Luke McGregor

"It's basically a show about all the things I worry about at the moment and me trying to get over them in a funny way,” says comedian and OCD sufferer Luke McGregor, whose new show I Worry That I Worry Too Much has exploded at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, being moved to a bigger venue for its last two weeks. We spoke recently about his obsessive-compulsive disorder, amongst other things. “Some [of it] is ridiculous. I do a lap of the house before I go to bed. If I see someone who has no hair, I have to look at someone who has hair. If I see two people with no hair, I have to look at two people who have hair. If there's no one around who has hair, I have to Google a photo of someone who does. Part of your brain says 'That's crazy,' while the other part goes 'Well, it'll only take a second.'”

McGregor, who has plenty of (red) hair, talks often in his stand-up about being bullied while at school in Tasmania because of his nerdy look. Though he didn't start doing stand-up until he was “25 or 26”, there was always a class clown inside him. “The teacher would say that the fire alarm was just a test, and I would scream 'FIRE!' and run out of the class. I would try and make the bullies laugh to stop them from hitting me, or at least not hit me as hard.”

After studying to become a lawyer, a doctor, and a teacher through several university degrees, a surprise trip to a RAW comedy gig to support a housemate where a contestant pulled out and McGregor jumped in gave him his start. That night he “did two or three minutes on how funny my set was going to be and got the crowd into a frenzy”. The second half of the set was “terrible” but it was enough to give him confidence, and the next year he got into the nationals.

Since then, McGregor has had a spot on the ABC show Dirty Laundry (watch his hilariously awkward interviews on YouTube) and won Best Newcomer Award at the 2013 Melbourne Comedy Festival. With the success he's had, hopefully soon poor Luke will be able to stop worrying. Until then, at least it's giving him great material.