One half of E4 sketch show duo chats to MARION SAUVEBOIS

FOR all his manic sketches and borderline certifiable characters, Dustin Demri-Burns, one half of award-winning comedy duo Cardinal Burns, takes a serious approach to his craft.

Or so it seems from his business-like tone– he is miles away from his all-squealing, all-farting (yes, you have read correctly) Japanese creation Yumi.

Then again for the sake of their friends and family, one should hope the friends are not as wild in real life as their E4 sketch show characters.

“The characters are versions of people we meet,” he says getting right down to it.

“We stereotype everyone so it’s not coming from a mean place. We just find people funny whoever they are, whether it is a posh girl from the Home Counties or a bunch of guys from Stoke. We find humour in everyone, in the little details of people’s behaviour and characteristics, no matter how mundane.”

The show, which will come to the Wyvern on Thursday, November 13, is tailor-made for their fans and will almost pick up where their most popular TV characters, Yumi, of course, the Turkish cabbies and Banksy (reinvented as a middle-aged dullard) left off. And of course there is a band of new faces.

“It’s characters that people know and new ones that we are testing out. It’s a live raucous night.

“We have got a lot of fun with certain characters like the Turkish cabbies. And they are really popular on the show. We do push the limits a bit.”

Could it have something to do with the boys’ French roots? Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns are both half- French on their fathers’ side.

“I like French comedy, especially Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnes Jaoui, they are such a good team. He is a clown, such a wally and I think their comedy is fantastic. I loved Let’s Talk About the Rain.

“I don’t know a huge amount about French comedy but there is probably an indirect influence there. My dad is quite funny. He doesn’t speak English but he likes the physical stuff. He likes big comedy.”

After meeting at film school in Edinburgh, Seb and Dustin established themselves as sketch writers and performers on the comedy circuit before truly making their mark with their critically-acclaimed self-titled show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009.

They went on to achieve sell-out runs at London’s Soho Theatre and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well appearances at Latitude, Leeds and Reading music festivals.

“We both had jobs in London and we were writing but we never quite knew who for or what for.

“We thought we could perform live as a better way of finding out what’s funny or not sooner. You test it out on the audience and people start noticing you. The Edinburgh Festival seems to be the traditional route.” In 2011 they began working on their first television series for E4, Cardinal Burns, for which they received three British Comedy Awards nominations in 2012 – the most-ever for first-time nominees – eventually walking away with Best Sketch Show, whilst scooping two Broadcast Awards and a Loaded Lafta in the same year.

In 2013 they were nominated for a BAFTA and the Rose d’Or award for comedy.

Despite his apparent seriousness, I catch a glimpse of what two comedians who spend days on end in close quarters “finding humour” in everything may look like.

“We’ve got to tell each other to work harder. We are like brothers in a way. “You have moments when you drive each other crazy but we are careful not to let minor things get under our skin.

“And we have got to keep each other in check and be each other’s boss. One of us sometimes has to go ‘You’re not doing this well enough’. You can’t be too sensitive about it.”

 

  • Cardinal Burns are at the Wyvern at 8pm on Thursday, November 13. To book call 01793 524481 or go to swindontheatres.co.uk.