I COULD HAVE DIED LAUGHING

One of Irish comedy's more versatile performers, Ian Coppinger is a man with many strings to his professional bow. As accomplished an improviser as he is a stand-up, he also comprises 50% of the Fat Man's Picnic Basket, an off-the-wall double act made up of himself and his long-time friend Paddy Hickey. Add his writing credits, which include BBC's The Stand-Up Show and Network 2's Couched, into the equation and it's probably fair to assume that, pound for pound, Ian is the funniest human being to have lived, anywhere, ever.

He and Paddy made their humble comedy debut at the age of 16, in school. Their second gig came two years later, at The Comedy Cellar. Is it fair to assume, then, that this self-imposed two-year exile came about as a result of a particularly traumatic inaugural performance in front of their peers?

"Oh God no," laughs Ian. "The first one we did in school went really well. The reason we didn't do any more for two years was because we were only sixteen and we knew we wouldn't get served in any pubs or comedy clubs so we didn't really see the point of doing it. So basically we killed two years writing material, sketches and stuff, and then started performing in earnest when we turned 18 and could get a drink."

Now aged 26, Ian has been performing stand-up comedy for just over two years and has fast become one of the busiest acts in the country, thanks to a winning combination of boyish charm, a fine line in amusing self-deprecation and his unique worldview. Few comedians are so adept at stating the blindingly bleedin' obvious in such a hysterically funny way. Not surprisingly then, Ian's talents recently earned him a slot on BBC 1's The Stand-Up Show, which will be broadcast next Friday (29th).

"I was over in Edinburgh doing the Young, Gifted & Green show with Bob Reilly and Colin Murphy last August," he explains. "And one of the researchers from The Stand-Up Show was in the audience one night and asked if I'd like to appear on the show. So I agreed to it and we recorded it late last year."

Was it nerve-wracking performing stand-up in front of the cameras for the first time?

"Well, the thing is that The Stand-Up Show is not like any other gig you will ever do," Ian explains. "Ardal [O'Hanlon] had told me that before I went over, and then the night before I did my slot, Dave Johns, a comedian from Newcastle, told me much the same thing. I was lucky in that respect because it prepared me for it. The thing about it is that the audience is quite nervous as well, because they're going to be on telly too. I'm actually dreading watching it because I've never, ever seen myself do stand-up. I've seen myself on TV, doing Couched, for example, and I've seen myself do improv, but I've never seen myself do stand-up. I'll probably have the show taped but I don't know if I'll actually watch it or not."

Like many who travelled to Edinburgh last year, Ian returned home at the end of August with the air about him of someone who'd just completed a harrowing tour of duty in Vietnam. As a comic who was enduring/enjoying the experience for the first time, would he recommend it?

"It's much worse than Vietnam," he deadpans. "It's crazy. The hours people keep, the amount they drink... I dunno, it's just mad (laughs). After about a week of it we all used to just sit around in assorted flats discussing the merits of honey and lemon as a cure for laryngitis. Everybody's voice was gone. I was lucky because being in Young, Gifted & Green there was a sort of margin for error. If I was over-tired and did a shit show then I could rely on Bob and Colin to carry it off, and it was the same if either of them were feeling under the weather. As well as that, because the show is financed and produced by someone else, we didn't have to worry about bankrupting ourselves if things didn't go well. Thankfully though, the show has a good reputation, so it was sold out most nights."

So, has Ian ever been tempted to jack the whole thing in and get himself a proper job?

"Loads of times," comes the immediate response. "Often when I'm going to the jacks for the 10th time before a gig I wonder to myself what the hell I'm doing. Then other times, say if I'm doing the improv in the International and I'm marching around the stage carrying Brendan Dempsey on my back while the two of us are singing a song suggested by a member of the audience called 'Arse Zip', I think I wouldn't ever have it any other way. I mean, in what other job in the world would you get paid to do something like that? It's a very stupid way to earn a living, but it's a great way to earn a living."

A couple of months ago, while performing on the college circuit in front of a crowd of approximately 500, a member of the audience suffered an epileptic fit within minutes of Ian taking the stage. As the houselights were turned on and the stricken student was attended to, Ian was left waiting on stage with mic in hand for almost 10 minutes. That must have been fun; talk us through it Ian...

"That was a really weird day," he recalls, laughing. "I remember I'd been out really late the night before and because the gig was on at noon I was still a bit pissed. So when this guy fell out of his chair having a seizure, I thought at first it was a really weird heckle. Then I realised that something was wrong so I asked them to turn on the lights. So while the poor bloke was looked after and helped out of the hall, I just stood there, drinking a bottle of mineral water, not really knowing what to say or do."

So, when the gig resumed...

"I just said the first thing that came into my head."

Which was?

"I always get them rolling in the aisles."

Give this man his own series. Now!

Ian Coppinger plays Murphy's Laughter Lounge on Thurs 28th/Fri 29th/Sat 30th January and The Comedy Improv, The International Bar, Dublin, on Mondays at 9pm.