July 5, 2017

Guildford Fringe Festival is, well, under way but twenty-five years ago, Paul would pass Guildford’s Star Inn as a pupil at the Royal Grammar School (and definitely not go in). Twenty years ago, Paul danced and finger-clicked down the High Street while at Guildford School of Acting. Nowadays he writes for hit TV shows – from BBC1’s Miranda to BBC2’s Top Gear to Channel 4’s TFI Friday – penning the scripts in Guildford’s coffee shops, library and occasionally on a park bench with a laptop.

In his new stand-up show, ‘Navelless Gazing’, Paul delves into his medical back-story as the world’s only bellybuttonless comedian.

While his school was in Guildford and his home was in Chobham, London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital was a second home in Paul’s younger years.

This highly comic tale of life, love and urology is on at The Star for one night only, on Thursday 20^th July at 8pm.

The show then tours Camden Fringe, Liverpool Comedy Festival, Nottingham Comedy Festival and London’s prestigious Museum of Comedy. After that? Paul won’t be drawn on rumours of writing new episodes of Miranda, or even TFI Friday… but here’s a clip of Chris Evans and Will from TFI Friday apologising to Paul for not featuring his ‘bellybuttonlessness’ on their ‘Freak or Unique’ slot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUYOkPoL2hk

‘A brilliant writer, fantastic communicator, deep thinker, but most importantly, extremely decent bloke.’ – Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2

‘His mastery of his comic art is first-rate’ – Metro

‘Ingenious’ – Evening Standard

‘One of the most amiable and unthreatening around, his writing is uniquely left-of-field, introducing concepts that a lot of his peers could not even imagine.’ – Chortle ****