Glaswegian standup Larry Dean has opened up about joining the cast of Saturday Night Live UK, describing the show as 'mayhem that is very well organised'. The comedian, who was woken up in Daniel Sloss’s bedroom with the news of his casting, said the process of making the show from scratch each week is chaotic but expertly managed by the crew.
Dean explained the rigorous sketch selection process, which begins with a table read on Wednesday and ends with a dress rehearsal on Saturday, after which three or four sketches are typically cut. He recalled advice from SNL creator Lorne Michaels: 'You have to learn to let things go for the good of the show. It can’t be about people’s egos.'
Reflecting on his comedy career, Dean started at Southampton Solent University after a friend began doing standup. He gave up alcohol to afford travel to unpaid open mic gigs in London. He cited Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams as early influences.
Dean recalled a particularly harsh heckle at a gig in Dundee, where an audience member said their father was dying and the show wasn’t cheering them up. 'I remember getting off stage and my heart was pounding because of how harsh that heckle was,' he said. A year later, the audience still remembered the incident.
His new show, Hellbent, is described as more sketch-based and character-driven. Dean also shared his pre-show ritual of smiling in the mirror to boost his mood, and admitted he has yet to sleep a single night in his new Manchester home due to SNL commitments.
