Comedian Frank Skinner has said he ‘won’t be returning to the Isle of Man’ after his recent show at the Gaiety Theatre.
Skinner performed at the venue on Sunday, November 3 for his show ‘30 Years of Dirt’ - his first ever visit to the Isle of Man.
However, it was an experience that the comedian does not look back on fondly.
Speaking on his podcast ‘Frank Off The Radio’, he said: ‘I got one big laugh during the show, which is when I told them that I paid 45% tax.
‘The gig was not rowdy, far from it. About 20 minutes in I realised that I was like the captain of a burning ship, entering a storm and asking for help that I knew would never come.
‘There was one man who was laughing uproariously. As it’s the home of the RNLI, this man was like a lifeboat that was out there which I couldn’t quite see, and I would say “come soon” [to save me] but he never quite made it. He was laughing and I loved him for that, but even he couldn’t thwart the giant waves of apathy.’
Frank also recalled that he did get a positive reaction from the audience when he made a joke about the Three Legs of Man.
He said: ‘The Isle of Man’s motto is that “wherever you throw us, we will stand”. They’re quite proud of it, and rightly so. I said to the crowd that it sounds very grand, but it’s effectively just a re-write of “weeble’s wobble but they don’t fall down” [a slogan for a popular children’s toy in the 1970s]’
He stated that he stayed at the hotel Halvard on Douglas Promenade, and said Douglas was similar to the English town Worthing.
Frank also recounted how he thought three men had submerged from the water on Douglas Beach, only for him to soon realise on closer inspection that it was the statue of the Bee Gees.
He also visited the statue of George Formby, after starring in a documentary film about his life in 2011. The film detailed the music star’s rise to fame and continued popularity, while Frank performed his songs and played the ukulele.
Speaking to Media Isle of Man back in September, Frank detailed how he likes to interact with the crowd during his shows. He said: ‘To me, there’s no point in doing live stand-up without interacting.
‘I've been doing stand-up comedy now for about 30 years, and for some reason, my stand-up act has always been considerably ruder than the rest of my work.
‘I've never been what I would call a “bedroom mirror comedian”, someone who just goes up and does it. If there's a lot of people looking at me, I need to speak to them. It makes every night a bit different, and you never know what's going to be said and what's going to come up - that’s exciting!’