Comedian Sean Lock was a pub quiz hero after deciding to brush up on his Dundee history before a city stand-up gig.
Lock, who has died of cancer at the age of 58, was a regular visitor to venues in Tayside and Fife over the years.
He toured with shows such as Lockipedia, Purple Van Man and Keep it Light on his journey to the very top of the British comedy tree.
Verdant Works visit
Before performing at the Caird Hall in Dundee in 2016, Lock told how he had taken time to learn about the city’s past before a previous stand-up date.
The 8 Out of 10 Cats star said his visit to Verdant Works came in handy when it came to a test of his general knowledge during a pub quiz.
He said: “I have played Dundee a couple of times before but not the Caird Hall.
“During one of these visits I can remember going to a museum and learning about jute.
“So I like to feel I know a bit about Dundee already and it’s been put to good use since.
“There was a pub quiz I took part in with some friends a while ago and there was question about Dundee.
“I didn’t really listen to the question but I told my mate to write down jute and it ended up being right.
“I’ve kept that bit of knowledgeable expertise up my sleeve from the last time.
“I’ll look to learn some other interesting facts about the city when I’m waiting around before my show.
“It can be quite nice spending time wandering around, taking in new things.
“When you were touring you didn’t have time to appreciate any of the places you were performing in.
“You were just ramming so many performances in before Christmas so you could release the DVD — it was a nightmare, really.
“But since the demise of the comedy DVD market, I’m now able to spend a bit more time in places and treat my tour like little jaunts to different parts of the country.
“I’m now able to split my tour up into 40 days at a time.”
Lock described the east of Scotland as a “lovely part of the world when it’s sunny” and said the audiences there “can be a spunky bunch”.
Road to stardom
Lock decided to throw himself into comedy full time when he was working in a psychiatric hospital.
“I worked in the kitchen,” he said.
“My job was to frighten the patients away from the bins.
“They liked to come in and rummage around in them, and they could get hold of stuff that was bad for them.
“This was a long time ago. I’m sure they’ve devised a more sensible way of keeping psychiatric patients and kitchen bins separated now.
“Anyway, I was standing there one day, shooing them away and I just thought: ‘Why am I doing this? Let’s see if I can make a living out of comedy.’”
His first television appearance came in 1993 when he appeared in Rob Newman and David Baddiel’s show Newman & Baddiel.
He also toured as their support act, giving rise to an urban legend that he was the first comedian ever to perform at Wembley Arena.
He spent seven summers doing the Fringe in Edinburgh and was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award.
“Edinburgh was great at that time,” he recalled.
“In those days it was just a laugh – it wasn’t as corporate as I hear it is now.”
Unlike many comedians he kept fairly strict working hours.
“I do have quite a lenient boss so I’m not completely tied to doing 9-5 days but I do try to be at my desk by 10am and put in a full day,” he said.
“I’m old fashioned so I sit with a pen and paper.
“There are no distractions – no television, no music – I just sit there until I write something.
“It’s excruciating.
“I start writing then I think this is all just crap.
“Then I spot a couple of words or a turn of phrase that I like, and gradually a funny line or idea reveals itself.
“It takes bloody ages.”
Lock was best known as a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats, the comedy panel show hosted by Jimmy Carr.
He appeared on the first 18 series, opposite team captains including Jason Manford and Jon Richardson.
Lock left in 2016 and he and Richardson also appeared on the spin-off series 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown.
He died at home from cancer surrounded by his family.
