Dominic Holland

“I was spectacularly average at school, while my two brothers did really well academically. But my dad never said I didn't try hard enough. He knew I did my best.”

“In my career, all my most important breaks have come from Edinburgh. Winning awards, being reviewed, bagging my BBCR4 series and the chance to tour has all come from Edinburgh, which begs the question, why the hell have I left it so long to come back?”

“When I do a show, I jot little notes for me to remember, and when the show is done and forgotten, I chuck them all over the car. My wife goes nuts.”

“I like to call myself numerically dyslexic, but officially, I am mathematically thick.”

“There is nothing quite as loud as the silence of an audience when a comedian is on stage.”

“Never trust a television executive.”

“Growing up, I was always enthralled by Ronnie Barker. He made my dad howl with laughter, which always intrigued me, and he had the rare gift of being as good a performer as he was a writer.”

“For comics, Edinburgh makes no financial or medical sense. Get an audience; that's the first task. Once the punters are in, simply make them laugh for an hour, and then sweat on the critics.”

“I am the first to admit that I have never been a household name.”

“Seeing a full room of punters queuing for my show is always heartening.”

“Doing stand-up is not normal. People fear public speaking above all other things, and I am no different.”

“It's not cool to be star-struck.”