Student comedy - Ric Wharton Interview

Magners Paramount Comedy On Tap is the hottest comedy event on the student calendar, providing top stand-up acts at universities, as well as offering students the chance to try their luck at stand-up with our Funniest Student competition.

The final was once again held at the world famous Comedy Store in London and this year it was Geordie Ric Wharton from Southampton Solent University who claimed the title.

Ric’s set covered a range topics from his own version of Celebrity Big Brother - You've Been Stalked - to some genuinely below the belt gags that had the crowd in stitches.

The panel, which included award-winning comedian Robin Ince, Off The Kerb talent representative Anthony Butler and Paramount Comedy’s Head of New Comedy Kathleen Hutchison, described his performance as ‘faultless’.

Ric’s win makes it two in a row for Southampton Solent, as last year’s winner Hannah George also studies there.

We chatted to our newly crowned winner to see what he made of the whole thing…

So, how do you feel about winning?
It still hasn’t sunk in. It’s really overwhelming. I’ve never so much as won even a raffle in my life!

Did you ever think you may be in with a chance?
That was about my thirtieth gig so I was confident of my material, but it was definitely my best performance yet.

How did you feel about performing in The Comedy Store?
I felt quite at home, it gave me a lot of confidence to be in such a place really. I really enjoyed every moment; I was just staring off into space a lot of the time in amazement. Three weeks ago I was performing in front of thirty people at a Student Union gig and then I’m at The Comedy Store. It was an amazing feeling.

About two coach loads of supporters came up from Southampton, how did you feel about having so many of your mates there?
I much prefer a clean slate with an audience as half of my mates that came along had already heard my set so I would rather have performed to a room full of strangers. But since I’ve won they’ve been fantastic, I think I’d be laying drunk in a ditch somewhere if they hadn’t been there to take me home after the final!

You got heckled by a fellow Geordie during your set, did you find that off putting?
Basically I said that it’s not quite the same in the North East, where I’m from and I got a knee jerk reaction from a fellow Geordie in the crowd out of Newcastle pride I think! But it was all quite tongue-in-cheek on both sides so when the crowd just cheered at how I played up to it I felt fine.

What made you decide to enter Comedy on Tap?
I knew about the competition from Hannah, as she does the same course as me at Solent and I knew she’s won it the year before. She said I should enter it but what happened was I went to another Student Comedy final on the deadline day of Paramount’s competition and to be honest with you after that I just really wanted to do another competition so as soon as I got home I emailed over my YouTube clip from those awards so I could enter the Paramount competition.

How did you feel about competing up against your course mate Paul Longley?
Well, it was great to be able to share that experience with him. I thought Paul was brilliant though, it was only his eighth gig as well, and most of them were just student gigs.

What did you think of our MC Patrick Monahan?
Patrick Monahan was absolutely excellent at getting the crowd into the gig. I think he’s probably one of the best compares I’ve certainly ever been on stage with. He sent me a text after the show to say well done actually.

Have you done many stand up gigs before?
I think I’m up to 31 or 32. I’d done the Celebrity You’ve Been Stalked gag, where I talk about the Chuckle Brothers on a raunchy night out, a few times before the Comedy Store though - after one gig people kept coming up to me in the urinals going “to me, to you!”

How long have you been performing?
Before I got into Solent I was doing this open-mic night in Newcastle called Long Live Comedy. The first time I did it I just I went along because I’d always wanted to try it, although it was also because my brother made a bet with me to do it. For my first gig, it went well but I was on a rocky path with my girlfriend at the time so she was sitting in the crowd giving me evils whilst I was doing my set, which was a bit off putting!

Who’s your biggest comic inspiration?
I’ve seen a couple of good acts in the North-East, with guys that nobody’s ever really heard of. To this day, the funniest set I’ve ever seen, was done by an unknown guy at an open-mic night in Newcastle. And, I really like the headline act Brendan Burns at the final as well; it was the first time I’d seen him and I thought he was hilarious. I think Jack Dee was the first comedian I ever saw on telly. I was in year 4 at school at the time, my older brother brought it home for me to watch and I’ve been influenced by his work ever since.

For the final we had the three judges sitting on the stage next to you like the X Factor. Did that make you nervous?
I thought they were all actually quite nice. And the thing is, on my Solent course we have to perform stand-up in front of the class during our Tuesday lesson and the course leader gives us feedback. It’s quite similar to what the judges were doing on the night, so that made me feel more at home. Robin Ince was on the judging panel and I’m a big fan of his and so I didn’t want to go up on one of the biggest stages of all and for him to say “actually I don’t find you funny”, so that was a bit nerve wracking. I remember when I started the set I started talking about computer games and turned to him and said “look I’m sorry, I’m not sure you’re gonna like this!”

Did nerves bother you up on stage?
Something told my stomach half way through that I should be nervous, I could feel myself cramping up a bit so I had to pace about the stage a bit. But the people I came up with looked after me so much, making sure I ate before the show and stuff because I was nervous and they were all amazing.

You’re studying a Comedy Writing and Performance at Southampton Solent, do you think that’s helped you to develop your stand-up material?
To be honest since coming to Solent, the course lecturer Dr Chris Ritchie really took me under his wing and he sorted me out with a student gig that was held at Jonglers, which before The Comedy Store, I’d say that was my best gig.

How do you come up with your material?
During open-mic nights I do different material each week, so what I did at The Comedy Store was like a condensed version of that really. When I started I used to say what I thought a comedian should say, now I feel like I’m more at home of stage, I’m more myself. I don’t try to hide my accent or anything like that, my material just rolls of my tongue more fluently.

What did you make of the prizes? E.g. your gawdy cup, gigs courtesy of Off The Kerb and the opportunity to develop an idea with Paramount Comedy.
Well the cup’s probably going to rust away as I drank a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale out of it on the train back to Southampton after the final! I don’t think my Mum is going to be too happy when I take it home. Getting gigs courtesy of Off The Kerb has just blown my mind really as to be honest if they book me 365 gigs a year I’d go to them all and I’d be grateful for it.

So, what’s next for you?
Well, that’s a tough one. The highest thing I set myself up to do so far was perform at The Comedy Store, so I don’t know where to go from there really as I still feel really overwhelmed by the whole thing. A comedy agent came up to me on the night and offered me £100 for a showreel. It was only last year I was doing ten-minute gigs for a tenner a pop and I was over the moon at that because it was like a pound a minute!

Do you want to become a regular on the comedy circuit?
I couldn’t stop doing stand-up now. I wouldn’t know what else to think about. I started the course at Solent with the intention of writing comedy scripts but to be honest I feel more at home doing stand-up.

Watch The UK's funniest Student

Watch Ric Wharton - the UK's Funniest Student. The clip's from last week's final of the Paramount funniest student competition at the Comedy Store

Paramount Student Comedy - Finalists

We posted the Universities earlier but here are the names of the finalists who'll be fighting it out today week to be crowned the UK's funniest student.

Ian Llewellyn Rowe (Brunel)
Dave Howarth (Leeds)
Paul Longley (Southampton Solent)
Ric Wharton (Southampton Solent)
Sam Pacelli & Tom Houghton (Kent)
Micky Anderson (Edinburgh)

A big well done! We're looking forward to seeing them all on stage at the Comedy Store!

Paramount's Student Comedy Competition - latest!

With one week to go before the 2008 Paramount Funniest Student Competition final, the universities being represented have been announced. These are Brunel, Leeds, Southampton Solent, Kent and Edinburgh.

Must See Photo

The photo of the day on DailyHaHa is a must see!

Robin Ince to judge final

I've just been sent a press release from Paramount Comedy announcing that Ricky Gervais’s support act/best mate/whipping boy Robin Ince will be part of the judging panel at this year's final. Robin will add to the list of comedy heavyweights present on the night including Patrick Monahan, resident warm up for BBC1’s “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross”, who will host the night and if.comedy award winner Brendon Burns, who'll be performing.

Last Call for Student Comedy Competition

Paramount Comedy have issued a last call for entries to their Funniest Student Competition 2008! The finalists will get to perform at the Comedy Store on 10 March

If you'd rather watch

Here are some clips on the Paramount Comedy website if you'd rather watch. The choice includes Peter Slater,
Nathan Caton and Dutch Elm Conservatoire.

Funny Read

For those looking for something amusing to read today try
Wrecked.

Student Comedy Final Free Tickets

For free guest passes to the Paramount Funniest Student 2008 final at London's Comedy Store on 10 March send an email to press@paramountcomedy.com

Patrick Monahan to Host Student comedy final

Patrick Monahan, resident warm up for BBC1’s “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross”, will be one of the hosts at the Magners Paramount Comedy On Tap Funniest Student 2008 final.

The event will take place at London's Comedy store on 10 March and will also feature a set with our special guest, if.comedy award winner Brendon Burns.

From what I hear, the competition is hotting up and with two weeks to go before the deadline for submissions, the final should be a great night!

Comedy Club's Online Joke Competition

This month's online joke competition from the Comedy Club features a bunch of railwaymen looking at a big bush on the track. Have a go at beating the 13 attempts at a caption that have been made so far!