Ross Noble says he's sorry with a new show
IT WILL be something of an "I'm sorry" tour for Ross Noble this winter when he visits towns in Queensland and Tasmania.
The 42-year-old comedian toured Australia in February to May to sell-out crowds, but he made one crucial mistake: he left out Tasmania.
"I got loads of people saying you haven't come to our town," he said.
"You missed Tasmania, so this is an extra run of gigs - to keep people happy."
He is in an enviable position - people get upset when he doesn't show.
In fact he said his last 16 tours in Australia had sold out.
"If I turn up and there's no one there, I'll be so angry," Noble said about the upcoming tour, which is mysteriously titled El Hablador.
Noble is the legend of El Hablador, the promotional flier says.
But he's not super committed to the idea.
"To be honest it's just a bit daftness, to start the show," he said.
"You've got to call the show something and it gives the show high concept."
Fittingly, 'hablador' translates from Spanish as 'talkative'.
Famous for engaging audiences in his shows, Noble said every now and then it could go horribly wrong.
"Just the other night, a guy in the front row went up to walk out and I jokingly said 'where do you think you're going' and he says 'my father's just collapsed'," he said.
At another show a person had an epileptic fit in the audience.
"Despite your best intentions, somebody has got to get offended at something.
"I had a problem with a kid a few years ago.
"He had cerebral palsy and he would make involuntary noises and it was really distracting for the crowd.
"I thought I've got to deal with the noise, so I started doing this stuff. I told the audience I like to release a bear into the auditorium, when he made a noise.
"(It was to make) this guy seem included but his mum got all upset.
"You are walking that line, that's part of it.
"The skill is knowing where the line is, you sort of choose that."
But Noble said despite the odd and inevitable mishap, being a comedian suits him.
"I think your brain has to be wired slightly differently. It's the only job I can really do," he said.
Noble will be in Gladstone on July 25 at the Gladstone Entertainment Convention Centre.
For tickets go to gladecc.com.au/event/ross-noble-el-hablador/