In Real Life is Jamie Fraser’s first solo show. Having appeared alongside other comedians in Three White Guys and Jamie Meets the Pope, Fraser has decided to create a one-hour show composed solely of his own material.

Fraser wanted to create a show that revolved around one idea. “It’s nice to have a broad theme rather than just a series of jokes. It makes it more of a [coherent] experience, or at least that’s the idea. The show is about the Internet and social media, and how people relate to it. Everyone does something on the Internet, but it means different things to different people. I don’t want to just regurgitate all my bits, but the Internet has a lot of potential to be funny in that it bring out different sides of people.”

‘In real life’ – IRL – is an Internet phrase used to distinguish normal life from life on the Internet, for example to make a distinction between online relationships and real-life relationships. The phrase makes an apt title for the show, as “it’s all about trying to balance what’s great about the Internet with what’s completely life-ruining about it”.

Fraser admits that a lot of comedy is funny at the expense of someone else, but attempts to avoid this in his own work: “I mostly just make fun of myself. I think you can make people laugh without making fun of anyone, but it is a lot harder”.

Fraser had no comedy experience before Cambridge: “Like a lot of people, I got involved through the Virgin Smoker; it’s a good way to try it out in front of a large audience, and everybody else is equally nervous.”

He continues to be involved in Footlights, and performs in the Footlights smokers: “The shows are just incredibly fun, that’s why people come every week. It’s fun to do and fun to watch.”

Having performed in sketches as well as doing stand-up, Fraser concludes, “sketches are very different from stand-up because you have other people to riff off”. He learns his stand-up script word for word – which is true of many comedians, despite the air of spontaneity they affect – whereas in a sketch his fellow performers may do something unexpected, which the other actors then have to incorporate into the act.

When asked about comedians he admires and is inspired by, Fraser cites Stewart Lee – “His shows are so incredibly well-structured and he’s just hilarious” – and American comic Louis C.K.

Fraser has also used the opportunity of a solo, hour-long show to incorporate visual elements into his act: “If you enjoy power-point based comedy, please come!”

Jamie Fraser will perform In Real Life at the Corpus Playroom on October 14th.