Daniel Foxx had every intention of handling his big breakup with the grace and dignity of Julia Roberts in a 1990s romantic comedy.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan. On the plus side, it gave him plenty of material for his new stand-up show, How Lovely.
“The grotesque answer is: immediately. Maybe even before it happened,” says the comedian when asked how long it took to spot the comic potential of his romantic misfortune.
“When you’ve done standup for a while, every single tragedy and drama in your life is tainted by the slight background thought of ‘oh this could be a good story.’ You’ll be mid-crashing your car thinking ‘yeah I could probably make a joke out of this.’”
The resulting show, which visits Newcastle, Sunderland and Barnard Castle this month, explores the realities of dating in your 30s, alongside Le Creuset addiction, elaborate skincare routines and the considerable gap between romantic expectations and reality.
Much of the blame, Daniel suggests, lies with the films that taught a generation what falling in love was supposed to look like.
“I’m sort of using 90s rom-coms to point out how we’re taught ‘Love’ and ‘Relationships’ will look - and how horrifying it is when you get out there and realise the truth.
“We’ve lost the art of the rom-com in the last 20 years, and I wonder if that’s because neither rom nor com can possibly come from staring down the barrel of Tinder.”
His favourites include Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and The Holiday, which he reckons might be the perfect romantic comedy.
He’s particularly partial to a montage.
“A woman pulling her life together to a song by The Corrs? Get it in me. I love it.”
Less appealing is the inevitable third-act breakup.
“No angst, please, I just want a film where everything is pleasant and cosy all the way through.”
For anyone wondering how much of his personal life makes it into the show, the answer is reassuringly straightforward. “All of it, I’m afraid. Much to my ex boyfriend’s chagrin.”
Daniel grew up in rural Hampshire, surrounded by what he describes as “a lot of landrovers and labradors”, although his parents are both from North Yorkshire. He spent much of his childhood visiting family in the North and says the household developed an interesting assortment of accents.
“My parents still have northern accents, my brother has a Portsmouth accent, and somewhere around six years old I decided to be Oscar Wilde.”
He remembers spending childhood evenings dreaming up jokes to impress his teachers.
“I definitely thought I was funny - which probably means I was unbearable, actually. I used to lie in bed and think up funny things to say at school the next day, mostly for the benefit of the English and Drama teachers. And probably the dinner ladies.”
Comedy was also a family pastime, with stand-up recordings providing the soundtrack to long car journeys. But it wasn’t until he was about 15, watching Miranda, that he realised making people laugh could actually be a career.
Determined to give it a go, he applied to five universities in London, less concerned about which one accepted him than the prospect of getting to the capital.
“I did a tonne of little gigs in pub basements and rooms above restaurants, and loved it.”
His breakthrough, however, came during lockdown, when live performances disappeared and he started posting comedy sketches on TikTok and Instagram. Followers began to accumulate and, when venues reopened, he found himself with an audience he hadn’t had before.
“It still boggles my mind,” he says.
His videos, which have attracted millions of views, feature a collection of characters inspired by the people he encounters in everyday life. The inspiration often comes from overheard conversations, unusual turns of phrase and the little mannerisms that catch his attention.
“I’m obsessed with weird people, and when you start looking, they’re everywhere,” he says.
“I have a notes app full of weird little phrases and mannerisms I’ve come across. And another one full of absurd children’s names I’ve heard. So yes, when it comes to making a new character, they’re often waiting in there already.”
While those characters have become his calling card online, audiences shouldn’t expect a parade of them in How Lovely.
“I don’t do characters on stage particularly, but the sense of humour is exactly the same. It’s very much me in all of them.”
His debut stand-up show, Villain, enjoyed a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 before touring internationally, including dates in New York and London. Following that success with a second show brought its own challenges.
“It’s harder in the sense that your first ‘hour’ usually comes from pulling together all the material you’ve built up over years of getting into stand-up comedy.
“The second show is the first time you have to scrap all of that and begin from scratch.”
Fortunately, his recent romantic experiences provided a ready supply of material.
“It was actually pretty fun, and with the show being built around recent life events, it did kind of pour out. Very cathartic.”
Away from stand-up, Daniel co-hosts the comedy podcast Welcome To Hell with fellow comedian Dane Buckley and is the author of Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children.
He’s also interested in experimenting with longer-form sketches and stand-up on YouTube, although he remains clear about what connects his various projects.
“I think of myself as a comedian,” he says. “It sometimes gets a bit muddled working across lots of different mediums, but then I remind myself that, ultimately, I’m writing jokes.”
And he’s looking forward to returning to the North East, which he says he adores.
“It wouldn’t take much for me to leave everything behind and open a pretentious little bakery in Durham.”
In the meantime, anyone still recovering from a disastrous relationship might find some comfort in How Lovely.
As Daniel puts it: “If you agree that Jennifer Ehle is the premiere Lizzie Bennet, and/or if you have ever experienced an INFURIATING breakup, this show is for you. If not, congratulations on your life.”
Daniel Foxx: How Lovely. comes to The Stand, Newcastle, on October 24 (sold out); The Fire Station, Sunderland, on October 28; and The Witham, Barnard Castle, on October 29.