Paul Zerdin: Puppet Master, Panto Survivor & Vegas Conqueror
From GMTV mornings to Vegas nights, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin has battled hecklers, tights-related emergencies and Julian Clary in panto. Now he’s back on UK soil, bringing his sponge-headed misfits – Baby, Sam, Albert and Roger – on a tour that promises chaos, insults and possibly a few Maltesers…
UK tours, Vegas smashed, and surviving panto with Julian Clary. What’s tougher – hecklers, jet lag, or tights?
I love a heckler as they can really make the show sometimes! I’ve done quite a few gigs around the world- literally getting off a long haul flight and been rushed to the theatre just in time, once in Johannesburg when the flight was late and the producers had arranged for me to have a police escort to the theatre to get me there on time. I was unpacking my case in the wings trying to find a puppet whilst the compere was doing his final link, about to introduce me. I just made it and had one of the best gigs of my life!
I’ve worn tights occasionally in panto and got on fine with them until that morning when I was extremely hung over on the way to a matinee in performance and stopped to get a tub of Maltesers which I devoured on the journey.
Everything was fine, I got to the theatre, got into costume, the lights went down, I was in the wings ready for my first spot which was straight after the opening number. The opening number began and that was when the Maltesers kicked in. My stomach gave me that burning feeling you don’t want to feel! It really was tights, camera, action! Having to deal with tights and a mic pack when in 90 seconds and you have to undress, sort the problem out and redress before your entrance really concentrates the mind! I just made it!
Congrats on tying the knot! Be honest – who runs the house now: you, the wife, or one of your sponge-headed sidekicks?
Ha ha! I think Emma and I have a very even relationship. I’m always trying out new gags and routines on here and she tells me to shut up when she’s had enough! She is also in show business so I think we both really understand each other. When I’m rehearsing at home for a new tour I’m sure the neighbours think we’re having lots of crazy people staying for some weird party when actually it’s just me working on all the different voices and characters. The good thing is I can work on my routines and scripts anywhere now as people are all talking on the phones all the time it just looks like I am as well. But I’m not I’m just talking to myself!
Sam’s back and cockier than ever. Has he hit puberty yet or is he still stuck in that awkward teenage limbo with the voice of a foghorn?
Well, Sam has kind of hit puberty or it sometimes sounds like it because as I get older his voice is definitely getting a bit lower! In this show his character has probably got more attitude than previous tours. He’s refusing to work with me as he thinks I am a toxic ventriloquist what with me putting words in his mouth! Let’s just say he's becoming a handful. Literally!
Albert’s 96 with razor-sharp wit – is he based on someone you know, or is he just what you’ll be like if showbiz doesn’t kill you off first?
Albert has really come into his own over the last few years and I think he’s one of my favourite characters. He’s a mixture of different characters I’ve soaked up over the years including my mum’s older brother and my dad. You can do just about anything with him, he’s very versatile. I’ve done war routines with him, marriage material and he’s even sung a duet with the ghost of his wartime best friend. I did illusions with him on the last tour and of course with him it all went wrong and ended up with him turning himself into a chicken!
The Baby thinks the world revolves around him – classic influencer behaviour. You reckon he’d beat Jake Paul in a tantrum-off?
Baby is quite remarkable. Not only was he able to speak fluently at 6 months, he’s also been a baby since he was born back in 1997! He’s a force to be reckoned with but is actually quite easy to keep under control as long as there’s a boobie somewhere in his eye line!
Roger the American bodyguard thinks UK potholes are caused by aliens. Be honest, have you ever tried ventriloquism while dodging craters on the M25?
The UK roads are really in a terrible state and you see all this when you travel around as much as I do. You can’t believe that you’d actually hit a massive pothole on a motorway! I do a bit in the show with Roger my bodyguard about how he doesn’t understand why we have such stupid names for everyday things like: We say pavement, he says "it's at the side of the road and you walk on it - it’s a sidewalk.”
You’ve done 30 panto seasons – is there a medal for that or do you just get a lifetime supply of Dame wigs and innuendos?
I got into doing pantomime when I was a kids TV presenter for GMTV. I was about 20 and I just got the bug. It was a great vehicle for me to do all my favourite things; comedy, magic, my ventriloquism and also a way of me pretending to be an an actor! I have made some of my best friends through panto and have had just some fabulous times. I mean, how often do you get to do a comedy routine with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Paul O’Grady?! I also love the fact I spend all year touring around the world on stage talking to myself and then at Christmas it’s the one time I can be on stage with other people who are actually not made of sponge!
You’ve gone from GMTV to Vegas showrooms. What’s the bigger culture shock – morning telly or slot machines and stag dos?
Being paid to learn how TV worked in my early 20’s as a presenter was an invaluable experience which helped me enormously the more TV I did as I got older. The first time you go to Vegas is a massive culture shock but before I signed my Vegas deal after winning AGT I had been there many times so I knew what I was in for! There is nowhere quite like it. The audiences took a bit of time to get used to because you had such a mixture of people there. You had a lot of AGT fans who’d seen you on the tele and wanted to see you live then you had high rollers who had been comped by the hotel and had no idea who you were, they’d just got free tickets to your show and then you had the drunk people who staggered in after losing their life savings on black jack!
You said the puppets threatened to clone you with AI if you didn’t go on tour – we’re asking the hard questions here: are you definitely not AI now?
I don’t think I’m AI but don’t ask me ask the bloke underneath puppeteering me!
Vegas to Shrewsbury isn’t the usual showbiz trajectory – how do the UK crowds compare when you're not surrounded by Elvis impersonators and free buffets?
I’ve been very lucky and performed all over the world and a lot in the US but there’s nothing quite like getting on stage at home. There’s a sort of sigh of relief and I can just relax into really having fun with the material and the audience and not having to worry about changing words or meanings so that you understand what I’m actually talking about or upsetting any Trump supporters in the crowd!
You’re a Gold Star Member of The Inner Magic Circle – ever pulled a rabbit out the hat in the bedroom, or is that strictly for the stage?
I’ve never pulled a rabbit out of a hat but I have plucked a hair out of my ar*e! Funnily enough when I used to do kids parties for my finale I used to produce a real live white rabbit for the kids!
Leicester Square Theatre in November – big finale! Do you go full diva backstage or are you more of a cuppa and a hobnob kind of lad?
I’ve learnt over the years not to demand anything on your rider when you are touring as the theatre will get you whatever you want and then charge it straight back to you so you pay for it in the end anyway!
My only demands are bottles of water and some tea. I love Leicester Square Theatre and it’s alway great to finish the tour in London it feels like it's a natural end to the tour. Although we’re actually adding more dates for this tour for 2026 so it's not the end.
Alasdair Rimmer’s making a comeback – what does a radio personality puppet get up to when he’s been out of work this long? Asking for Ken Bruce.
I love Alasdair Rimmer as he’s a mixture of all my favourite broadcasters I grew up watching and listening to. I was hugely influenced by Paul Whitehouse and Harry Enfield’s Smashey and Nicey and so Alasdair is a sort of fond nod to those broadcasting stalwarts like Alan Freeman, Wogan and yes Ken Bruce! Since Alasdair’s on-air mishap on the news at 6 he’s been doing voice over work, presenting on an internet radio station and is now putting all of his spare time into his TikTok Channel @I’marimmer. He’s also launching a chat show podcast called The Rimmer Sessions.
We heard you once flew 30 hours to Argentina for a 15-minute gig and still squeezed in a steak. Is that commitment, madness, or just an excuse to eat meat on company expenses?
That was a crazy gig! I flew to Buenos Aires to do an after dinner corporate gig where all I had to do was a 15 minute set after an opera singer had performed 1 song. I finished the gig had a steak then flew home the next morning. That’s the great thing about this job it can take you anywhere. I’ve even been to Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the troops.
Finally, you’ve made millions laugh worldwide – but which of your characters would you least want to be stuck in a lift with, and why is it the Baby?
I filmed a hidden camera show for Sky a few years ago where I was throwing my voice all over the place out and about in public and filming peoples reactions. One of the sketches was me in a busy lift throwing my distant voice to make it sound like there was a problem with the lift and the control operator was asking people if they were ok or not. I actually had people worried and got them talking to the lift and they didn’t know it was me! That was a funny old day spent in a lift with a hidden camera crew in the Novotel, Hammersmith!
Paul’s UK tour starts on 2nd September at the Norwich Theatre Playhouse and culminates with two dates at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on 7th & 8th November. Ticket link: Paul Zerdin - America's Got Talent Winner
