LAST year, Andrew Lawrence found himself on the receiving end of vitriolic slurs after taking to Facebook to slate his fellow stand-up comics for targeting UKIP.

But true to himself, the comic has turned a tricky year into what he does best: a comedy show, fittingly or perhaps, cynically titled Reasons to Kill Yourself.

He was never one to stand for censorship.

“I think I could have been more judicious about the things I put on Facebook.

“I have learnt in the past few months that you have to be careful what you say on social media.

“Comedians are very restricted at the moment in what they can or can’t say.

“There is a certain amount of censorship. A lot of comedians coming on TV have to be quite bland. They think: ‘What can I say that’s going to offend the least amount of people?’ “It’s quite depressing. It’s fine to make jokes about anything. You can make jokes about any subject.”

His fresh approach to his craft - relying on instinct and veering away from the script in favour of free-style comedy - has remained his trademark over the years.

“There is a lot of satisfaction from improvising.

“You operate on instinct. To get a good reaction and feel that you connected with audience, doing it off the cuff feels better than if you got the same reaction from something you’ve prepared - although it has its rewards.”

Andrew Lawrence will be at the Arts Centre, Swindon, on Friday, February 13 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £15.

To book go to swindontheatres.co.uk or call 01793 524481