KEY POINTS:
Ardal O'Hanlon used to seek out dodgy establishments to help his comedy routine. "If it was a bad night, I'd end up playing some horrific place, like a prison," he says, his deep Irish accent booming down the line. "I did some really rough, horrible gigs because I knew it would help me later on."
The plan has served him well. Since those early days, O'Hanlon has enjoyed a career in comedy more lucrative than most. He is best known, of course, for his Bafta-winning turn as Father Dougal McGuire on Father Ted. He has also appeared in several films and TV series, including My Hero, in which he played the ludicrous superhero, Thermoman. And he appeared on the best-seller list with his first fictional novel, The Talk of the Town in 1998. His aims to write a second novel "failed miserably", he says.
Despite those early attempts to get a laugh out of society's tough nuts, O'Hanlon is known for his warm sense of humour and chumminess on stage. That's not his only talent, either.
"I've been known to do a good shoe impression," he says. "I'm doing an impression of a tooth fairy as well at the moment. It just recently crept into my act. An Irish tooth fairy is very different from a tooth fairy."
O'Hanlon's foray into comedy began as a child, when he'd amuse his aunt with tales of his imaginary friends. He was a quiet child nicknamed "Ardal the Dardle the Big Fat Mardle" by the mean kids. He dreamed of "having a normal name like Frank or Tony".
He soon found his voice when he joined a debating society at high school. "It was more about undermining the debates, just having a lot of fun and getting big laughs. I realised I could actually do this."
That didn't make it any easier communicating his ambitions to his parents, who were "utterly shocked" at his choice of profession. It wasn't until the popularity of Father Ted they agreed there was a decent living to be made. On this trip he is taking his kids, aged 9, 7 and 4, on tour with him.
"But they're more into the Irish dancing. They're just crazy for dancing, and the little man wants to be a rugby player."
O'Hanlon likes to think his stand-up routine has an edge, but for a few years he knew his audience found that out of sorts with Dougal, the childlike, dim-witted priest with a fondness for roller-blading.
"I think most people expected me to be more Dougalish than I was. It was a little bit of a worry but I was quite an immature sort of comic at that stage so I didn't know how to handle it. As time has gone on it's really not a major factor at all, I'm confident enough to do the kind of things that I want to do. I'm fairly sure it's not a million miles away from Father Ted in style or tone anyway."
The themes in his show - described rather dramatically in the promo guff as a "spell-binding fusion of off-beat stories and acute observation" - sound more like documentary fodder, touching on war, terrorism, religion, relationships, and life's fears and restrictions.
"It's absolutely spell-binding," he laughs. "We're not allowed to smoke anywhere, we're not allowed to smile in our passports, we're not allowed to use our mobile phones in our car. It's just a railing against petty tyranny but it's really from the point of view of a pathetic 40-something man."
His point of view expands as he travels, taking in the news and honing in on its absurdity wherever he goes. In Australia, he couldn't get over the constant coverage of the water shortage.
"John Howard was interviewed and asked if he would shower in a bucket and he said no. It's probably because he's so small he'd fall into the bucket and drown."
Lowdown
* Who: Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian of Father Ted and My Hero fame.
* Show: 8pm, Saturday, St James
* Tickets: ticketdirect.co.nz
