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We aim to showcase these organisations and the wonderful individuals who shape them regularly in a feature called 'Up Close'.

Today, we caught up with Simon Evans. One of the UK's most respected and established comedians who heads to Teddington's Landmark Arts Centre May 11th for the latest show of his gripping 'Work of the Devil' tour.

Read on for Nub News' sit down with one of the country's most treasured stand-up comedians.

Simon Evans

Beloved UK comedian Simon Evans

After securing a law degree from the University of Southampton in 1986, it soon became clear to Simon that it was an industry he did not wish to pursue.

A stint at a publishing house was cut short due to a fear of being drawn into the corporate world, and a year of travelling then followed before the then 25-year-old embarked on a three-month journalism course.

A series of workshops teaching people how to perform comedy, which Simon had been asked to cover by one of the magazines he was working for post his journalism course, left a lasting impression on the then budding writer.

Before long, Simon had attended himself and by 1996 had come to the realisation that comedy would be the way to pay the bills.

The father-of-two admitted to Nub News that he initially saw his new-found interest as something similar to a hobby, a sport, or a way of gaining an adrenaline rush, rather than a full-time occupation.

A stellar 23-year career to date has followed, with Simon one of the UK's most respected and established comedians. His TV credits include BBC One's Live at the Apollo and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, BBC Two's Mock the Week and the 57-year-old became a regular on Channel 4's Stand Up for the Week.

Simon's BBC Radio 4 series Simon Evans Goes to Market has audiences delighting in his witty and insightful take on the uncompromising comic territory of commodities, trading and wealth, and he has made a series of guest appearances including on Question Time and Celebrity Mastermind.

The versatile comedian has grown a loyal fanbase who greatly appreciate his intelligent and independent scrutiny of the modern world. His comedy is observational, satirical and tongue-in-cheek and his scepticism towards the claimed achievements of progressive politics and modernist aesthetics set him apart from many of his contemporaries.

However, Work of the Devil raises the stakes with his usual excoriating views of a world on fire given a perspective shift from personal experiences that turned his world upside down this year.

Catch Simon Evans' Work of the Devil at Teddington's Landmark Arts Centre next week

After taking a DNA test five years ago out of pure curiosity, Simon remarkably found he was donor conceived as a child and has hundreds of half-siblings worldwide fathered by Bertold Wiesner, the owner of a fertility clinic who used his own sperm to impregnate the partners of infertile men between the 40s and 60s.

Talking to Nub News, Simon said: "It has been quite something going from being an only child growing up in a quiet suburban area to finding out I have hundreds of half brothers and sisters around the world."

It was important for Work of the Devil, which started out as Dressing for Dinner at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019, to keep the astonishing reveal quiet as Simon explained he expresses a lot of strong but not necessarily well-grounded or considered opinions which he is then forced to re-evaluate following the revelation.

He continued: "A lot of comedy and the laughs you get in a show reflect the tension you have built immediately prior to the joke, just like the silence between the notes, you have to trust that the audience stay with you, otherwise laughing every 30 seconds can become quite mechanic and you can take for granted the relationship you have with them.

"Of course, I don't want to overdo it and turn it into some sort of therapy session, people have come to laugh and to enjoy themselves. But the reveal is cautiously integrated and allows the audience to revisit all sorts of clues and hints in the first two thirds."

Reflecting on his career, Simon explained he has traditionally been a bullet proof kind of comic. Shows have never taken a vulnerable or personal nature which he has welcomed in the Work of the Devil tour.

Simon adds: "I took a deep breath before deciding to go with the idea but it's a wonderful thing to get on stage and expose yourself a little bit. Without again, pushing it too far, a couple of moments creates a stronger connection with the audience and takes them on an unexpected journey, one they will not forget in a hurry!"

Simon, who lives in Hove, admitted he wants to continue his work in a similar vain with elements of vulnerability, whilst staying loyal to his approach of going against the grain and testing what is branded acceptable.

The comedic veteran is already underway with writing for this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his next show Have we met? A title he admitted would have fit quite well for Work of the Devil.

With The Scotsman describing next week's show at The Landmark as 'A gripping and ultimately heart-warming tale, rich with wit and caustic observation', and Chortle Jay Richardson adding Simon's performance 'exceeds what seemed to be his full potential', there can be no doubt audiences at Teddington's art centre are in for quite the ride next Thursday.

Simon Evans – Work of the Devil arrives at The Landmark Arts Centre on Thursday, 11th May at 8pm. For further details and to book your tickets now, visit the link here.