A novel idea

Frustrated Dylan plans first book

Dylan Moran is planning to write a novel, because he's growing frustrated with stand-up.

The comic ­ who has already announced the end of his sitcom Black Books ­ says live work holds few challenges now.

He said: "The things you can do easily, you have no respect for. The things you can't do, you love."

The 32-year-old comic added that he is drawn to writing because it holds less of the unpredictability of stand-up, where he cannot always control the audience's reaction.

He told the Sunday Times: "One night, something wonderful happens, and you don't entirely know why.

"What I'm finding now is that I want to control every factor, and I can't. So I'm inevitably becoming drawn to books, where you control everything

"What it boils down to is this: are you going to spend the rest of your life doing 90 minutes about being a grumpy fucker? And I'm bored with that, essentially. I want a solo project. Something I won't be able to blame anybody else for if it goes wrong.

"Anyway, it's inevitable. I'm a comedian, of course I'm going to write a fuckiing novel. There are comedians being born and finding letters from publishers waiting in the hospital."

Sunday Times interview

Published: 2 May 2004

Live comedy picks

We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.