Mark Simmons: ‘A lot of brilliant comedy shows tackle world issues – that’s not what this is!’

2026-03-25 - 15:29

The comedian on learning from Stewart Lee, forging gags from chats with friends and his niche joke about Magic FM Who did you look up to when you were starting out as a comedian? I wanted to learn everything at once, so I found as many DVDs and videos of standups as I could. The people who stood out were the ones doing it a bit differently. Obviously, the standard answer is Stewart Lee. When I saw his 41st Best Standup Ever show, I realised you can do anything when you’re up there. People like Rhod Gilbert, Lee Mack and Noel Fielding, in the early days before they were famous, also blew my mind. How would you describe your style of comedy? I do one-liners. I’m a joke teller. A gagsmith. Mark Simmons: Jest to Impress is on tour in the UK and Ireland until 28 November. Continue reading...