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NATHAN HUGHES-BERRY

Observational comic Nathan, 21, may not have a web presence - but when your routines are this good, who needs it?

We'll say this in hushed tones. We know someone who hasn't got a website. He hasn't even got a MySpace or a Facebook. In fact, his name only generates three pages on Google. We know, we know - what does he actually do in his spare time?

Well, 21-year-old Solihull-based comedian Nathan Hughes-Berry has been busy writing observational comedy drawn from the wonderful world of suburbia. Think Noel Fielding narrating a Jack Dee monologue and you're halfway there. Extracting the humorous from the mundane comes naturally to Nathan: from caravans to public transport, supermarkets to local councils, he's got it covered. And whereas the Jack Dee comparisons are inevitable - Nathan's commentary could quite easily work its way into Lead Balloon - his soft tones render the cynical content strangely soothing.

On asking Nathan why his comedy primarily revolves around suburbia, he explains: "It's something that I find provides a lot of material for me, perhaps because I'm immersed in it on a daily basis. The things I see every day make me laugh, and I attempt to share that with people. My mind is always working overtime; it comes very naturally to me to see the funny side of things."

Nathan's seamless narrative is accompanied by footage of his chosen topics: caravans in yards, town-dwellers chomping on pasties, hi-tech car washes. And as he says, "Many people find it funny and a bit risque. They're slightly on-edge wondering what I'm going to say next."

We ask him how he goes about piecing together each meticulous set piece. "I start by picturing various scenes or themes and simply write down hundreds of ideas relating to that. Then I edit it down removing what I don't think is good enough, or too obvious."

"The process begins with photographing various locations that I think are relevant to the idea. Following this, I imagine how they would shoot and then go and shoot it. I always shoot too much material and then edit it down appropriately. Sometimes something you think will look really good doesn't, and vice versa."

Nathan's understated, frequently laugh-out-loud flow may be rooted firmly in the everyday, but also shows flashes of a wicked imagination, like his stance on towns: "Like a walking marathon, where you're allowed to stop off at Greggs halfway round."

Perhaps at the core of Nathan's charm is that you can so readily identify with what he notes. Anyone who uses public transport will wholeheartedly agree that "for some reason it's easy to look morbidly depressed on a bus - you don't have to be De Niro to act it."

So back to our initial observation: unlike most new comedians familiar to the 4Laughs fold, Nathan is not self-publishing on the web. On asking whether this is a conscious decision, Nathan confirms: "I didn't want to just put it on the internet. I wanted to choose who was going to watch it, and be able to explain it. I produce it and put it straight on DVD, because I don't really want to be like everyone else."

So what's in store for the future? We can expect scripts on public swimming pools and the health service, but that's not all - Nathan's not putting all his eggs in one observational basket. With character-based scripts and experimental comic poetry also on the way, we don't think he'll stay anonymous online for long.

CONTACTS

tex4hnb@hotmail.co.uk

Judge: Davina Earl, editor, channel4.com/4laughs
Photography: Jade Sukiya

Nathan was one of 20 4Talent Award winners in 2007, our hotly tipped young creatives to watch, to hire and to collaborate with. To meet the other 19 click here