Omid Djalili

Komedia, Gardner Street, Brighton, Monday, March 14

FROM starring in Hollywood blockbusters to funding We Are Many a documentary about the London anti-war protests, Omid Djalili has had a pretty varied career over the last few years.

But what helped him get those early breaks was Brighton’s own Komedia - which was one of the first supporters of his comedy.

As he prepares to return for an intimate show at Komedia Djalili tells Duncan Hall about the importance of not just supporting your old friends but also not ducking out from the big issues.

The Guide: How important was Komedia to your early stand-up career?

Omid Djalili: Very important – Komedia were the first people who saw me at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994 when I was a complete nobody and gave me my first booking at the Brighton Fringe the next year. I hadn’t even taken that show to Edinburgh – they just said they would have it. I have always had a connection with Komedia.

Was that part of the reason why you did some fund-raising shows in 2009 when Komedia ran into financial trouble?

I’m one of those people who feel when people have been there in difficult times in your life, which Komedia were, you should return the compliment. I don’t know how much we raised, but it seemed a good amount to keep them going.

It’s good to have a venue that does alternative stuff on. If I wasn’t a performer I would set up a place like Komedia.

Alongside the regular film roles and TV appearances stand-up seems to have been a constant in your career – what keeps you coming back?

I’m very lucky in the sense that if I suddenly want to perform I can. If you look at all the great musicians that have been working for decades they will have done a number of albums where they have just churned stuff out to meet the contract. In comedy you don’t have that – I tour when I want. I’m not attached to any deal or financial responsibility.

Is politics central to this show as with last year’s Iranalamadingdong?

I’m enjoying life at the moment but I’m very concerned by the state of the world. It takes a clear-minded person to make sense of this nonsense.

Is it important to put across your point of view as an Iranian living in London?

I’m in a unique position. When Britain was at war with the IRA you had Irish comedians like Frank Carson and Jimmy Cricket coming here, who didn’t want violence.

I strongly identify myself with my Middle Eastern background. It’s important to ask questions about terrorists – who they are, who funds them and why they exist. We should be able to have a peaceful world – why do people have to die? It all sounds serious – and they are serious subjects – but they provide the best comedy. The early signs are that it is working, by the end of this tour I will have a brand new exciting album.

A lot of the conflict can be put down to the notion of us and them – the fear of the other?

That is the problem – we have to remember that there is no “them” – “them” is us. There will always be nutters who try to mix things up and stir to make things worse.

Isis are a death cult – but we have cults like that in the West – people hellbound on killing and violence. I was at a Chelsea vs Tottenham game recently and ended up walking with the Chelsea Headhunters who were being given a police escort. One of the guys looked at me and said: ‘That reminds me lads we forgot to bring our Isis T-shirts’. They thought it would be funny to bring Isis T-shirts to a football game. There are elements who always think it’s a good idea to agitate.

There are elements in society that we can’t call evil – because they are convinced that what they are doing is right. When you can see the whole thing it is discombobulating.

How do you deal with that?

I always come from the background where if you engage with them and fight with them then you’re both wrong. The airstrikes in the past made things worse. One person can be right, and another person can be wrong, but when two people come to blows it means they are both wrong.

Is it difficult to tackle such tough targets for comedy?

I always set myself targets of what is the most difficult thing to do right now - to take a show about terrorism and see if I can make it rip-roaringly funny.

Do you think the focus on politics in comedy is cyclical?

There are comedians who are always looking to see what the trend is and then going the other way. In the late-1990s there were people going out there doing prop comedy, and then in the early 2000s there were people doing filthy gags. Audiences loved it because they were tired of comics being political.

What is your take on the rise of the arena show? Do you prefer to perform in a more intimate space like Komedia?

I don’t think what I do would work in an arena. I did an arena once – five minutes on the bill as the only comedian on a music night. I had to follow Ellie Goulding – the audience weren’t expecting comedy at all.

I enjoyed it greatly – it was quite an experience. To sustain that for an hour and a half would be frightening in front of 15,000 people.

You recently released your autobiography Hopeful. What inspired you to write your memoirs?

I felt it was the right time – it was a great thing to do. Reaching your late 40s it felt perfect timing.

Did it inspire anything in the new show?

Definitely – there were so many untapped memories that fitted into different bits of the stand-up. It’s all part of the process – getting to know yourself and what your values are, what your morals are. It was important for the stand-up.

Did your non-vocal performance on Shaun The Sheep The Movie help inspire your approach to your live show?

I couldn’t hope to answer that! I loved Aardman so much – working to create the right sound was very interesting. It was familiar to The Artist – a film that was totally non-verbal.

It’s a great film – and it has been nominated for an Oscar. I feel very lucky to be a part of that. Aardman are creating wonderful stuff.

Support from Boothby Graffoe.

Starts 8pm, tickets £22. Call 0845 2938480.