Whatever happens in life can happen on the stage, but as a comedian you should always be clear what your target is. It's fine to be gratuitously tasteless if that's what you are intending to do. It's that old line: I don't defend what a comedian might say but I defend to the death his right to say it.

Ben Miller

Categorized in : Comedian

Those who have never worked nude outdoors just can't imagine how much better a breeze feels on their skin than an item of sweaty clothing.

imagine skins

Steroids are] not healthy, ... There's a real health issue with steroid abuse. At any level, but particularly a young age level. There are many adverse health effects so I think it's a concern we have to take as a college-level group.

healthy real thinking

There are practical things which contribute to a joke's funniness. People will find a joke funnier if they are sitting closer together, if it's cold, if they've paid and if they are told it's funny beforehand.

cold together people

It is hard to keep a straight face during comedy scenes. It's considered really bad form to laugh at someone else because you can ruin their best take. But sometimes it's very hard not to.

comedy sometimes laughing

My theory about comedians is that their greatest fear is other people laughing at them. So comedy is an attempt to control and manipulate the thing they find most frightening.

comedian laughing people

I'm obsessed with coffee. by Ben Miller

I'm obsessed with coffee.

obsessed coffee

Every meal is so important and colours the rest of your day - my whole day can go into a spin if I make the wrong choice at lunchtime!

rest day go important

I'm prepared to try to talk to a very beautiful girl. I learned a fantastic secret, which is that the most beautiful woman in the room is not being spoken to because she's too intimidating. They're not looking for somebody beautiful; they're looking for somebody to amuse them.

beautiful-woman woman girl beautiful

I'd like to see the argument made for greater worldwide federalis... by Ben Miller

I'd like to see the argument made for greater worldwide federalism, not just the European Union.

see like european-union argument

I'd rather sink with a bad theory than swim with muddy pragmatism... by Ben Miller

I'd rather sink with a bad theory than swim with muddy pragmatism.

than bad theory swim

I'm very lucky, I had a very amicable separation and very amicable divorce, but it was still horrendous.

still separation divorce lucky

I've turned down all sorts of good things accidentally, too. I read the script for 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' and thought, 'This makes no sense.' Then I went to the cinema to see it. Well, what an idiot.

good sunshine good-things mind

I love the basic comedy of growing a moustache. by Ben Miller

I love the basic comedy of growing a moustache.

moustache growing comedy love

I did play a romantic part once - Orsino in 'Twelfth Night.' by Ben Miller

I did play a romantic part once - Orsino in 'Twelfth Night.'

once play romantic night

I've always loved science, but I was never going to make much of a contribution. I'm better off having science as a hobby.

loved better never science

I got my first Mac in 1984. I've got an Airbook, iPad, iPhone, the lot. I love that blend of technology, creativity, and design.

iphone creativity technology love

On 'Death In Paradise,' I had a CGI pet lizard and had to react to nothing, which was hideously embarrassing.

react nothing pet death

I was an early adopter of everything from Myspace to Twitter, and I think they're just fads, like CB radio.

everything like think radio

I want to get across that science is something that we all have ownership of and we can all take an interest in. We don't all have to understand complex theories, but we should have a working knowledge, like knowing your way round the engine of your car.

car science way knowledge

Science is a hobby, and I'm really into it, but it's not my job. My job is to learn about comedy and to make people laugh. Science, for me, is probably a bit like Danny Baker's love of football or Rod Stewart's obsession with train sets.

me love football science