Steve Gribbin

Q: Why Did you become a comedian?
I had a vision in which Tommy Cooper climbed out of a Cadbury's Creme Egg and said: "Son, if you want loads of chocolate, just follow the dream!"

Q: Favourite comedy venue
The Comedy Store...the early show on a Saturday is the closest a comic can get to Nirvana. Second; Up The Creek in Greenwich. 'Cos I live in Lewisham it's my local venue, and they are a brilliant crowd...sassy, smart and brutal all in one!

Q: Favourite comedian
Of famous comedians it's Alexei Sayle...of my contemporaries, it's a tie between Jeremy Hardy, Mark Steel, Mark Hurst, Mark Thomas and Sean Meo.

Q: First gig:
The Woolwich Tramshed in May 1982, in an evening entitled 'Utopian spacelines Comic Cabaret'. There was a saxophonist on roller skates, a nude male stand-up and a very angry performance poet...it was right in the middle of the Falklands War, we were all paranoid that they would bring back National service. I was in a double act called Skint Video...we used to act out films...someone called out 'raging Bull'...I don't remember much after that!

Q: Biggest onstage cock-up
At a College gig in 1988...I got totally pissed before I went on, ran onstage, headbutted the microphone and knocked myself out cold!

Q: Imaginary best comedy line-up:
Richard Nixon ('cos all comics are essentially liars); Kate Adie (the Frank Spencer of international politics), John Pilger (great material), Slobodan Milosevic (Have to work on his sense of timing); Billie Piper (the Bill Hicks of her generation); Quentin Tarantino (the amorality); Julie Burchill (The rapid intellectual volte faces); Anyone Who Had a Heart.

Future Plans;
Tv, radio, video, DVD, mini-disc...I'd like to own all of them

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To become part of KFC's new "Fresh Roadkill" line

Anything else left to say:
Yes. They say that Laughter is the best medicine...but I think that pennicillin has the edge, especially for the clap.