Interview: Jason Cook

Jason Cook: The Search for Happiness.

Jason Cook is back in Edinburgh for a 7^th straight year with The Search For Happiness. Andrew Dipper caught up with him to find out more about this year’s Fringe show.

AD: Hiya Jas. What’s this year’s show about?

JC: It’s about happiness, and the things that go into making us happy. And my mam a bit too.

AD: Where’s The End (Part 2)? You told us last year you’d be back with the second instalment. Did you tell us lies?

JC: Nah, we had a few companies interested in filming it and they told us to hold off until we could get a deal sorted; but things dragged on and on and we couldn’t get it done in time for this year’s Edinburgh. It’s still a possibility for TV though.

AD: What’s special about Edinburgh for you?

JC: It’s like a second home now. This year is my 7th Fringe in a row, so me and my family just resign ourselves to the fact that we are going to be here for the summer. The festival has changed a bit over the years, and this year I’m in the Pleasance Dome for the first time which is great fun.

AD: Since last year’s show you’ve been on TV, produced your own radio show and found time to have a baby, too. How did you fit it all in and has it changed you as a comedian?

JC: It’s not a case of fitting it all in really, life just happens and you adapt and survive, try to keep moving forward and doing your best work. The way it has affected me as a comedian is I now realise how boring it is when people bang on about their kids. So it’s actually nice to keep something a little bit private. And I have done a gig with baby sick down my back. EDGY.

AD: Are you doing any more TV work in the future? What feedback have you received on your radio show?

JC: Yes, we have a frightening amount of projects on the go right now, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to talk about them, which is the frustrating thing as they are well exciting. Just hosted a chat show for BBC radio the other week, which was fun. The full thing as well: house band, sofa chat, me in a suit, BOOM!

AD: You’re headlining the comedy tent at Split Festival in September. Is it important for you to keep doing gigs close to home and what can fans expect from you in Sunderland?

JC: It’s nice to get back and see my mam every once in a while, so I do a fair few gigs up north. As for Split Festival I’ll probably think of some stuff on the day, then some other bits and bobs that hopefully people haven’t seen before. And maybe some chaos to round things off.

AD: Finally, what are your plans post-Edinburgh (apart from sleepless nights with your new-born)?

JC: I have 1 day off then a few gigs. Then I’m doing warm up for Jonathon Ross’s new show, working on my sitcom, and we are starting work early for next Edinburgh, as I’ve had a thought for a show that could prove to be very complicated to execute but if done properly will work brilliantly.

Jason Cook is at Pleasance Dome at 5.30pm until August 29th. You can find out more here.