The star of Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You , and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown comes to the city next month
Ian Smith will play a sold out date in Hull later this month.(Image: Ian Smith)
TV comedian Ian Smith, originally from Goole, and currently based in Peckham, has been having a bit of a moment these past couple of years. By the sounds of things, he’s about as busy as it’s possible to be, and that’s set to continue throughout the coming months, as he launches his national tour, Foot Spa Half Empty. He’ll be performing a sold-out gig at the Social in Hull, on February 27.
To the expectation of very few people, Ian warmed up for the tour with a one-off date in Estonia, where the local temperature was minus five. An experiment that went well, “…Although my jokes about having difficulties with skiing weren’t received quite as I’d hoped, because it turns out Estonians do a lot of it cross-country, on flat land, so to them, the idea of being bad at it is inexplicable — there are no hills to go down,” he said. However, he says he’s determined to go back, and to get big in Estonia.
As far as UK audiences are concerned, the hour’s very much a well-oiled machine at this point, as he was able to hone the material every day at the Edinburgh Fringe festival last year, bagging him a nomination for the Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.. He said: “It was very enjoyable month, not least because I lived next to a shop that sold Irn-Bru and peppermint slices; I didn’t eat loads, but what I did eat was terrible. It’s quite fun to do that for 4 weeks.”
He’s recording a new series of his Radio 4 show, Ian Smith is Stressed, at the end of February. The programme allows him to joke about all the things that make him feel tense. “I’ve managed to wrangle a day of go-karting for one of the episodes, which is only loosely tied to stress; I think part of me just wants to go go-karting and make Radio 4 pay for it,” said Ian.
Stress is a running theme with the Northern comic, and it seems to be what audiences have responded to the most. His reason for shouting about it on stage is simple, it’s an emotion he regularly experiences.
That and love, thanks to finding a happy relationship, which is quite a plot twist considering his previous tour, which centred around a big break up. Something he dealt with by making rash choices, like going on holiday with his hairdresser.
He explained: “Me and my hairdresser went to Slovakia, and we drove a tank over a car. You’re allowed to smash it up with hammers before you get in the tank. It’s really good. It’s probably one of the most relaxing things I’ve ever done, and I’d do it more often if it wasn’t for the price., which was the equivalent of £900, because it’s marketed as a stag do experience, and typically for six participants instead of two.”
Reckless destruction aside, he’s taken a lot in his stride since, having appeared on BBC 2’s Live at the Apollo in 2025, along with Have I Got News for You , and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown in quick succession. So he’s currently riding a wave, and there’s never been a better time to see him.
Ian said: “At my gigs, I tend to ask people if they’ve seen me before, and what made them come along, but I think I’m going to stop doing that, because sometimes I get pretty demoralizing answers. At the Soho Theatre in London, someone said they’d been given a free voucher for the venue, and that it was going to expire in the next month.”
The people of Hull seem to have booked with more certainty, given the sales, but you can purchase tickets for his other available dates.