I’m doing three shows about Back To The Future and I haven’t even seen the films

I’m doing three brand new solo shows this year – Back to the Future I, II and III – to coincide with the year that they went into the future to in the second film, which people have said is impressive. It’s only really impressive though if they’re good though, right?

Doing three rubbish solo shows in a year pretty much anyone could do. So they’re 3 brand new solo shows about looking into the past or into the future and they are pretty good in my opinion. Actually they’re very good – there’s no time for modesty in comedy, if you don’t think you’re very good then why are you charging me? So come and see all three (you only actually HAVE to pay for one of them) – and you wont be disappointed (well some people will, there are some people that don’t even like Daniel Kitson or Dapper Laughs).

Firstly some frequently asked questions – do you need to see all three and in order? No, Back to the Future III is only on once during the Fringe. Do you need to have seen the films? Not for these shows, no. Am I asking myself questions? I’m not sure.

I’d love you to see one, two or all three, if you see all three I think I might give you a badge, or not, probably not, definitely not. Ooh here’s a badge for coming to see my shows, what are you, 5? I hope not, there’s swearing. It’s stand-up, it’s not a kids show before I get parents moaning at me – and it’s not the films ok? You are not coming to see the films. Unless I can get the rights to show the films then I will just do that.

Here’s what the three shows might be about in the future:

Back to the Future I – I went to Back to the Future Secret Cinema last year dressed as Marty McFly. I went on a day that it had been cancelled, but I didn’t realise it had been cancelled because they cancelled it last minute and they don’t allow you to take your mobile phones with you because they don’t want the location to be revealed, which was Westfield in East London.

So I get down there and there’s just one guy left on the door, shouting at a security guard – this guy is 70 years old and he’s dressed like Doc Brown – not the comedian, the one off of Back to the Future… You probably haven’t seen the film… anyway, cut a long story short, I go for dinner with this guy, and it totally changes the space-time continuum of my life. Truly. And it’s my aim to change the life of everyone that comes to see the show in exactly the same way. There will be a few knob gags too.

Back to the Future II – If your life had a sequel, would it be better? Or would you waste that second chance? Even if we could remember our past lives would our future lives be any better, would we learn? I have a new found belief that I have lived before and will live again, and if that’s the case, I can finally start taking a few risks.

For years people have said ‘oh Nathan you’ve only got one life’, and I’ve always thought, yeah, but if you told me I only was ever going to have one car I’d take care of it, I’d take no risks with it, and I probably wouldn’t shove a load of cocaine up its exhaust. Now I believe there is a next life, for the first time I can take those chances. And people say, ‘oh Nathan you’re having a mid-life crisis, look at you in your tight trousers you’re dressed like a kid’.

This isn’t a mid-life crisis – yes I may be in the middle of my life and I may be having a crisis but it’s not a mid-life crisis. And I’m not dressed like a kid. If anything I’m dressed like Russell Kane. But you know what I say, dress for the job you want.

Back to the Future III – What happens when you run out of ideas? You wear a cowboy hat, put on a silly voice and hope nobody notices it’s old sh*t. I’m going back over all the shows I’ve ever done, a ‘best of’ if you will, in Brummie, and a hat. I actually have a heavy Brummie accent and for years I’ve been hiding the accent for two reasons.

Firstly, what stand-up has ever got successful with a heavy regional accent? Perhaps only Mark Watson. Secondly, I’m hiding from the past, hiding from something that happened 30 years ago at my Birmingham school, and has been the driving force behind this trilogy of shows and every show I’ve ever done. I want to erase the past, and make a better future for all of us. Again though, there will be knob gags.

The final question I am always asked about this; are the Back to the Future Films my favourite films? Well let’s state the obvious for the final time, I haven’t seen the films. I mean, you know, I’ve seen bits. Sorry, I’m just not that into them, I’m not going to see something just because there are three of them.

For every Toy Story or Godfather there’s a Robocop, Rush Hour, Blade Trinity or Transformers Dark Side of the Moon – making three of anything is pretty much the universal sign that it’s going to be rubbish. If they ever make a third Deuce Bigalow movie I think even the levels of that might dip. I believe it was the second film where one character had a penis instead of a nose – they’re never going to keep that kind of quality knob gag going…

That said, please buy your tickets now!

Buy for Back to the Future II at the Gilded Balloon (23:30, 5-29 Aug but not 16-18) by clicking here. The other two you can get in for free and give what you think it was worth on the way out (also no doubt £7 per person):

Back to the Future I – Free Sisters (Gothic) 15:45 6-29 Aug (not Sun/Mon)
Back to the Future III – Free Sisters (Gothic) 15:45 16 Aug

And most importantly, let’s be very clear about this, no badges will be given out under any circumstances ever. This isn’t 1985. Grow up.