The Nimmo Twins

by Lizz 21 December 2016

There’s Norfolk’n’way you haven’t heard of The Nimmo Twins, readers. A comic institution in Norwich, their annual Normal for Norfolk show is always a sell out and their fans obsessive. There’s nothing funnier than laughing at yourself, and that’s what Owen and Karl embrace – the characters and places of Norfolk that we find hilarious, but also hold dear. Ahead of their eleven night run at Norwich Playhouse this month, I spoke to Karl about the history of the show, how local theatre company Crude Apache gave him a foot up the ladder and how difficult it is to write for Charlie Brooker.

Karl, you had a joke book when you were five and did your first stand up for your friends aged nine – who did you find funny when you were small?

The Two Ronnies were like gods to me. From the age of five or six I don’t think I ever missed an episode. I think Ronnie Barker is one of the greatest actors, let alone comic actors Britain’s ever produced. I always watched Dave Allen with my dad - that was a real late-night Saturday treat as a child. Sitcoms played a big part..Porridge, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Rising Damp..and American stuff like Taxi and Happy Days were massive. Andy Kaufman as Latke in Taxi really made an impression.

Crude Apache gave you a foot up the ladder by offering you writing work and also you acted with them back in the mid 90’s. How did that help you to hone your subsequent shows?

Without Crude Apache, I wouldn’t have the career I have now. In 1994, I’d been on the dole for four years, I’d written nothing since leaving school and certainly had never tried comedy. Crude Apache provided the resources, venues, the cast and crucially, the opportunity. And the permission to fail, as well, which is hugely important starting out. My confidence as a performer and a writer was nurtured by Crude Apache and gave me the belief to take a show to Edinburgh in ‘97, which changed my life.

Why did you call yourselves The Nimmo Twins?

I hate this question, because I really have no idea! Long story short, I booked a slot at the Edinburgh Festival at VERY short notice in late May 1997. To get in the programme we needed a name that very day. There were two of us, so Twins. Nimmo, Christ knows! If I’d have known we’d still be going twenty years later, I’d have come up with something far far better. But I’ve warmed to it a lot more in the last few years.

Normal For Norfolk is a regular sketch show that started in a pub and now fills the Playhouse each year. Can you tell us what it’s all about if we’ve not seen it before?

It’s two and a half hours of two men in suits, t-shirts and a variety of nylon wigs satirising the news, views, people and places of Norfolk. There’s songs, monologues, sketches and deliberately strangulated Norfolk accents. If you live in Norfolk and you’ve never been, you’re in for a treat.

How did it feel to write and perform your very first Normal for Norfolk back in 96?

Looking back, I wasn’t as scared as I would be now, as there was zero expectation. If I’m honest, the first show was a real curate’s egg. Half the sketches weren’t about Norfolk and of those that were, maybe only four were any good. But it sold out and the gags landed enough that I felt really confident. And the next show was a huge leap forward.

Do you tend to see your keenest fans in the front row each time?

Yes. On the last night, it’s usually my family, giving me the opportunity to gob at them as I over-enunciate my words. We have a hard-core of fans who’ll see the show anything up to four times during a run. It’s incredible. We’ve got people who’ve been with us for years who know the characters inside out. Some of them have been with us since the first show, which is amazing. I think in legal circles it’s known as stalking.

Receiving a standing ovation for your sold out, two night run at Theatre Royal to celebrate your 20th anniversary of Normal for Norfolk must have been quite a moment. Would you say that’s been the highlight of your career thus far?

It’s certainly up there. The standing ovation was incredible, but the whole run at the Royal was amazing. The laughter, especially on the last two shows, was incredible. We could feel the laughs hitting us and the lights on the balcony were shaking. Looking out and seeing people having such a good time while we were having such a good time is what it’s all about. I put a lot of work into the show and moments like that make it worthwhile.

There’s something quite wonderful and special about how you celebrate and also take the piss out of Norfolk both with and about Norfolk people – it feels like it’s very much a community thing. There’s something very warming about creating a collective experience. But having said that, have you ever had anyone get angry with you on a personal level for something from a show?

It’s definitely a community thing; a real sense of exclusivity. It’s pretty unique to have a comedy show that’s bespoke to such a specific audience and in these troubled, fractured times I really do think it lifts people to feel part of something bigger than themselves. As for angry audience members, in the early days, I wrote jokes I’m not totally proud of and I occasionally received rebukes. That’s OK. It happens when you’re young and inexperienced and getting the laugh is more important than anything. Nowadays, I go through the show very carefully and cut gags where I feel I might be ‘kicking down’. Despite that, people complain about the weirdest things, and every year we have walk-outs. You can usually clock them before they leave - appalled, disappointed faces, confusion and horror writ large.

You have some recurring characters like She Go, Anne and Billy Boy. Are they based on people you have known, and who have been your most recent creations?

She Go is an amalgam of my sister when she was 14 and me overhearing Norfolk women talking. I love her, because she never gives up. She has a dignity, she owns her sexuality and she loves life. Billy Boy was inspired by Alan the Singing Postman, just with the darkness and neuroses ramped up to 11. Anne was inspired by the poetry they publish in the Evening News, usually written by pensioners. It’s absolutely beyond parody and it occurred to me that a pensioner who wrote piss-poor poetry was a funny idea. The newest creation from this year’s show was an EDM practitioner called Hauswerk: a single Dad from Aylsham who fancies himself as Norfolk’s answer to Kraftwerk. And he absolutely isn’t.

What’s the best thing about the people of Norfolk, in your opinion?

That they seem to able to laugh at themselves, thank God. And that they’re, at least as far as our audiences go, able to see the idiocy and ludicrousness of the place we live in.

You’ve written material for Russell Howard’s Good News and also for several other TV shows. What’s the hardest thing about writing for other people?

I wrote for Russell for seven years. We did over 70 episodes of Good News and that was a very intense and successful time. To write for other people, you have to work to their voice, style and rhythms. You have to park your way of constructing a joke and make something that fits them. I write for Matt Forde’s Unspun and Matt has very different rhythms to Russ, as did Charlie Brooker. Writing Have I Got News For You, we have a different presenter every week, so you just have to make the gags as strong as you can and trust that they can deliver it. One week it might be Jo Brand, the next it’s David Tennant or Gary Lineker. And to be honest, hearing them say your gags is a thrill in itself.

What’s next for The Nimmo Twins?

I really don’t know. There’s been talk of a few things, one of which might see the light of day next Christmas. More shows at some point, but I’m not 100% sure when. It’s only four years till our 25th Anniversary, so I can at least say that we’ll try and do something for that.

The Nimmo Twins will be performing their Normal for Norfolk show at Norwich Playhouse 17th-28th January. Tickets available from norwichplayhouse.co.uk.

norwich playhouse