Why Paddy Raff is laughing his way through lockdown

Raff is having a true moment of success, having just announced a fourth date at the SSE Arena after three nights sold out almost instantaneously, with the other tickets now on sale and selling fast.

The industrious father of two - Ronan is five and Clara just two - turned his hand to comedy after Facebook sketches, songs and skits found a huge following, and Paddy quickly realised he was onto a winner with the clueless burgundy-quaffing Nigel, who was a bumbling idiot, but in a frightfully funny way.

Paddy has been pretty much enjoying lockdown, making his online songs, another brilliant skit of the impossibility of getting the family Zoom quiz working without people accidentally muting themselves, falling asleep, waiting for other people or being hijacked by recalcitrant children. Then there’s his competitive videos about the weekly NHS clap, and how you don’t want to be seen to clap less than your neighbours so that maybe it is necessary to start involving bin lids too. Then there was his skit of Nigel singing Phone Again - based on Whole Again by Atomic Kitten and actually shared by Kerry Katona the other day on social media - where he talks about being robustly ready to tout on those mixing with people from other households.

“The only way I can get Clara to eat her dinner is if I pretend that I am Nigel,” laughs Paddy, which must make for hilarious scenes at his kitchen table.

His partner Kim is immensely proud of him but everybody around is surprised that somebody who always seemed so unassuming and quiet is actually a comedy big hitter. And a serious one.

“Kim sees me being more outgoing with family and friends and would always say I was the life and soul of the party or that if I had a story to tell it would always be like the funniest bit of the night. So she feels I haven’t changed who I am. It’s just bringing it to a wider audience.”

So how does he feel to sell out so many nights at the much vaunted SSE Arena?

“It feels lovely. Just to know that there is that support for me and that hopefully I can give people something to look forward to. You know when I first sold out the SSE Arena I was blown away because I had only been in comedy for two years and it was just crazy.

“And I’ve just heard from the BBC press office that they’ve commissioned my comedy pilot. So I’m pretty happy.”

Paddy is coping with lockdown easefully, creating comedy and making his usual hit videos without seemingly any difficulty.

“Doing the online stuff gives me a real sense of purpose and it raises my profile and got the attention of the BBC. The slight difficulty is that my wife has to mind the kids 24/7 and that is hard for her.”

So why does he think Nigel is so popular and why do we so enjoy laughing at that particular kind of thick posho? “I’m actually in talks with London to do a pilot of Nigel for BBC Two, so I’m trying to make the character more translatable. Rather than playing him as a very nasty, arrogant snob you can tell that Nigel has a bit of a heart and a sense of fun underneath all of that. He’s almost doing what he does because he feels that’s what’s demanded of him if he’s going to fit in with his social circle. He’s trying to live up to the absurd standards that he’s set for himself. Remember with the Buckfast - I mean he bought that and had it in his cellar so he knows he’s a cretin.”

Paddy Raff has announced a fourth date at Belfast’s SSE Arena on March 20, 2021 due to phenomenal demand. Tickets are now available via Ticketmaster outlets nationwide or online at www.ticketmaster.ie.

Watch the fanulous Social Distancing Queen by Paddy Raff here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7txm9f