Exclusive interview by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
The Chase star, comedian and author Paul Sinha is delighted to be back at Southport Comedy Festival this weekend, in a superb double bill with Ria Lina.
Don’t go if you want a quiet night – both multi award winning comedians are among the very best on the circuit, as well as being two of the most vocal.
Paul is a massive fan of The Olympics and this gig will see him going for gold.
He has just published his new book – superbly titled One Sinha Lifetime – to rave reviews.
Paul Sinha said: “This show is going to include all my greatest hits!
“It’s great to be on a double bill with the fantastic Ria Lina.
“We have worked together quite a lot, it works really well.
“I travelled across Europe with ria doing gigs in places such as Cophagen and Prague.
“We’re very suited to performing at the same gig. We’re both very opinionated!
“We both have a lot to say about the world so it should be very lively.
“Southport Comedy Festival is absolutely fantastic. I have been playing in the big marquee there for a few years now. I love it.
”The marquee has become a wonderful and iconic comedy venue.
“It is a great place to watch live stand up comedy.
“There will be lots of new material for people to enjoy, with an eye on taking the show up to the Edinburgh Festival.
“I didn’t go this year for once – it was time to take a year off for a change.
“I love watching The Olympics and generally don’t do any shows whenever The Olympics is on.
“My mental health is much happier when I’m sitting in front of a TV cheering on Team GB.
“The first Olympic Games I enjoyed was in 1980 in Moscow.
“I have always been obsessed with the event. I get very excited watching the event and I cry a lot over those two weeks!
“My favourite ever Olympics moment was watching Dame Kelly Holmes winning Gold in 2012 at The London Olympics.
“I was sharing a flat with Sol Benstein at the time, jumping up and down shouting ‘go on Kelly!’”
Paul has performed at SouthportComedy Festival and in Southport many times. He has a great affinity with the town and the people who live here.
He was among many people devastated to hear of the tragedy which happened in July in which three young girls were killed and several other children and adults left severely injured.
He said: “It must have been an horrendous summer for Southport. I was shocked to hear what had happened.
“Hopefully the town is able to go through some form of healing process.
“Southport Comedy Festival is not really important in the scale of other things that are going on at the moment in the town but I hope that people coming to perform here over these two weeks can be a part of that healing process for people.
“I have watched what is going on from afar. Southport is somewhere I have been visiting for a long time and I love it there.
“I was very proud to see how the whole community came together after the tragedy and after the riot, with such strength and such compassion.
“It came as no surprise to me as Southport is such a great town with such great people.”
Tickets are available via the Southport Comedy Festival: What’s On – Southport Comedy Festival
Sunday 13th October 2024
Big Comedy UK Presents Best of the Fest Featuring Paul Sinha and Ria Lina
Join two of the comedy industry’s most celebrated comedians as they come together for one fantastic night of comedy as part of this year’s Southport Comedy Festival.
Paul Sinha
Best known as The Sinnerman on ITV’s The Chase. Paul is a Rose d’Or Award winner for radio comedy, and Chortle Award winner and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee for his stand-up. Paul is a familiar voice on radio appearing on Just a Minute (BBC R4), The News (BBC R4) Quiz and Fighting Talk (BBC 5 Live). On television, Paul has appeared on QI (BBC2), Would I Lie to You? (BBC1) Taskmaster (Ch4) and Celebrity Googlebox (Ch4).
“One of our most thoughtful and enjoyable comedians” The Times
Ria Lina
Ria Lina is a touring Filipina comedian, actress and writer known for her appearances on Live at the Apollo (BBC1), Have I Got News For You (BBC1), Mock The Week (BBC2) Pointless (BBC1) and House of Games (BBC2).
She has recently been named as one of The Evening Standard’s ‘Hottest Comedians You Should Be Watching Now’.
Throughout her stand-up career Ria has taken five shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her career stretches from stage and screen, to radio and the occasional ukulele.
“Fearless, provocative and very funny”
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