The scouse standup’s cheeky takedowns of his audiences have earned him viral fame, 1.2 million Instagram followers and a string of sold-out arena shows. But is that the real him? Far from it, he says
At the Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool, Paul Smith’s standup double-header feels like a pop star’s homecoming. Women are wearing his tour T-shirts as dresses and the bar is half a dozen deep with fans hoping to get roasted by the local comic famous for his audience takedowns. There are first-daters, girls’ night outs, lads’ night outs, tourists, locals, couples, mothers and their grownup sons clamouring for a spot on the front row.
On stage, as on social media where his viral show clips from this venue led to international, sell-out-arena fame, Smith is as sweary as they come. During his 75-minute, banter-dense sets, little is out of bounds.
