Comedy Fest Q and A - Rob Lloyd of Doctor Who show, Who.Me?

Comedy Fest Q&A - Rob Lloyd of Doctor Who show, Who.Me?

I can't tell you how excited I am by this show this year at the NZ Comedy Festival. A couple of years back I got similarly excited by Toby Hadoke's Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf. 

This time around, at Auckland's Basement Theatre from Tuesday 7th May to Saturday 11th May, Aussie comic Rob Lloyd's bringing his show, Who, Me to town.

Rob's fortunate enough they cast a lookalike as the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) because the two share an uncanny similarity....The show starts at 8.30pm, which should be no major if you have a time machine....


So, tell us what your show is called this year? 

WHO, ME.

Why? 
Well the show isn’t just about the Doctor Who, it’s also about me!

Can you give us a few hints as to what broadly your festival show is about? 
I basically put Doctor Who, the TV show, on trial and see whether he has enhanced or ruined my life.

How much time have you spent crafting the show over the past 12 months since the end of the last festival? 
This is my first New Zealand Comedy Festival and I am so excited to be here. I’ve presented WHO, ME. at festivals right across Australia but this is the show’s first overseas trip! My co-devisor and director Scott Gooding and I worked solidly on the show for around 7 months before we premiered it at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2011 - since then the show is constantly evolving and changing, depending on the audience I’m in front of.

The comedy festival is turning 21 this year – what were you doing 21 years ago? 
Wow - 21 years ago I was 14. I was in Year 9 at High School in country NSW. I remember I went and saw Tim Burton’s Batman Returns at the cinemas. I loved that film!

The Comedy festival is all about the camaraderie too - is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing over here either socially or on stage? 
I’m looking forward to catching up with Dave Bloustien -his show ‘The Social Contract’ is hilarious. Also, I can’t wait to catch some of the really fantastic impro comedy groups here. Improv is my main love and New Zealand improvisation always has a great reputation in the impro world.

What’s the comedy scene like at the moment who do you rate and why? 
It’s a really exciting time! There are so many interesting acts really pushing the boundaries to find new ways to make people laugh or re-examining the old ways and breathing new life into them. It’s a brave new world.

We think comedy, we think Heckling so, best tip for dealing with the hecklers? And has a heckler ever bested you? 
It’s your stage, you’re in charge, and you have the power. But just like what Spiderman was taught by Uncle Ben: ‘With great power, comes great responsibility’. You need to show who’s boss but you still need to keep the audience on side, put the heckler in their place but don’t go too far because you’ll lose the audience respect. Oh, I’ve been ‘bested many times’. I used to mostly perform impro comedy in pubs and clubs across Austraila. With impro, you kind of encourage audience members to call out stuff -sometimes it just releases the floodgates and it’s hard to ‘reel them back in’. It’s always challenging and fun though.

When we say New Zealand International Comedy Festival to you, what’s the first thing you think of? 
One of the most respected Comedy Festivals in the world! I am honoured to have been invited to perform here!

How would you persuade people to come and see your show? 
If you have ever been obsessed with anything in your life…you should see WHO, ME!

Find out more about Who Me on Facebook here...