MATT Stevens, comedy writer for ITV’s children’s television, says there is a strange cross over between humour for youngsters and adults.

The improv comedian is one half of the duo Thunderbards with stand-up comic Glenn Moore, and they are currently on their first UK tour.

Matt said: “When we come to Swindon Glenn and I have combined all the best bits of our last four shows that we have taken to Edinburgh Fringe into one Greatest Hits Show. It is two halves of fast-paced, very silly, nonsensical, sometimes surreal comedy sketches. We are not political or over arching just pure escapism with a mix of slapstick and intellectual wordplay.’’

Matt and Glenn both write for the CITV programme Scrambled. They have just completed the current series and are about to enjoy the final wrap party but promise they will be back in comedy harness again in July for more of the children’s eggstravaganza.

Matt says there is a difference between creating sketches for theatre and writing for television but says there are similarities on some levels when writing for children and adults.

“From time to time they bleed through. Liking the same comedy is a sort of throwback to when we were children,’’ he said.

What is a challenge however is their first tour together playing to different audiences each night.

“It is more of a challenge than one off performances, audiences are different from Manchester to Maidstone but it is great fun,’’ said Matt.

During one of their stop-overs the comedians shared a dressing room with a cast of actors who were performing at the venue next door.

“They were really serious actors, performing a serious play about Syria, and before they went on stage they took their warm-up very seriously. We started doing our warm-up in an almost mocking vein, copying their deep breathing and meditation and we suddenly found that they did it for a reason - it worked. So now we do it before going on stage,’’ said Matt.

The comedian comes from a military family so it was a bit of a shock for everyone when he chose comedy.

“It was join the army or this,’’ laughed Matt. “My family are actually very supportive even though it was a shock.’’

He met Glenn when they were both at Sheffield University and they began doing a bid of improv and acting.in 2013 they took their first show to the Fringe. They began to build themselves a following, and wrote and performed on the BBC Radio 4 programme Sketchorama, which opened more doors. Alongside Thunderbards Matt is also a member of the improv set Do Not Adjust Your Stage, based in London.

Matt said: “There are six of us and we took our show, Wunder Kammer, across Europe and to New York. We tour Europe and the US and also have residency in the National History Museum and The National Gallery. We invite speakers, professors, scientists, doctors, who give a five-minute talkon their own subject, it can be anything from sharks to engines, and then we make a three quarter of an hour comedy show about it there and then.’’

Thunderbards will be strutting their stuff at Swindon’s Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town on April 7 at 8pm. Tickets are £14.50 from 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk - Flicky Harrison