Michael McIntyre is laughing all the way to the bank

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Success story: Five years ago the comedian from Muswell Hill was struggling to make ends meetntly on tour

Success story: Five years ago the comedian from Muswell Hill was struggling to make ends meet

Family fortunes: Michael McIntyre shopping in London with his wife Kitty and one of their two sons

Five years ago Michael McIntyre was a little known stand-up comedian struggling to make ends meet.
Now the 33-year-old from Muswell Hill is set to become one of Britain's wealthiest entertainers, earning up to £10 million from a series of sold-out shows, DVD sales and a book deal.

In a short time McIntyre has become one of the country's most in-demand stand-ups. When his five-month tour ends in December he will have performed in front of almost half a million people.

He is currently performing five sold-out shows at Wembley Arena and has sold out four at the O2 Arena, matching the achievements of veteran stand-up Lee Evans last year.

Industry figures estimate McIntyre will pocket at least £5 million from the tour, merchandising and sales of his forthcoming DVD Hello Wembley. The DVD is the second most popular comedy film on Amazon UK's chart based on advance orders alone.

Leading that chart is McIntyre's release from last year Live & Laughing which is the fastest selling debut stand-up DVD of all time, with almost 750,000 people owning a copy. The DVD has already made him close to £2 million.

McIntyre has also signed a deal, understood to be worth £2 million, with Penguin for his autobiography. It is set for release at Christmas next year. The BBC has also commissioned a second series of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow next year.

McIntyre's extraordinary run of sold-out arena shows has surprised industry watchers.

Charlie Presburg, of concert trade
magazine Pollstar, said: “Michael's rise to stardom has been meteoric. There is a top level of stand-up occupied by comedians who can regularly sell out arenas, like Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay and Lee Evans. Michael McIntyre has joined them in a relatively short space of time.

“He has a unique style and has found a place in the hearts of the nation.

“What's going on with the economy probably has a lot to do with the public's appetite for comedy right now. People need to laugh and be entertained more than ever.”

The tour caps off a remarkable three years for McIntyre, who lives with his aromatherapist wife Kitty, 30, and their two sons Oscar, three and Lucas, one. Despite growing up with showbusiness — his father wrote jokes for Kenny Everett — McIntyre had to work the circuit like any other stand-up.

He struggled to make ends meet and supplemented his earnings by working as a runner for a TV production company.

He recalled: “We once had a car which, after a prang, could only turn left. I couldn't afford to get it fixed so I drove it around for two weeks, mapping out routes that only involved left turns.”

He added: “I'd also shop in Ikea's bargain corner. Within Ikea — which, let's face it, is the biggest bargain shop in the world — they have bits of broken wood and people looking at them saying, Can we use this as a chair?'”

His big break was when he was booked for the Royal Variety Performance in 2006. He then went on to perform at Prince Charles's 60th birthday celebration and Live at the Apollo.

His appearances at the Apollo were so well received that the BBC signed him up to compere a new Saturday night show based on the same format but filmed in famous venues across the UK.

After being asked how he felt about selling out Wembley five times, and the O2 Arena four times, he said: “I haven't changed what I do. Sure, the numbers are bigger, but that's all they are, numbers. I've always just tried to make the audience laugh.”

Commentary: Comedy critic Bruce Dessau on Michael McIntyre

He might look like a strait-laced banker but under the well-cut suit there is an equally sharp sense of humour.

Michael McIntyre has a laser-guided capacity to articulate life's hilarious side. Everyone has been driven mad by voicemail, McIntyre fleshes out those frustrations. Everyone has stumbled over when to kiss or shake hands. McIntyre pinpoints problematic social protocol with painful accuracy.

For cynics who say he seems too rehearsed, he is also an instinctive off-the-cuff comedian. The first time I saw him, in a shoebox venue at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003, he barely delivered his script, preferring to improvise a brilliant hour about a fan who was eating a baguette.

Peter Kay and Lee Evans have done “have you noticed?” humour before, but this fresh-faced funnyman brings middle-class charm to the table. In an era when Frankie Boyle and Russell Brand are unnecessarily outrageous, McIntyre is the stand-up you can take your gran to see.

Not for nothing has he been called the David Cameron of comedy. But for me, his ability to zero in on the tics and traits of behaviour and entertain millions reminds me of a different David — David Attenborough.

 

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