Simon Bodkin (Lee Nelson)

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Simon Bodkin, comedian, Lee Nelson's Well Good Show
10 December 2010
By GARY FLOCKHART
scotsman.com

Hoodie? Check. Baseball cap? Check. Trackie bottoms? Check... Yes, it's Lee Nelson, mouthy South London geeza in a blue baseball cap, whose Well Good Show on BBC3 has become a massive hit, thanks to his wide-boy swagger and chavtastic catch phrases. The creation of comedian Simon Bodkin, this colourful character's hilarious banter works even better on the live stage - so if you haven't heard of him yet, get yourself along to the Stand comedy club on Sunday night.

"It's full of stuff that was too funny for TV and it's for people out of London who don't have TVs," says Brodkin, channelling his popular creation. Nelson is known for his remarkable dress sense, and he has some fashion tips for those attending his show. "Just be yourself, it don't matter what you wear," he says. "The other day I saw the most crazy dressed bird walking along in Shoreditch - none of her clothes matched, she was wearing a massive pair of sunglasses even though it was raining and she'd even put a fluorescent jacket on her dog. Mental! "And one more thing," he adds. "Unless you've sold over five million records, don't wear a dress made of meat. My nan tried it once - everyone ripped it out of her at bingo."

The cheeky southern council estate dweller has been to Edinburgh a fair few times, and he says he can't wait to return. "I love it up in Scotland," he enthuses. "I well wanted to bring my show here this year coz the Scotties is well good people and a lot of them don't have TVs. "It's mental up here mind - the Scotties reckon they've got this 10,000 year old dinosaur snake thing that lives under a lake... but they've also got a serious drinking problem, so you don't know who to believe."

A friendly sort of a waster, Nelson doesn't even mind when people call him a chav. "Nah," he confirms. "I know a lot people take one look at me and think guilty, but that's wrong. I'm well nice. Wearing a hood don't make you a bad person," he continues. "I mean, I bet you ain't scared of that bird off the Scottish Widows advert. She ain't bad, she's nice. In fact, she niiiice! Yeeeah. And she's single, innit. And loaded. In fact, now I'm up here in Scotland, I might look her up."

Asked what people can expect when he brings his Well Good Tour to the Capital next week, he says, "Two hours of proper funnies and some after-show extras for the three fittest birds in the audience." Nelson insists that he hasn't changed as a person since his BBC3 show became a hit, though he's enjoying the perks of fame. "Since I've been on telly I get given a lot of free stuff," he says. "In fact just this morning I was coming out the tube, this bloke must have recognised me and he give me a newspaper.

"On the down side people make stuff up about you," he continues. "There's this one girl who's telling everyone on Facebook that I'm rubbish in bed and that I can't last more than five minutes and that I've got a tiny dick. I've actually never met this girl in my life and I ain't going to rest till I find out who told her."

When he's not making audiences laugh, he likes to hang around his estate making a nuisance of himself. "Hoax 999 calls," he offers when asked what he likes to do in his spare time. "You tell the fire brigade a building's on fire but it ain't, an then when the fire engine arrives you throw stones or bricks at it. It's a victimless crime. If you feel bad for wasting their time you can always set fire to something."

Lee Nelson's Well Good Tour, The Stand, York Place, Tuesday, 8.30pm, £10/£8, 0131-558 7272