Comedy

Hello. I am a comedian from Finland. Yes, the only country in the world with more alcohol-related deaths per capita than Great Britain. You guys lost on penalties. I got into the joke business after I’d graduated from business school and then realised I had little interest in business.

My first ever gig was in Finland in March 2004, in front of 200. Feedback: ‘You did better than last month’s open spot, who threw money at the front row.’ I came to London a year later. There is a difference between the circuits. In Finland, there are fewer gigs, but the audiences are huge. In London, the audiences chip in a lot. Us Finns like to comment with a stare. Feature continues

My weirdest gig was in front of four Japanese women. Their English wasn’t great. Emphasising the punchlines with cartoonish gestures, I started repeating my dirtier jokes since those did work. Some things are universal. Strangest heckler: a guy at the Fortnight Club who was actually barking. I double-checked it wasn’t a dog.

My favourite club is Downstairs at the King’s Head. The audience is highly comedy literate. Best and worst gigs were at the same place: Angel Comedy Club. My year-long post of compering at that particular club is about to end. Two moments I won’t forget. A girl said she was from Barcelona, so I proceeded to do five minutes about Italy. The other was a discussion with a woman in the front row. ‘Are those people your grandchildren?’ I asked. ‘No, they are my children.’ I felt so ashamed that I hid behind the backdrop. My favourite introduction was at a gig in Belgium: ‘Finland is known for its beautiful women. Instead, they sent us this.’