Fellow Stand-up 'had a paranoia'

Paul Chowdhry has revealed how another comedian kicked him out of a show – fearing he was there to steal material.

Without revealing the name of the other stand-up, Chowdhry explained: ‘I went to see one comic. And he saw me waiting to watch the show and he came up to me and he said, "I can't have you here."

‘He's got a paranoia that comics nick his material. He said, "All comedians are thieving so-and-so’s." He kicked me out

‘My friend was there and he had to come with me. He lost his seat. I managed to go back, I think, to another show where he didn't see me.’

Chowdhry told the story to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on their food-based podcast, Dish – where he also spoke about the joy of playing Wembley Arena, having previously worked there.

He said: ‘I did Wembley on the last tour and the last time I'd been there, when I was a student, I went to de-rig the stage and it was the Mariah Carey concert. So I was told to take Mariah Carey's bags to the car and de-rig the stage until 7am and take the stuff down.

‘It took a few years, but then I ended up selling out the room I was de-rigging for. To think that someone like working class, like me working for £3 an hour, doing security could achieve that if you work hard enough…

Grimshaw then joked: ‘Was it weird when Mariah de-rigged your stage?’ – especially since Chowdhry’s equipment amounted to one microphone,

Chowdhry was speaking to promote his role in Celebrity Cooking School, the E4 reality show starting on Monday in which contestants are trained and judged in the kitchen by Michelin-starred chef, Giorgio Locatelli.

He described the line-up as ‘myself, Kerry Katona, Shaun Ryder, Kim Woodburn and a bunch of other losers from reality shows’.

And he told the presenters that he still attracted hecklers at his show, saying: ‘It's weird because in America is not a thing, but in England is the audience think they're funnier than the comics on stage, especially up north, right? You go up to Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool. Leeds..

‘They get very excited, so they want to talk to you. They think it’s like a private conversation.’

• Dish, the new podcast from Waitrose & Partners, is available from all providers now, including Apple; Celebrity Cooking School starts on E4 on Monday September 5 at 10pm

Published: 1 Sep 2022