New Year's resolutions have always been something to beat myself up with by the second week of January. It seems perverse to set yourself up for failure right at the start of the year.

When I started doing stand-up, I resigned from my job as a maths teacher and, three days before I was due to leave, my dad passed away.

I loved stand-up, but I never thought you could do it as a job.

I used to do standup about footballers; they are easy targets because they are traditionally seen as stupid.

The thing about comedy is that you don't have to play funny.

Although I had a good job as an advertising manager for a shoe company in Boston, I really liked to fool around with comedy.

I would have to say that I have to concentrate more when I'm doing comedy. There are so many details that make up any character, but developing a character for a dramatic role seems to come more naturally.

Georgia was a great place to live, but I wanted to get out because I knew the opportunities for what I was doing - stand-up comedy and eventually acting - were in Los Angeles.