With stand-up you’ve just got that one chance. Audiences can be quite fickle.

Meaning of the quote

In stand-up comedy, you only have one opportunity to impress the audience. They can quickly lose interest if the performance is not engaging or entertaining enough. This means comedians need to work hard to capture the audience's attention and keep them interested throughout the entire show.

About Johnny Vegas

Johnny Vegas, the English comedian, actor, writer, and director, is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humor. He has had notable television roles, including Moz in the BBC Three dark comedy Ideal and Geoff Maltby (“The Oracle”) in the ITV sitcom Benidorm.

More about the author

More quotes from Johnny Vegas

I trained to be a priest – started to. I went to seminary school when I was 11. I wanted to be a priest, but when they told me I could never have sex, not even on my birthday, I changed my mind.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I’ve got too much respect for stand-ups to call myself one.

Johnny Vegas

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You can sway an audience if you win the women over. The gentlemen will follow ’cause they can be so foolish like that at times, they are easily led.

Johnny Vegas

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They look outside the windows of their apartment in town and realize they’re not living in a terrace anymore. This is a room full of dreamers who like to go to London for a day.

Johnny Vegas

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My forte is playing drunks down the ages. When my agent rings me about a role, I don’t ask what the part is, but what century it’s in.

Johnny Vegas

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There’s this idea that it has to be made in London. But we’ve got everything up here, and if you’ve got comics who are gifted because of where they’re from, you shouldn’t drag them away from that natural resource.

Johnny Vegas

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It is easy for me to love myself, but for ladies to do it is another question altogether.

Johnny Vegas

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We had a week off in the middle of shooting, but as soon as everyone stopped, we all went down with six different types of flu and other unmentionable diseases.

Johnny Vegas

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When I wasn’t as attractive as I am now, I suffered at the hands of cruel children and their taunts until I realised that confidence and a bit of aesthetic care can overcome that.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

You can’t be a proper comic unless you’ve been out on stage and felt the fear.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

For the greater good, I thought I should be a spiritual leader for people for some reason.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I always feel like an interloper when I do serious drama. It’s my own paranoia.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I also want to return to doing stand-up. I’ve become frightened of live audiences. This is a really telling sign that I need to go back on the comedy circuit again.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

With stand-up you’ve just got that one chance. Audiences can be quite fickle.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

There’s lots of stuff about me being a fan of Cliff but not being gay. Which suggests that he is, but he’s not. Anyway, this is Channel 4, let their lawyers sort it out.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

This autocue was obviously written for someone else and I’ve been brought in at the last minute.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I use very few muscles at the best of times.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

My work’s never been accepted by my family, but it’s something I’ll always carry on with.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I used to be good with kids, but as I get older, I’m grumpy and terrible with them. As for doing a gig at a 6-year old’s birthday party, you couldn’t pay me enough.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

Had I become a priest, the sermons would’ve been electric!

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

We all have days where we can’t pronounce things or give it the emotion it deserves.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I actually enjoy being heckled; it keeps it interesting, and I think it is a nice feeling for people once they have left the show.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

If an original piece of wardrobe came up from Star Wars, I’d probably spend a lot of money on it.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I’ve got little ankles and a bit of a belly, so it makes me look rather an egg on legs.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

Baldness is visually enough of a stigma as it is without a big sweaty bloke on stage pointing it out.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

Up North you are holding your own. Everyone considers themselves a comedian.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist

I’m getting positive feedback for my acting so we’ll see if any other interesting parts come up.

Johnny Vegas

English actor, comedian, and ceramicist