Dane Baptiste is a British comedian and writer, being the first black Briton to be nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Gaining notable success at various comedy competitions and now a regular at the country’s most famous venues, Baptiste’s work is original, adept, and provocative.

If you weren’t a comedian, what would you be doing?

Well when I was young I wanted to be both a cartoonist and also an immunologist (which may have been equally important to the world given current events, but I guess I’ll stick with the best medicine). But if I wasn’t a comedian, I would probably be making everyone else miserable from my lack of fulfilment.

Do you prefer stand up or television?

I find them hard to compare; they both have their advantages and disadvantages. TV has a large reach and is lucrative but there is nothing like being able to say what you want on stage and have people laugh.

What are your processes for writing a sitcom compared to stand up?

It’s similar; just you have to consider scenes instead of skits and think of funny things you can say. Then think of something funnier someone else could say back to you in order to make for a good sitcom. You can’t be precious about having the funniest joke in a situation comedy.

How would you describe your comedy in three words?

Third. Eye. Observations.

What’s your new show The Chocolate Chip about?

The show is about anger, and how I’ve found a lot of mine reduced to just “Having a chip on my shoulder”. I’ve decided to run with that and give my complex a name, ‘The Chocolate Chip’, and share the things that make me angry with audiences who might feel the same way.

Your show is “boldly provocative”. Why did you go down this route? What do you hope to achieve through this?

I think that the show would have been less provocative, but the subject matters of sex, race and gender don’t really get equally addressed in mainstream media or popular culture. Now we’re seeing a resurgence in Alt-Right and racist rhetoric because nobody wanted to have the conversation. Now we are at fever pitch, and so I am basically creating a space for discourse, even though it’s mainly me talking, but that’s because I have to use comedy as an icebreaker.

You are the first Black solo comedian to be nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer back in 2014 for Citizen Dane. How did that feel? Why are BAME individuals not nominated for as many awards? How should this be tackled?

It felt great; the conversations being had now about diversity and inclusion were not happening until my nomination. Now it’s a frequent discussion. I also co-founded my own management company as the comedy industry hadn’t seen BAME creatives as viable as their white counterparts. This has changed massively and since then, many nominees and talent from BAME creatives are making history and artistically defining the present. The lack of nominations represents the lack of representation on the other side of the microphone. The more members of the critics’ class, panels and judges panels that feature BAME creatives, the more representation we’ll see.

What advice would you give to people who are aspiring comedians?

Be yourself. Say the things you think, not what you think people want to hear. Be genuine and commit to what you want to say on stage. Enjoy it. But the best advice I can give is that the only way you’ll see what this is like; is to get up there and give it a go!

You’re quite active on Twitter about, for instance, the UK and US government, race, and trolling. What are your thoughts on social media, its impact, and the power it has for anyone and for yourself.

Social media is many things…

Social is great! Social media is terrible! Social media is intelligent, alternative and enlightening! Social media is materialistic, vacuous, and juvenile! Social media is the future! Social media is for people living in the past! Social media is true democracy! Social media is encouraging mob mentality! Social media is enlightening! Social media is a bunch of idiots using their phones as torches and pitchforks!

Social media is basically humanity holding a mirror up to humanity, it’s familiar in ways, but weird and ugly looking depending on what angle you approach it from and how much light is being shed on there. We will have to wait and see what it’s true power holds. Humans have had fire for warmth and food, but it also burns down forests and our skin. We will have to see what happens with this new powerful gift.

Dane Baptiste’s latest show, The Chocolate Chip, has been rescheduled to 2021. Tickets available here. 

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