Emmanuel Centre
9-23 Marsham St, Westminster, London SW1P 3DW
UK
Join us for a journey into an outrageous mind. Psychologist Tanya Byron will interview Simon Amstell: a multi-talented comedian, director, and presenter whose inclination towards laugh-out-loud irreverence has routinely delighted audiences across the nation.
Simon Amstell’s life was transformed by his gift for performance; painfully shy as a child, he only started to come out of his shell after discovering how to be comfortable on stage. But that didn’t rid him of the insecurities which he harboured, deep down, for much of his career; the anxieties and social fears that hindered him as he tried to discover who he really was and how to feel comfortable in his own skin.
Simon Amstell became famous for his provocations of pop-stars – thanks to a cheeky but sincere interview style that often confounded his subjects – but returning to stand-up and writing comedy is what allowed him to address those deeper issues at the root of his distress. His recent tours have been celebrated for how frank and fearless they are in the self-disclosures they offer; how much of his own angst and uncertainty he’s willing to share with an audience. His recent film ‘Carnage’ mined his personal outrage, as a committed vegan, with the way animals are exploited and killed to satisfy our cravings for meat and dairy.
Tanya Byron will draw on her professional expertise as a psychologist to enquire into the quirks of Simon’s personality – exploring his dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the social and political status quo, and his willingness to let his raw self be exposed on stage, getting to the root of what drives and inspires such a singular entertainer.