Award-winning comedian Jeff Innocent has been making people laugh for over 20 years.
Raised in Newham, Innocent attended Lister School in Plaistow before working as a window dresser in London’s Kings Road and Carnaby Street, while his spare time was spent performing at the Newham Youth Theatre and East End Soapbox Theatre.
After taking a break from the stage, including studying for a Masters’ degree in Cultural History in the late 1980s, Innocent was gifted a stand-up comedy course led by legendary alternative comedian Tony Allen for his 40th birthday, and his new career as a funnyman began.
Since then, Innocent has performed and toured all over the world, live and on television, while continuing to live in Custom House. He was named British Comedian of the Year at London’s historic Comedy Store in 2021.
Throughout his ever-changing life, one constant has been his support of West Ham United.
He sat down with hosts Chris Scull and Carlton Cole for an entertaining episode of the Club’s official podcast, ‘Iron Cast’.
Innocent began by saying that comedians are far more likely to be forgiven for their mistakes than footballers!
“In comedy, generally you’re up there for 20 minutes and if it doesn't work out, it’s not so bad as there are only 300 people in the audience, but if you’re out on the pitch and there are tens of thousands of people and you make a mistake, then they’re on your back, and that looks tough to me!” he smiled.
“I don’t really get heckled that much. It might not be that my comedy is good, but that they’re a little bit frightened because I’ve got to walk past them on the way out! I’ve had a lucky ride in that sense.”
Innocent was actually born in south London, before moving north of the River Thames as a boy.
“I was born in Peckham and raised in Camberwell, so my Dad’s team was Millwall!” he admitted. “I moved over here at ten and then had this issue of living in a West Ham area with a Millwall fan, so it was tricky in my early days.
“I was working up North a few years ago and I happened to be on the same train as the Millwall fans going to play in Sheffield and I was in amongst them and I got kettled by the police and I was stuck there, but it’s not like I could put my hand up and say ‘I’m not one of them, I’m West Ham’! That wouldn’t have been a good idea.
“I came of age when West Ham won the World Cup, but the other problem I had was that I was a big Bobby Charlton fan, so I had that dilemma that my favourite player played for another team, although that wasn’t a big thing back then. It all worked out well in the end!”
Although he admits he does not attend many matches in-person these days, due to work and family commitments, Innocent first watched the Hammers in action in the late 1960s.
“It was just after we won the World Cup in about 1968, when I was 12,” he recalled. “I always had to go with someone else at that time, and my Dad wanted to take me to Millwall and my Uncle always wanted to take me to Arsenal, so I always had people trying to pull me in other directions.
“I then started going with my mates and I remember going wearing stacked heels and flares, like [the pop star and actor] Adam Faith did in the TV series ‘Budgie’ in the early seventies!”
Back then, of course, social media was still decades away, but in recent years Innocent – like many footballers – has used his online presence to build his popularity and become something of a cult figure with his viral posts.
His late-life recognition has led to selfie requests on the DLR, while receiving treatment in hospital and even people knocking on his front door!
“It’s mad and it takes some getting used to!” he joked. “It’s all love and affection as they love my stuff and I appreciate that.
“That’s been the biggest life-changing thing and I can now do my own shows with my own audience who already have a relationship with me on Instagram who already buy into and like my comedy.
“My daughter said: ‘The world has caught up with your comedy’. The sort of stuff I talk about is very inclusive, about diversity and about coming from Newham and I think times have changed and the audience has found a comedian who has that kind of attitude and why my comedy became more popular recently.”
Back to football and Innocent was delighted to see his team end a 43-year wait for a major trophy by winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.
“Of course, it was great and that last-minute goal was fantastic,” he enthused, before recalling the street parties which followed the Hammers’ 1975 FA Cup triumph. “People were painting the walls Claret and Blue! It was mad and crazy!”
You can catch Jeff Innocent on stage in London, Manchester and at the Ludlow Castle Comedy Festival this year.
For more information visit jeffinnocent.com.
