Doc Brown interview

You wouldn't blame anyone for being a little big-headed if they could act, rap and make people laugh but Doc Brown is determined to keep level-headed about his success.

"After every single show I stay behind with the fans and chat to everybody in the audience because I want to know how real people feel," says the 37-year-old Londoner.

"I consider myself one of their number," he adds.

"The first time I got on stage was when I was 30 years old so I had a life of anonymity before that."

After a year-long hiatus from stand-up, Doc Brown will return to Nottingham's Glee Club next month with his brand new show The Weird Way Round.

As an up-and-coming rapper he would regularly perform his trademark acerbic rhymes at venues like Rock City, but the performer, born Ben Bailey Smith, explains he has a special affinity with the Glee Club.

"It's got that party vibe, but at the same time there's always a discerning comedy crowd, so it's a perfect mix for me: smart people who like to get drunk, as opposed to stupid people who like to get drunk."

Doc finds it difficult to describe his stand-up style, but says ultimately he's a storyteller who likes to talk from an honest and personal place. This is because he finds true stories tend to be the funniest.

"It's like I'm the last one to arrive in the pub. Everyone's already there and I sit down and go: 'listen to what just happened to me'."

The comedian has always been issue-led and The Weird Way Round delves deeper into recurring themes such as racism and sexism.

"Having two daughters, I'm always thinking a little bit more about the place of women in modern society," he says.

"I find a lot of different angles on it, but they can still be consistently funny."

Doc's amalgamation of comedy and hip-hop has earned him a reputation as a unique entertainer.

"Hip-hop is a street culture – it's rugged, raw and DIY," he says.

"Stand-up has a lot of similarities with that. It has the same kind of brashness that hip-hop encourages."

He notes that his penchant for all things funny came thanks to his comedy-buff father who he'd sit down with to watch Porridge, Monty Python and the like.

Despite his love for these shows, and comedic stalwarts such as Harold Lloyd and The Marx Brothers, Doc claims his inspirations as a performer are much closer to home.

"I'm just constantly influenced by my friends and family. I like keeping my ear to the ground even though I exist in a showbiz world," he says.

"I don't hang out with people like James Corden – I hang out with all the same people as before."

Many will recognise Doc from his work with Ricky Gervais' character David Brent on Equality Street, the hit charity single which went viral.

Doc has had a very healthy working relationship with Gervais since his early days as a fledgling comedian and describes their collaborative work as a constant learning experience.

"He really doesn't have any fear when it comes to his ideas – he just goes for it," he says.

"That kind of bravery has created some of the best comedy work over the past ten years or so and it's awesome to watch."

Even though plenty of fans turn up to see the comedian perform the Comic Relief song, he insists it's not going to happen.

"A joke is rarely funny twice," he insists.

"My fan-base wants to see new material and want the night to feel special and unique – which is obviously what I'm going to provide in Nottingham."

Outside of the stand-up world, Doc recently landed one of the biggest roles of his career as leading character DS Hawkins on ITV's Law And Order: UK – a childhood dream come true for the multi-talented entertainer who used to make guns out of sticks as a child and pretend to solve crimes.

He has also been busy working with Paul Whitehouse on upcoming comic-drama Nurse, but there is another exciting project on the cards which is a true departure for the performer.

Adding another string to his bow of many talents, Doc has just signed a two-book deal with one of the UK's biggest publisher of children's books.

It puts him in the same world as his award-winning novelist sister Zadie Smith.

"She's always telling me about the publishing world and how difficult it is for writers, but mine's a totally different side of the publishing world," he says.

"The children's picture-book industry is thriving, while adult book sales are dwindling.

"Kindle and tablets have undercut everybody and it's really hard for new authors to make it."

Does he see his future as a writer?

"My immediate future is definitely in acting," says Doc.

"After this tour I'll take another sabbatical from comedy because the more intense the work gets, the less time I have to drop everything and write an hour of stand-up.

"I'm gonna do one thing at a time from now on."