“I USED to be a paintball referee,” says comedian Daniel Sloss.
It’s the nearest thing to a having a “proper” job he can remember.
Not that he’s had much time to do anything else. At 16, he was already writing jokes for BBC2’s popular Mock the Week and after being accepted to study history at Dundee University, he took his mother’s advice to take a year out to try stand up.
Academia’s loss was comedy’s gain – a year later he had a show at the Edinburgh Fringe and his first TV bookings.
Fast forward a decade or so and his star is still in the ascendancy.
He completed his 11th run at the Fringe in August and is currently criss-crossing the UK and Europe with his tenth solo touring show – X.
“Touring is what I always wanted to do. It can be draining and tiring, but it is hardly a nightmare,” he says.
Now 28, he was catapulted further up the comedy ladder earlier this year when global streaming service Netflix signed him up and made two one-hour specials available from last month, featuring his 2015 show Dark and the following year’s Jigsaw.
So it is something of a coup that he will be back in Barnard Castle with X in November prior to a run of sold-out shows in London.
On the back of his Netflix success, he will spend February performing in New York and from there it is off to New York for much of the spring.
Despite his extensive travels, he says he never really knows what to expect when he turns up for a show – but tries not to make up his mind in advance.
“When I drove to Barnard Castle last year (he played The Witham in November 2017) I took all the back roads,” he says.
“It was snowing, I was running out of fuel and there were no petrol stations. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and I didn’t know whether I was going to make it.”
The omens did not auger well.
“Then you turn up and it’s a beautiful venue and an excellent audience.”
He adds: “I learned several years ago not to have preconceptions – you are almost always wrong.”
Daniel Sloss will perform X at The Witham, Barnard Castle, on Wednesday, November 21, at 7.30pm. The show is suitable for ages 16-plus. Tickets are £12.50 available from The Witham box office on 01833 631107 or online at funnywaytobe.com.
