Nigel Planer and Alistair McGowan brought the house down laughing with a "night of poetry and comedy" at the Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday night (29/01/2000). They were helped by Hovis Presley who warmed up the audience at the start of the show and in between acts. The night's comedy ranged from the subtle use of puns to the outrageous alter egos of Nigel Planer, and the spot on impersonations of Alistair McGowan. After the show I got a chance to speak to both Planer and McGowan.

Since the end of the cult show, the Young Ones, in which he starred as hippy Neil, Nigel Planer has been acting and writing. I asked him whether he now prefers to work in the background, compared to his former co-stars Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall. He replied: "I just don't repeat myself, but I have been on tele for the last 17 years since we stopped making the Young Ones." Apparently I might have missed him because he "puts different wigs on" for almost every TV appearance, "whereas Rik and Ade keep the same haircuts."

Planer doesn't see himself as a comic personality. He said "I'm really a comic actor and writer, so I just do the job in hand, and try and play the character." His nightmare would be if someone said it's "The Nigel Planer Show - you can do what you like!" Why? "I wouldn't know what to do", he said. "A third of my income comes from writing and two-thirds from performing," revealed Planer.

He blames his parents for his becoming a comic actor, as they didn't get divorced. Most of his friends' parents did, however, thus marking him out. Even the help he received with his maths and English homework as a child "ruined" him "for life." He believes that there is something dysfunctional in his personality, and remembers a carol concert where he only had one corner to look into. I asked him why it has ruined him. "I don't feel like I'm part of normal society, I feel that I missed out," Planer explains. People are always saying to him "get real!" Which obviously affects him, as he describes himself as "a very sensitive person."

Planer Blames Parents For Comic Career(Audio)

Alistair McGowan has performed at the Playhouse for the last two years. Matt Aston, the producer, suggested that he returned for the poetry and comedy night. He told the producer that he wasn't really into stand up at the time, but agreed to "come and do some poetry." McGowan is perhaps best known for his TV impersonations of sporting personalities. Speaking about his guest's poetry he said, "I haven't seen Nigel's poetry before today, so I was interested to see what he did and I enjoyed it very much."

McGowan explained that his reputation isn't for poetry but comedy. However, he does get involved with poetry nights. Usually McGowan has to perform alone, "so you don't get to see the other people, as you did in the old days of comedy when you're starting out," he said. So far he has been involved with six poetry events. Nevertheless McGowan doesn't "intend to take over the world linguistically or in any other way."

His mother influenced his career choice. When talking about a conversation she'd had during the day, she used to impersonate the other person involved. "I just sort of thought that's what you did, so it's always been what I've done," he elaborated. So from a young age he copied other people's voices, and told stories about them. Yet McGowan wasn't the naughty boy in school at the back of the class. "I didn't know that sort of thing went on. We didn't have school bullies either," he said while describing his school days as "very sober."

Both Planer and McGowan feel removed from the current comedy scene. McGowan is amazed by the replication of the 24 years' old postgraduate audience at each club. However, he seldom goes these days. He comments that the audience is always the same. The only difference is that they don't seem to get older. McGowan on the other hand feels it upon each infrequent visit, and therefore is "moving away from it a bit." The last time that Nigel Planer went to a comedy gig was in the early '90s.

Planer prefers the poetry circuit, which he believes "is thriving." He considers stand-up comedy as being "aggressive-defensive." He described the difference between a stand-up and a poetry-comedy gig. Stand-up performers "usually try to hide things, whereas at a poetry gig they are trying to reveal things to the audience" he explained. Apparently the audience also has more diversity across the age groups. On the circuit there are "a lot of not just funny but poignant performers," Planer continued. Like McGowan, he has performed with some of them; although he's usual the sole act on stage. Yet he has acted with the writer of TV sitcom 'The Royle Family', Henry Normal.

McGowan said he's not a raucous person, which contrasts with Nigel Planer's anarchic humour and profane poetry. Planer "wouldn't use that sort of stuff on television." "I wouldn't be allowed to, although everyone seems to be doing it" He added. Planer believes "you can get closer to the bone live than you can on television." Both men would like to work with each other again. They felt that their different styles formed a "a nice balance." One question remains: who will do the poetry?

Meanwhile, Nigel Planer has a new book out called 'The Right Man.' "It is a novel about a theatrical agent in Soho. I've tried to stick to the world I know," he said. It is a black comedy about "contact problems that men are experiencing these days to try and see their children." Although it looks at some serious issues, Planer described the book as being "actually very funny." He was overjoyed to see it in paperback for £6.99 while out shopping in Nottingham. It is available in most bookshops, like W.H. Smiths and Waterstones. If you can also see them both live, then you'll find yourself gnawing on a bone with laughter. You won't be able to help yourself!