Comedy in a Noble cause

I hate comparing one comedian with another - but a lot of people have compared Ross to Eddie Izzard, and that surreal thing. But there's something about Ross himself which keeps it real. That sounds awful. I can't believe I said that out loud. He seems just an ordinary bloke. Instead of theatrical, high-blown and intellectual, Ross is more like a mad person you went to school with, or the lunatic you met in the kitchen at a party, which meant you never went back to the lounge because you were having a really good time.

We've gigged in horrible pubs together and I've seen him at Edinburgh, where he was nominated for a Perrier award. He's good value because you never know what you're going to get ? it's new every night, or at least a lot of it is. He can weave comedy gold out of old shit - seeing him live is the best way to appreciate him, even if you have seen him on things like The Comedy Store on TV or panel games.

He's already one of the top stars on the live comedy circuit. What's great about Ross is that you can sit down and relax. Even when he goes off on one of his mad rambly bits, you're not sitting there going, "I really hope he is going to be funny." Sometimes you don't feel that when you're watching somebody, but with Ross you can be confident that at the end this will be funny. It's worth the journey.

Now where is he from? He's from somewhere really precise, and he gets annoyed if you say Newcastle because it's not. It's somewhere like that though. What do I know, I'm from Ireland!

Ross Noble, Thur 23-Sat 25 Nov & Thur 30 Nov-Sat 2 Dec, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1 (020-7478 0100).