Simon Brodkin talks stand-up, stunts and why he regrets giving Theresa May her P45

Now, critically acclaimed comedian Simon Brodkin is on a huge 72-date international tour of his latest and biggest stand-up show Unleashed and will be bringing it to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall in February.

Unleashed is your biggest ever stand-up tour to date, how have you been enjoying the shows so far?

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to get back out there having not done a tour for over a year.

“What’s great about the UK is that we love joking about how bad things are – there is nothing in Britain that can’t be improved with a gag.

“And I’d forgotten just how much being on stage in front of thousands of people each night is my happy place.

“It’s the only two hours of the day when my kids don't phone me up!

"It's the calmest two hours of the day, some ‘me time’, it's my warm bath.”

What can audiences expect material-wise from Unleashed?

“Having done the characters and stunts in the past, this is only my second big tour doing stand-up as myself – so it’s called Unleashed because I feel like now I can finally say what I want.

"It’s a show full of the things that I've been finding laughable over the last year, from vape shops to Turkish barbers, wild swimmers, marriage and Genghis Khan!

“And quite a lot about my own family.

"My children are asking if they can come and see the show, but I'm trying to put them off as I'm not sure it paints them in the best possible light.

"So if you do come along to a show and it feels like a particularly short one, that's because I've had to cut out 20 minutes of material about my kids who have come along that evening – sorry everybody.”

Why did you decide that you wanted to step out from behind the characters and do stand-up in your own name?

"The stand-up that I did before was always in character, predominantly as south London lad Lee Nelson.

“Performing as Lee was amazing – three series on BBC Three, big touring shows.

“But I was doing and saying things on stage, perhaps a bit of crowd work, and Lee would come out with a great answer that the audience would love, but I'd be thinking, ‘hang on, is that Lee? – Lee couldn't have thought of that, I think that might be me popping through there.’

"So my own stand-up has grown from there.”

What are the key differences for you performing as Simon and performing in character?

"Ultimately, whatever I'm doing – Lee, Jason Bent, the stunts, my own stand-up – the main aim is to bring a dirty big laugh to people's faces.

"I don’t want to give an amusing TED Talk, I want people rolling in the aisles.”

How do you approach crowd work as part of your shows?

“I have always loved doing crowd work.

"I think the reason stand-up is still so popular is because it's in the moment.

"The audience knows that this is just for them, on that one night.

"It is another lesson I’ve learnt when performing as myself though.

"When I first started, I’d often go back to muscle memory and say a Lee line that had always gone down brilliantly, but would be utterly harsh.

"So I’ve had to remember that this is now a genuine connection I’m getting with people when performing as myself and so maybe not to insult them quite as much.”

Do you enjoy life on the road?

“I'm not a big ‘on the road’ guy – put it this way, I take my own pillow with me.

"I just got back from three nights away in Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Scunthorpe, and I had nine bags.

"So I'm often getting laughed at and rightly so.

"My basic plan is to try and take my home on tour with me.”

You have performed the show internationally across 2026 – are you finding that the subject matter is universal?

“I’ve found that if people get the reference, wherever they are in the world then my jokes hit just as well.

"But yeah, occasionally the reference doesn’t land abroad – you realise just how low Britain’s standing has got when you make a joke about your Prime Minister and they haven't heard of them.”

You are also, of course, incredibly well-known for a series of headline-making stunts on leading world figures – Theresa May, Donald Trump, Sepp Blatter, Kanye West, Philip Green - how do you reflect on these stunts now?

“Always a fun day at work and inevitably ending up in a police cell somewhere around the world.

"They were big, funny, ballsy moments that people could laugh at.

"I do now regret handing Theresa May a P45 though, I didn't realise at the time that she was the best we've got – sorry everybody!”

If you were pressed, which of the stunts is your favourite to look back on?

“I think the FIFA one where I showered Sepp Blatter in bank notes, just because of what FIFA are, what they represent and the fact it had an immense impact on the football world.

"Although, I didn’t realise I was helping cut off the snake’s head and another one was going to grow underneath by the name of Gianni Infantino. “The police in Switzerland were lovely, one of the nicest incarcerations I’ve enjoyed, lovely facilities, comfortable bed, good warm food, and they even asked if I wanted to come and have a watch of the news to see the headlines I’d been making.”

Simon Brodkin comes to Nottingham on February 4.

Visit simonbrodkin.com/, trch.co.uk or call 0115 9895555 to book.