Comedian Iain Stirling has a pretty simple answer when you ask how much his life changed when he became the voice of Love Island.
“I guess it changed my life in terms of about seven years ago I booked a tour show in Aberdeen, it sold no tickets and I didn’t do it, whereas now I’m doing two nights in the Music Hall,” said the Scottish funnyman and presenter.
The two nights in question are next Tuesday and Wednesday (November 9 and 10) when he will bring his new tour, Failing Upwards, to the iconic Union Street venue.
He said more people finding his comedy through the phenomenally popular ITV reality show is the dream of any comedian.
“As a stand-up comedian, that’s all you even want to do. I enjoy telly, it’s a nice break, but essentially it’s a platform for people to discover my stand-up. So when Love Island viewers discover my stand-up it’s brilliant.”
And he’s hoping even more people will find out how much he can make them laugh with his two-night stand at the Music Hall.
Mistakes create who you are
Failing Upwards sees Iain explore topics from his inability to function in basic public settings to social media’s constant pressure to “live your best life”.
Edinburgh-born Iain said: “It’s just that world where you’re told everything’s got to be perfect and you’ve got to get it right first time. Actually, the best bits in life, from my experience, is when things have gone a bit wrong and you have to adjust accordingly.
“That’s what life is basically… a series of mistakes you learn from and that creates who you are, rather than nailing it right the first time, which is what people are being told to do.”
Which is a rather deep message, but also one where Iain feels he can mine the rich seam of humour from feeling in a constant malaise in which mistakes are made, but you end up happy.
“That’s found in a sort of relatability. Hopefully, the humour is in me being able to express an opinion that everyone else has held but feels wrong somehow.
“And also, it’s just funny talking about me being useless. It’s when you have someone talking about how many times they have messed up in their life, and you can enjoy that from the comfort of a lovely warm seat.”
‘I don’t have Twitter on my phone’
While social media pressure has shaped elements of Failing Upwards, Iain has a fairly straightforward way of dealing with the pressures it can bring to bear on his life in the public eye.
“Pre lockdown I would have said: ‘Oh that’s just part of the job’, but now I just sort of stay away from it,” he said, adding he has a love-hate relationship with social media.
“I think it can be quite a toxic place… especially Twitter. I just feel like no one has anything nice to say on that website anymore. It’s such a shame because I used to love it.”
“I don’t have Twitter on my phone, I post stuff on Instagram and I’m on TikTok a little bit, because I’m one of the cool kids – a cool 33-year-old kid.
“But I don’t try to engage with it much. When it comes to stand-up or stuff I have done, I take to take advice and words from people I respect and trust and know, rather than someone with an Instagram account.”
As well as being the voice of BAFTA-winning Love Island, Iain has also been on the box in shows such as Taskmaster and CelebAbility. He also wrote and starred in the ITV2 sitcom, Buffering, about a children’s TV presenter at a time in life when he and his friends are too old for nightclubs, but too poor for mortgages.
Iain, a one-time CBBC presenter, makes no bones about his personal life playing into the show, which he wrote with long-time friend Steve Bugeja, who is also touring with him as the opening act for Failing Upwards.
How to get tickets to see Iain Stirling
“Scripted comedy is a nice way I can explore elements of my personal life, but I can mix it up with fiction and other people’s lives so no one really knows what’s true and what’s not,” said Iain, who is hoping for a second series.
But Iain’s real love is the “nerve-wracking thrill” of live stand-up.
“I have this innate need to perform. I love live, I love the instantaneous nature of it. In telly, there’s the safety net of the edit, but in live performance, there are no rules, really, anything can be said and anything can happen,” he said.
“The audience can change the way the gig goes by what they find funny or don’t find funny, or who goes to the toilet, or who shouts out. The whole thing’s subject to change and that’s what I love about it.”
Tickets for Failing Upwards at the Music Hall can be found at aberdeenperformingarts.com