Mark Watson

You were born in Bristol, so what was with the Welsh accent? And where has it gone?

It's a family accent - my parents speak like that. It hasn't actually gone - sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't. It's almost at random. Normally I use it in live shows. On TV I tend to talk more like a normal person. I guess you could say I lead a kind of double life.

Did you always want to be a comedian?

Not really. I was more into being an author. I did a bit of comedy at college and a few open mic competitions and then just fell into it. I never really thought that comedy was a proper job and something I could actually do for living.

Now, this 24-hour thing. Where did you get the idea from? And more importantly how do the toilet breaks work?

It's hard to say. I wanted to do something a bit different, something a bit out there. No one had ever done anything like it before so I just basically decided to give it a go. Originally it was just supposed to be a one off. But it went down really well, so I kept on doing it. There's a couple of ways of nipping to the loo. Normally I try to bring it into the show by creating a distraction as quickly as possible. Or now and again I try and make it a feature of the show. Otherwise I just have to hang on!

Do you prepare material beforehand or is a lot of it made up on the day?

You'd be mad to try and write it all beforehand. It's pretty much all made up as I go along. A lot depends on the response you get from the audience and stuff.

You proposed at the end of a 24-hour show.

Yeah, at the first ever one. We're married now. I kind of came up with the idea while the show was going on - that's why it was a bit rushed. I was just as surprised as anyone in a way. It was a very strange way of doing it, and it could have been a disaster if she'd said no. But it worked out alright.

Compared to others (we won't mention names), you're a little timid on shows like Mock the Week...

Mock the Week is really hard. I think I'm better on things like Have I Got News For You or Never Mind the Buzzcocks. There's something about the format of Mock the Week - it's quite difficult to get a word in as all the regulars tend to be very fast and confident. It's a bit of a race, but I try to do my best.

I much prefer shows like Argumental. There aren't as many guests so everyone has more of a chance to speak. The show has a great format - I think it's good. Really good.

What's the wittiest thing you've ever seen or heard?

It's difficult to tell a story that someone else has done, but here goes. My dad's a science teacher and he quite often tries to get wise-cracks into his lessons. I wasn't there but apparently he was doing this experiment where there were all these insect wings and the students had to analyse them. At the time Westlife's song Flying Without Wings was out so he said: "forget flying without wings this is wings without flying." He has this tradition of trying to mention pop songs to stay down with the kids. I actually find it quite inspirational - if he can get jokes into a science lesson then I feel like I have every chance.

In 2008 you trained as a climate change lecturer under Al Gore, wrote a book about the environment, and set up a website for the cause. Have you become one of those eco warrior types?

Not really no. It has made me more aware of environmental issues and a bit more conscientious and stuff. But I don't think I have it in me to become a proper eco warrior - I'm more of an amateur. Meeting Al Gore was great - he's really inspirational. He's also a pretty scary figure which makes you want to do well at the course. He gives you a sense of duty. He's a big, powerful scary man basically.

Why are you trying to reclaim your sanity with your 2009 tour- and just where did it disappear to in the first place?

To be fair I'm not sure I've lost it completely. I was doing a lot of stuff. I had a ridiculous year of just doing too much I was starting to go a little crazy - all the touring, travelling, etc. So this show is an attempt to vent a few pent up annoyances. The show's all about how to deal with stress and try and calm down a bit. So hopefully the show will help me to do that. Or if not, at least I still get it all out of my system. Well, we'll see if that works. But it's probably not the best way to stay sane to be honest.

You can find out more about Mr Watson at his official website markwatsonthecomedian.com