James MullingerNorth America audiences are continuing to import British talent in film, on TV and on stage, and one of the newest names is London-based stand-up comic James Mullinger.

“My first gig was in the backroom of a Caribbean bar in East London at the excellent Amused Moose comedy club chain. It’s a great way to prepare for your first gig and for the perils of the open mic circuit. It went brilliantly which set my hopes way too high. The next six gigs I died which was a far more realistic depiction of how that first year would go. But as they say, you learn much more from a bad gig than a great one. I’ve now been going four years and have performed over 500 gigs. It’s the best job in the world.”

One of James’ breakout milestones was being a part of Jimmy Carr’s Comedy Idol. Carr is one of Britain’s biggest comics, and was the first Brit to do a Comedy Central special. He will also be performing again this year at Just For Laughs (hahaha.com) in both Montreal and Toronto.

Carr held a Canadian Idol-like contest to find the best new comedian to perform with him.

“Hundreds of us auditioned and it was extremely nerve wracking. When people audition for Canadian Idol under the same circumstances (big room, three judges, lots of cameras) they are praying they don’t laugh, we were obviously praying they did. Thankfully they all laughed hysterically at my shocking one-liners and I was put through to the final.

James had only been performing for six months at the time. “To be performing at The Comedy Store (London’s biggest club) alongside the biggest comedian in the country and being filmed for his DVD was a dream come true. Jimmy’s support at that early stage of my career is what kept me going through the bad gigs and tough nights. I owe him a lot.”

Londoners and tourists can find him performing consistently at Upstairs at the Masons, the club he runs. “It’s a small above pub gig every Tuesday night. It holds about seventy people and is always packed due to the fact we attract the biggest names in stand up who drop in to try out new material. Russell Brand, Reginald D Hunter, Jimmy Carr, Michael McIntyre, Jason Rouse and many more have all performed here. I MC it every week which I love doing. I also like to offer spots to hot, new talent. The club is my baby and I love it.”

Internationally Montreal’s Just For Laughs is known for being the best comedy festival on the globe. James performed in 2005 and 2006. “When I performed in 2005 I had been performing for less than a year and was invited to write a piece for GQ Magazine about what it is like performing there. The following year I was invited back to pitch my sitcom idea in their annual open pitch session. Again, I performed at the lovely Comedyworks club. They are two gigs I have enjoyed more than any other.”

Another major comedy event is the Edinburgh Festival. The biggest difference is that anyone can perform at Edinburgh. “While you have a lot of great comedians at Edinburgh, there’s no screening process. You pay for a venue, you play. Conversely, comics are invited to do Montreal. It’s a huge, huge honour. Only the best comics in the world play there and that’s why it’s not only the greatest festival on earth but possibly the most fun anyone – punter or comic – will ever have.”

“I would do there every year for my summer hols if my wife would allow it. Unfortunately, as stand up consumes every moment of my life for 95% of the year, come holiday time she wants an escape from it. Although I always try and find a local club to do a set at while we are away. I actually did a set at a club in LA on the second night of our honeymoon. She is very understanding!”

Instead, James spends most of his summer holidays in Canada. His wife is Canadian, and lived in Toronto for eight years before moving to London. “I love it, it has everything that is great about New York and London (great restaurants, bars, comedy clubs) but without any of the pretension. Her parents live in Saint John, New Brunswick so we are often there. It’s a beautiful place and has a wonderful comedy festival in October. I saw the Trailer Park Boys do a rare live show there a few years back. I am hoping to get invited to perform there this year!”

On television James hosted a live viral clip show on Sumo TV, and now hosts The Movie Show. “It’s a dream come true. We do red carpet interviews at all the big premieres, interview the stars and do funny movie–related clips and sketches. My director Mark Murphy also directs films so the production values are extremely high. I’ve been a huge movie geek since I was about six. I collect memorabilia, photos, rare videos and I have written about film for GQ for nine years. So to combine my two loves, writing and performing and get paid for it is a real treat.”

James would love to be back in Canada asap, specifically at Yuk Yuk’s. “It’s undoubtedly the best comedy chain in the world. Mark Breslin is a genius and knows more about comedy than any other promoter I have ever met. Also, I plan to do Montreal’s Comedyworks again soon. Most comics agree it attracts the most comedy savvy audiences around.”

While he loves Seinfeld and Chris Rock, Louis CK is the comic he aspires the most to be like. “His ability to say the unsayable and his profound honesty make him the most important comic working today.”

This August James’s London solo show is called ‘James Mullinger Is The Bad Boy Of Feminism’ and is about how he studied Women’s Studies at university and why we need feminism now more than ever. “Trust me, it’s a lot funnier than it sounds!”

Check in with MySpace.com/JamesMullinger for more local dates, his stand-up act and TV performances.






Related Stories: