Tim Key

The Slut In The Hut, The Slutcracker, Father Slutmas and Masterslut. There's no disputing that there is a recurring theme to Tim Key's humour. The 37-year-old British comedian will return to Australia on the back of his 2012 Barry Award nomination, this time with a new show, Single White Slut. “Basically, the first title came about because I was performing in The Pleasance Hut in Edinburgh and I had a playlet in there about a slut-figure and I somehow called the show the Slut In The Hut, because slut rhymes with hut. I rued it immediately but it was done. After that I slipped into some accidental branding chaos and now everything I do live is touched by the word 'slut'. I'm not complaining, though – Single White Slut is quite a charming title, in my opinion.”

Key has previously described his comedy, which heavily centres on poetry, as part biographical, part autobiographical and part miscellaneous. Single White Slut fits into each category. “There are fine, messy lines between all three. The poems are by and large miscellaneous. There's one about an owl enthusiast and I am fairly lukewarm regarding owls. But some of the anecdotes I say have grains of autobiography at their epicentres. There's certainly fantasy in Single White Slut, but there's also some pretty basic home truths.”

With a resume that boasts stand-up, TV, radio, theatre and writing gigs, Key admits that his role in the Alan Partridge movie Alpha Papa last year garnerered extra attention. “I don't get recognised that much, to be fair. I did do a film last year, and that created a blip. Some people asked me if I was in that film and I said yes, I was. It wasn't too bad.”

Key has also appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, reviewed singles for The Guardian and released an album with a string quartet. He admits that combining poetry and music to create hip hop has inevitably crossed his mind. “I consider hip hop a lot. Unfortunately I am weirdly unmusical. I have a keyboard which sits, plugged in, in my flat. But I never play it. I will never do anything musical. I quite like Haydn, though. And I enjoy listening to my ringtone for a bit before I pick up.”