Tom Glover is coming to Norton-sub-Hamdon with first solo tour

Tom Glover, comedian, said: “This show is filled with all the best material from the past ten years. It is a show about fatherhood. I realised that all my material related to this somehow. My dad was an alpha male and we clashed a bit - as I was not. It is a lighthearted, feel-good show with a bit of heart.”

“I actually named the show before it was written – A Glover not a Fighter. Naturally, my name lent itself to a good pun. I am not a confrontational guy either, so it fit well with the title.”

Tom's varied career

This Westcountry comic began his career as a reporter writing for the the View From newspapers. He then decided to become a postman, and in 2010 continued his job as a postman but began comedy as a hobby and then part-time job.

Finally, a year ago, Tom decided that comedy was the way forward and it is now his fulltime career.

He added: “I actually started at the South West Comedian of the Year competition, which was my first gig of just five minutes.

“I have run gigs for 10 years. This is different to comedy as it is more of a chat with the audience, with less jokes and more crowd work.

“People in the West Country used to ask me when I was going to do my own solo show and now I am going back to Norton-Sub-Hamdon where I used to host - with my very own show.

“I’ve wanted to do comedy ever since I was little. I used to watch Frank Skinner on TV and I couldn’t believe that it was a job – it was something I wanted to do.

“It became a dream to be paid to write comedy, but now I get such a rush from performing, it feels wrong to actually get paid because it is the best job in the world.”

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 

Tom has performed at over 1,000 gigs since he started and this year, did his own stand-up gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Usually at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, there are around 750 stand-up acts and so it is unlikely you will have a large audience; however Tom filled the room for five of his stand up performances and this gave him the confidence boost he needed before his South West tour.

Meeting Sean Hughes 

The one performance that Tom is most proud of, is when he hosted at Weymouth Pavilion and Sean Hughes was the headline act. Growing up watching him on TV and then performing alongside him, was a highlight for Tom.

He added: “I grew up watching him on TV and suddenly I was a postman doing comedy part time and hosting a show with Shaun Hughes.

“I would love to do some TV work, but I love living in the West County and I am completely content with doing comedy – however, if Live at The Apollo rang me up, I wouldn’t say no!”

A Glover not a Fighter 

Tom is looking forward to coming back to the West Country for his tour – A Glover not a Fighter.

He explained: “I actually booked the shows way in advance, before I even went to the Edinburgh Fridge Festival this year and before I had even written the material. It was a lot of panic before the festival, but the show was received well and now I am ready for the South West performances.

“People from Canada and Australia said they enjoyed my show at the festival, so I am hoping that if they enjoyed it then the South West will too. Especially because I have a lot more local content with jokes about Trego Mills and Clarkes Village for people to relate to.”

Tom is now loving working as a comedian, but added that comedy is not for the lazy, he has worked hard to get where he is today.

Tom said: “I think you have to be very driven and work hard. You have to be committed and be able to deal with the knockbacks – as well as getting used to running out of fuel on your way home from a gig!

“Comedy is all about tenacity, confidence and self-belief.

“For people reading this, it is now so much easier to gig in Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It means you can gig in the evening after work. I think comedy has such a wonderful hidden sub-culture.”

Tom will be at The Lord Nelson in Norton-Sub-Hamdon on September 12 at 8pm. To book call 01935 881473 or visit www.tomglovercomedy.co.uk