Alasdair Beckett-King – Q&A

Innovative observational comedy, idiosyncratic animated illustrations and what one critic called “majestic” ginger locks, team up to deliver a charmingly subtle commentary on the unavoidably addressed political climate in which we Timeline B inhabitants find ourselves. That’s Alasdair Beckett-King’s new stand-up show, ‘The Interdimensional ABK’.

Before the show visits Leeds on 28th May, we asked him for his Famous Last Words…

Last thing you did that made you feel good?
I don’t want to cement my reputation as the bad-boy of British comedy, but I recently bought a small wooden drop-leaf table. Let me tell you, that little oaken gentleman has brought me nothing but joy. It’s pleasingly compact, which means that it looks normal sized in my tiny flat.

Last thing you’d want to be doing right now?
The last thing I’d want to be doing now is the nine times table. I don’t really get along with any of the times tables, and nine is easily the worst of the lot. Two nines are eighteen? If you say so, pal. Doesn’t sound right to me. (I’m not planning to make all the answers about tables, I promise.)

Last night on Earth… What’s your poison?
Could I just get some water for the table?

Last supper… What are you ordering?
I don’t know what I would be ordering, but let me tell you where I’d be eating it. Imagine a table… that folds. “It can’t be done!” you cry. But I’ve seen it.

Last person you’d want to share a drink with?
OK, OK, this one really won’t be about tables, honest. Naturally, I have many enemies: bitter, envious, hairy-toed specimens. But I would particularly hate to meet my Year 5 primary school teacher. She was my first nemesis, and I would hate to discover that she was right and I actually was an annoying child.

Last time you shed a tear and why?
I recently discovered a recording of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. It’s a largely forgotten musical adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s book by Ashman & Menken (who are better known for Little Shop of Horrors and The Little Mermaid). And there’s a short William Blake poem in it. It’s an exact intersection of all my favourite things: It’s particularly poignant in the context of Howard Ashman’s tragic and untimely death. Sorry, that’s what you get if you ask this kind of question.

Last refuge… where would you go?
As a redhead, I am hoping the apocalypse will be cold. I can’t be Mad Maxing across the desert with this complexion. Somewhere cold; gloomy; overcast. Am I just describing Britain?

Last the course… tips on loot, love & life?
My big tip would be: if you get the chance to buy a reasonably priced second-hand occasional table from a junk shop, you should go for it. £34? Bargain.

Last but one… random question: Tell us about something that interests you that nobody else knows about. Like Gaelic football… or porcelain.
I don’t know why you would imagine I have niche interests. That said, I can’t think of any interests that I’ve managed to keep secret. I like Victorian stage magic. Is that a surprise? I especially like the poster ads that show the magicians with little devils whispering in their ears.

Your Famous Last Words?
Bury me with my beloved small wooden drop-leaf table. There will be space. It’s compact.

Alasdair Beckett-King will perform ‘The Interdimensional ABK’ at The Wardrobe, Leeds on 28th May 2023.
To book, visit thewardrobe.co.uk