Wireless Magazine March South West

S E N O J N O MILT

Words: Emily Whitehouse

You may only know him as 'the weird bloke with the shirts from Mock the Week' (said with affection), but Milton Jones is certainly making a name for himself in the world of comedy.

Since winning the 1996 Perrier Best Newcomer Award, Milton has won countless prizes for his unique, wacky comedy including the 2011 Chortle Best Headliner Award; fighting off competition from popular nominees, Andrew Lawrence, Craig Campbell and Tom Stade.

Having been performing stand-up for 23 years, Milton has perfected his craft and developed his famous 'one-liner' style of comedy, which can be seen on his live stand-up DVDs 'Milton Jones-Live Universe Tour-Part 1Earth' and 'Milton Jones - Lion Whisperer'. He told Wireless, “When I first started I was so scared I had to get to the punch line ASAP. Therefore I ended up with a lot of one-liners”.

Milton gained fame through his regular performances on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and panel show, Mock The Week. Both programmes see Milton appear with fellow renowned comedians such as Dara O'Briain, Russell Howard, Frankie Boyle and Kevin Bridges. When asked who his favourite comedian to perform with is, Milton replied, “I'm afraid it's every man for himself. Dara is a very good host though. Not many people could do what he does”.

As well as his popularity on television, Milton has also had a Milton Jones performs at Altitude Comedy Festival great deal of success with his which takes place 26-31st March in Mayrhofen, Austria. various radio shows, 'The House For more info and tickets, please visit of Milton Jones', 'The Very World www.altitudefestival.com of Milton Jones' (for which he Wireless 19

It becomes clear when reading the novel that a good portion of the story is based on Milton's own experiences and this is certainly responsible for its success with fans and fellow comedians alike.

Comedian and writer Mark Billingham described the book as “hilarious, moving and truthful. Finally a book that tells you what it's REALLY like to tell jokes for a living. And noone tells jokes better than Milton Jones”.

won a Sony Award) and 'Another Case of Milton Jones', which is currently in its fifth series on BBC Radio 4. It is clear that

If that wasn't enough, Milton has also tried his hand at writing, namely in his biographical novel Where Do Comedians Go When

“Dara is a very good host...

Not many people could do what he does” Milton They Die?: Journeys of a

loves working on both platforms as he says, “Both are good for different reasons.

Radio - you can 'go' anywhere in time and space with no extra cost and you don't have to learn it. TV requires less words - more funny actions. It also involves more people behind the scenes. More people who can muck it up”.

Stand-Up, published in 2009. The story depicts a fictional comedian called Jerome Stevens and his struggle to balance his erratic career with his social and family life.

Like Jerome, Milton has a wife and kids, but what is it like to have a famous husband and dad?

According to Milton, “at first they were curious.

Now they don't even bother to watch”.

If all this doesn't impress you, then go see for yourself and you will understand the hype.

Milton will be touring around Britain until June and you can also catch him at the prestigious Altitude Comedy Festival at the end of March, so you h a v e c o u n t l e s s opportunities to see his live show. We asked Milton where he looks forward to performing most, to which he replied, “Richmond Theatre. I used to be an usher there a long time ago. I may throw a tantrum, 'you said I'd never amount to anything' etc...”.

We couldn't speak to the 'king of the surreal oneliners' (The Times) without asking him what his favourite one liner is...

“I was walking along the other day and on the road I saw a small dead baby ghost. Although thinking about it, it might have been a handkerchief”.

What more needs to be said?

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