The comedian spoke to the ECHO about his special connection to Liverpool, his upcoming gig at the Epstein Theatre and the dramatic series of I’m A Celebrity: All Stars
Seann Walsh laughs it was only after he’d starting touring his show, This Is Torture, that he realised an unexpected consequence of the name. The 40-year-old comedian told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: “The problem being there’s a few T-shirts if people want memorabilia that say ‘This Is Torture’.
“Audience members have been getting the T-shirts before the show, so now I look out into the crowds during my own show to see people with T-shirts that say ‘This Is Torture’ on it. So, it’s backfired.” The anecdote is an example of the self-deprecating style that has established Seann as a household comic in the UK.
This is torture is the phrase Seann uses most in his daily life when he interrogates the quirks of our everyday existence, such as the struggles of using a Henry the Hoover and why McDonald’s offers carrots as an alterative to fries. “Why don’t you take a wild stab in the dark of which one I’m going to go for? I’m in McDonald’s, I think I knew when I entered the building that today isn’t a carrot day,” he jokes.
It’s this ability to shed new light on the everyday that has made Seann so popular and ensured he has always found a welcome audience in Liverpool, where he will return to perform at the Epstein Theatre on June 4. The comic is no stranger to the stage in the city and he is a regular on the extremely popular, Have A Word, podcast which is based in Liverpool.
He said: “I absolutely love it and I say that sincerely. Have A Word is such a Scouse phenomenon so Liverpool has got a special place in my heart. Me and my missus are always looking at house prices and going ‘Could we live here?’ I love it. I’ve got a lot of affection for it, and the audiences at Hot Water Comedy Club are great. It’s become one of the kind of central points of comedy in the country.”
Seann admits Scouse audiences can intimidate others on the circuit, but he has always found his material has a natural home in the city since he started stand up. This is likely to do with his dedication to remain true to stand up’s working class roots in the club circuit.
Seann had always been a fan of comedy legends such as Jack Dee and Lee Evans, but it was only through going to a comedy club with his mum aged 17 did his eyes open to the possibility of a career in the industry.
He said: “That’s when I realised that you didn’t have to be kind of famous to do it. I realised ‘Oh, hang on, so anyone can do this. Wow.’ I always have a kind of rule, which is: would [my material] work in that comedy club when I was 17? That’s with a working-class audiences. Brighton’s a bit a bit more middle class, but a comedy club back then was a more working class environment than it is now.
“And if I think it would have done, then it will come out my mouth at some point.” The rule has kept Seann in good stead as he has now been a performer for two decades and is one of the most recognisable comics in the country.
His profile means he has appeared on I’m A Celebrity twice, first in 2022 and again for the South Africa, which became enshrined in controversy after heated rows broke out with Adam Thomas, David Haye and Jimmy Bullard. Tensions exploded on the last episode of the show, which was broadcast live from London.
Seann admitted it was uncomfortable to be on the show at this time, as he said: “Whilst it was kicking off, I was receiving WhatsApp messages from friends and relatives of my face on the telly that looked like I wanted to be anywhere else.”
The comedian was the first to be eliminated from the all star edition of TV’s toughest entertainment challenge – and was surprised at how tense things got after he left camp. He said: “We were like a happy family. So, I’ve got absolutely nothing to do with the fallout, and I have nothing but good things to say about everyone on the show.”
Instead, he is choosing to focus on the positives from his time in South Africa as he reflected on his two stints on TV’s toughest entertainment challenge. He laughed: “We all nearly had a breakdown. That’s what happens when you go in I’m a Celeb, you have a breakdown.”
He added: “I enjoyed both times. Really strangely, and I did not expect this at all, I got a lot further when it was the public vote. This time around I was out early [after Harry Redknapp had to nominate a player to leave after losing a challenge].
“But strangely, the reaction when I’m out in the streets, I get recognised a lot more, people stopping me and telling me they wish I hadn’t gone. I just thought that that wouldn’t have happened.
“I’ve had a lot more attention out in the streets than I did the first time round, despite the first time round getting further [when he finished fourth]. So, it’s been really moving. You have to be quite cold to not be moved by people saying ‘We missed you on the show.’ It’s very sweet.”
It’s focusing on the positives that has helped Seann get this far in his journey as he recalled advice he received from his own dad when he was considering what path to take with his life. He added: “When I was growing up, my dad always used to say to me, ‘Do what you want.’
“He hated his job, and he used to say ‘Do what you want.’ And that freedom that I had, allowed me to dream, wonder and fantasise. I think that helped me pursue a dream because there was nothing that was weighing those dreams down. I think when you’re older and you have setbacks in life, you have to really soak up the good times and realise they’re not here forever.”
And nothing sums this up for Seann more than a night in Liverpool, when he realised his dreams had been achieved. He credits the Have A Word show at the M&S Bank Arena last December as one of the best in his life, as he can’t wait to return to the city for the show next month.
He said: “We all came out to kind of wave goodbye and I had my daughter with me in my arms, and that’s one of my greatest moments of my life.
“You’ve got to be careful to not be blown away by your own life. But I want to show my daughter that she can do whatever she wants to do in her life.”
Seann Walsh: This Is Torture is coming to the Epstein Theatre on June 4. You can find further information on how to get tickets here
