Co Down comedian Dave Elliott on 10 years in stand-up, his biggest solo tour and Blue Lights role

Northern Ireland's comedy scene continues to grow from strength to strength and Dave Elliott is a name always on the biggest bills.

The Co Down comedian has become one of the most popular names in the local industry - packing venues such as the Ulster Hall, featuring on the Blame Game and making people laugh on podcasts such as Sly Guy and Tea With Me.

With a stint on BBC crime drama Blue Lights also under his belt, Dave is on a high right now as he makes his way through his latest stand-up tour Roleplay in theatres across NI.

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Chatting to Belfast Live, Dave shared his journey from starting out in a sketch group with his friends to opening for Kevin Hart and performing in the most famous venues across the country.

He said: "I got involved in a sketch group many years ago and then just through that I met a few other comedians and they sort of bullied me really to give stand-up a go and then sort of just went from there.

"It took a few terrible gigs really before I figured out what my first actual bit was and then once I got that figured out I was like I think I can - I know how to write these now and I can put across what my point of view is.

"It only really started going very well whenever I had kids and was able to kind of talk about that sort of thing... My sort of whole persona is kind of grumpy old dad."

With a decade of stand-up under his belt, Dave bit the bullet three years ago to pursue comedy full-time and has not looked back since.

"I've been very fortunate to be able to find enough people to find me funny enough to be able to steal a living," he joked.

Dave is currently leaving fans across the country in stitches as he tours his show Roleplay which is about juggling the roles of dad, husband, comedian, and …. housewife as he hilariously exposes the trials and tribulations of modern life.

The show follows him on a quest for significance as he delivers a scathing and ridiculous take on the roles we play.

When asked what fans can expect from the show, Dave said: "First of all, it's a very funny show - I would say it's my favourite show that I've done so far.

"It's the one that I certainly feel is the most personal probably of all my shows.

"And it's certainly been the one that I've got the most positive feedback from people watching it which has been really amazing.

"So it's been really fun. I'd be very hard on myself and always looking for there to be some sort of negative or what I can do better but the feedback has been nice so I'm trying to be better at letting myself enjoy it and have fun."

He added that seeing the comedy scene here just explode over the last number of years has been "surreal" and getting to be a part of it is "brilliant".

Dave continued: "I'm very much during the day have the kids look after - just a bit of a boring guy going about the place but now it's at the point where people are coming up saying hello or they watch the podcast.

"It's really just humbling to think that I'm able to make people's days better by being able to watch a podcast or come to a show so it's really cool.

"For me, it's just been such a privilege to be a part of it... I'm a big one looking back at your younger self and telling them 'imagine you saw this'.

"If I had gone back to myself when I left my job and said within a year, you'll have had the opportunity open for Kevin Hart and played the Ulster Hall with your own solo show, I have 'gone away and catch yourself on' so it's almost like a bit mad to even think."

He credits the podcast space as one of the reasons the local comedy industry has grown from strength to strength as it's allowed stand-ups to create a new audience away from the traditional routes which limited them before.

If you don't know Dave for his hilarious stand-up, you may recognise him as Brendan from Blue Lights, popping up in two episodes of the new series.

"I was a massive fan of the series and when I got the audition, I remember being really nervous about it," he explained.

"I was like I really want to get this and it would be something totally different than what people would expect to see me doing.

"So to have actually got it and being in something that I was already a big fan of was a dream come true and everybody involved with it from the writers to the production team to the actors and the crew were just all so welcoming.

"To be brought in and encouraged and be supported the way I was - the whole thing was great."

While Brendan may have been put behind bars for bad behaviour, Dave is hoping that he could make a return in the Blue Lights future after having such a positive experience on series two.

To find out more about Dave's tour and get tickets at a venue near you, see here

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