David Evans goes moustache-to-moustache with TV-bound, hirsute Bristol comedian, John Robins.

You’ve got a busy month ahead, John. First up is a two-night headline slot at The Comedy Box. Excited?

Yeah, I’m really looking forward to that. It’s one of the best gigs in the country and that’s not just because I’m from Bristol. Whilst everything else has been changing hands, ‘The Box’ has been at The Hen and Chicken for over ten years. It just goes to show that if you’re providing a good night and good acts then comedy can succeed in a downturn.

Sorry to be distracted, but that’s a frankly ridiculous handlebar moustache you’re sporting.

It’s for Movember. I got an email from a comedian, Carl Donnelly, who was setting up a charity group called Comedians with Cookie Dusters. On top of that, I’m a huge fan of Frank Zappa, who had the best facial hair in history. Plus, he died of prostate cancer, which is what Movember is raising money for. At the end of the month ‘Zappa plays Zappa’ is at the Colston Hall, where Frank’s son Dweezil plays all the main hits. It will be on the last day of Movember, so I’m aiming to get a photo with him, which seems a perfect tie-in.

Will this stuff be part of your Comedy Box gigs?

[laughs] I’ll have to say something! I think the main concern for comedians is that you look like some kind of kooky ‘cool dude’; if you suddenly turn up with a really elaborate moustache and don’t make any reference to it…

Point taken. You're also slated to imminently appear on ‘Russell Howard’s Good News’. Tell us about that.

We filmed that about a week ago. It’s great because TV is the main chink in my armour so this is a really good opportunity to fix that. I don’t know a lot of Russell’s stuff – I don’t spend my time watching everything he does – but from what I’ve seen of ‘…Good News’, it’s a very successful project. It was a real honour to go on it. I imagine it’s hard to be the face of a programme, but he and Jon [Richardson, who features on ‘Stand Up for the Week’ and ‘9 out of 10 Cats’] have both made great successes of themselves.

Your stand-up takes a lot of material from Bristol. Why do Bristolians provide such good subjects?

Well, I think comedians tend to reflect the environment around them. In London, for instance, you’d be surprised how many comics have the same skit about the Tube. Having said that, what I’ve got from people who visit Bristol is that Bristolians are very friendly, by and large, and I think humour plays a big part in that.

What’s also interesting is that even before the Tesco riots, there was a strong tradition of rioting in Bristol, going back to the 18th century. So there’s a mixture between that light-heartedness and a slightly politically left and reactionary quality, which makes Bristol a good place for comedy.

Are you long for Bristol? It seems that most performers end up decamping to London…

I will probably have to leave at some point, but I know I’ll end up coming back. I do get that warm feeling when I’ve driven back after a gig. I get onto the M32 and what I’ll do is this little act, like:
“Hello Bristol!” and then [affects guttural West Country accent] “Alright there mate, where’ve you been tonight then!?”
“I’ve been off to London”
“Ooh, you won’t find me in that bloody London, John, oh dear!”

[laughs] My girlfriend was quite disturbed when I first did that…

JOHN ROBINS WAS AT THE HEN AND CHICKEN ON FRI 11 AND SAT 12 NOV AND WAS ON ‘RUSSELL HOWARD’S GOOD NEWS’, SAT 12 NOV, BBC3.
TO KEEP TABS ON HIS MOUSTACHE-GROWING, VISIT: MOBRO.CO/JOHNROBINS

Copyright David Evans 2011