STEPHEN K Amos has spent the past year spreading his feel-good comedy around the world, in countries including Australia, Tasmania, Greece and Spain.

The stand-up comedian is currently touring his new show, World Famous around England and will be touching down in Enfield next week, to divulge everything he has learnt from all the different cultures he has visited.

Stephen explains why nothing beats the freedom and spontaneity of being in front of a live audience…

What is your first memory of comedy growing up?

I grew up in the ‘70s, so comedy was very much a guy on TV wearing a suit telling traditional jokes and a lot of them were bordering on sexist, homophobic and racist jokes. So in terms of growing up watching comedy on TV, it didn’t really speak to me much as a young kid.

Have you always wanted to be a comedian?

I was on course to becoming a lawyer originally, which is obviously a completely different career but at the same time, there are similarities, as the jury are like the audience and I have to convince the audience to accept my point of view.
I decided to do comedy after a friend said I was funny and should pursue it as a career. That was the first time it went through my mind, as I had never even been to a comedy club growing up.

What has been your career highlight so far?

I have to say, without trying to sound trite, being able to do a job that you love where you are your own boss and nobody is telling you what to do, but people still come out and listen to what you have to say, there is nothing more humbling in the world.

Do you prefer performing live in front of a crowd or working in a TV studio?

There is a huge difference between the two. When you perform in front of a live audience, they are there to see you and because you are your own director and producer, I don’t have to sign any compliance forms and regulations about what I can and cannot say on TV. On stage, you can’t predict what will happen. Sometimes I’ll say things that are designed to get some sort of reaction from the audience and they may say hilarious things that you just can’t recreate or plan.

You grew up with seven siblings, are they funny too?

A lot of them are quite funny but the thought of going up in front of strangers is horrifying for them. People often think it is scary but as far as I’m concerned, it is not the hardest job in the world. I’m no rocket scientist and am not finding a cure for cancer, I just do jokes. If the jokes don’t work, people don’t laugh and then you just move on. What is the worst that could happen? Nothing.

What have you learned most about being a comedian?

People should always question what is being presented to them as fact. Comics have an advantage of looking at things through a different perspective and try to find the funny in situations. With social media and the internet growing over the past 25 years, we now have access to information and there is no excuse for ignorance anymore. Always look at the bigger picture.

Where have you been recently with the tour?

I was touring Europe for a month, which was quite interesting, as European audiences are great and their command of the English language puts us to shame but you can’t use slang or any local referencing due to the language barriers, so it makes you really concentrate on what you joke and talk about. 

World Famous, Millfield Theatre, Silver Street, Edmonton, N18 1PJ, Tuesday, January 31, 7.45pm. Details: 020 8807 6680, millfieldtheatre.co.uk