Isn't he lovely?

Generally speaking, an artist's home turf is where they get the best reception. However, for Jimeoin, who hails from Northern Ireland but has been adopted as one of Australia's own, it's taken him quite a while to rise to prominence in the UK.

The man with the Irish lilt moved to Australia when he was 22, and had soon become one of the country's most beloved comedians. His success on the stand-up stage even propelled him onto screens both large and small – his TV program Jimeoin ran for three seasons, he regularly appeared on talk and variety shows, and he co-wrote and starred in feature films The Craic and The Extra.

However, while he was doing well in his adopted Australia, overseas success continued to elude Jimeoin, although he happily kept plugging away in the UK. “I'd go to Edinburgh quite a bit,” he explains. “I'd go because my family is over here, so I'd get the opportunity to see them.” However, it was his appearance on the BBC stand-up show Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow that introduced him to a broader UK audience. The show, which films in front of a live audience and has run for two seasons so far, has featured the likes of Steve Hughes and Rob Brydon. It was a boon to Jimeoin's career. “It exposed me to a mainstream audience,” he says. “The whole thing was sold out. It was just amazing, doing that.”

A few more choice TV appearances saw Jimeoin's star rise even further. “From that I've been able to do this tour, in like a thousand-seater every night,” he says happily. “So it's just been amazing to go from really not being known in the UK to being able to get a crowd. To do a tour is great.”

While some comedians claim audience temperaments in the UK vary from city to city, Jimeoin has noticed a different trend. “I find days of the week more different than people,” he muses. Fridays, for example, he says are strange, particularly with still-stressed post-work crowds. “They're ahead of themselves a bit,” he explains. “They're laughing, but they're a breath away from lynching you at the same time. And Mondays… Mondays can be tricky, but once they're there, they don't mind it. Sundays are the sloppiest of them.” And what's the worst day of all to do a comedy gig? “I did St Patrick's Day, which was just a pain in the arse.”