if come along to this.’ So he’s sitting there saying to me, ‘you think you’re so funny’. It’s always really good fun trying to turn those people and make them have a great night.” Sean also boasts a very varied crowd at Lockipedia. “I’ve got an interesting demographic. Because of QI, I get a Radio 4, 40-something audience, but I also get a younger crowd from 8 Out of 10 Cats. Sometimes I get children, parents and grandparents all coming along together. They bring a picnic!” So please try not to miss Lockipedia. It’s a cracking night out for all the family.

And no, you don’t have to bring a picnic.

Sean Lock opens on Tuesday at the Oxford Playhouse.

Call the box office on 01865 305305 or see oxfordplayhouse.com