Health

Belfast comedian Ciaran Bartlett: My goal has been to bulk up for several winters

Gail Bell asks experts and people in the public eye what keeps them going. This week: Belfast comedian, Ciaran Bartlett

1

Up and at it - what is your morning routine? Has it changed?

I waken up, get a coffee, eat badly and then go back to bed for an hour. Then I get a coffee, eat badly and go back to bed for two hours. The biggest change is that I used to wash myself too...

2

What might you eat in a typical working day for...Breakfast?

I like chia seeds. I also like bacon sodas. Sometimes I have both and hope they cancel each other out.

Lunch?

Chaffles (chicken and waffles) at Joxer in Holywood.

Evening meal?

Whatever Raffo's (fish and chips) can spare.

3

Have you been able to work from home - if so, how have you found it?

I've been working from home for over a decade now, making my living as a writer, primarily, so it was no great change for me - apart from a halt to gigs for about 18 months, which was tough.

4

Weekend treat?

My best meal is steak, potatoes and pepper sauce, but weekend treat is Chinese takeaway.

5

Have you ever been on a diet -if so, how did it go?

I've been on diets several times. They all went swimmingly as my goal was to bulk up for several winters.

6

How do you keep physically and mentally fit?

Would you believe I lost a few pounds during lockdown? Mostly on the horses... I have been going on nice wee walks and lifting some weights at home. Mentally speaking, supporting Man United since Ferguson left has been like running a marathon every day. Have you seen me? I don't think people are keen to follow my physical regime. Seriously, I like going for walks with my wife, despite continually moaning about it. Mentally, I am a voracious reader and writer. I am currently knocking together a second PhD. This one is about mass communication in the Roman Empire.

7

What is your daily exercise?

I walk from my car to the counter of Kaffe O. I get my coffee. I walk from my car to the sofa. #fitness.

8

How do you relax?

Call it sad, call it pathetic, but I relax best by playing war simulator video games like 'Hell Let Loose' and 'Squad'. I also love to scream at the wee cartoon ref on FIFA.

9

Teetotal or tipple?

I am pretty much teetotal these days. I'll have a drink once or twice a year. Also, I definitely read tipple as Ripple and now want chocolate. Thanks for that.

10

What book are you currently reading?

Genuinely, I am doing a second PhD at the moment, in ancient history, so a lot of books I'm reading are for that - Paul Zanker's Images In The Age Of Augustus is a cracker. I'm also making my way through Don Winslow's Broken and James Ellroy's This Storm. Audible is reserved for Stephen Fry reading Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter.

11

Best Netflix?

Best Netflix ever is Breaking Bad, surely, or Making A Murderer. Best recent Netflix must be Love Is Blind... great bunch of totally normal, regular, likeable people on there.

12

Most surprising thing you've learned about yourself?

One of my eyes is massive compared to the other. I was so shocked that I widened my eyes and made it even worse. Also, one of my eyes has air trapped in the tear duct and it squeaks like a doll's eye.

13

Any new skills or hobbies?

Is sliding a massive cotton bud up my neb a skill or a hobby? I'm class at it. I tickled my brain one time and started speaking Russian. I am definitely a house-pet. I like sitting in, reading, playing games, having the craic, phoning crisp companies to ask them inane questions about their products. I am never bored at home. It's outside that's the problem for me.

14

Were you a fan of schools sports/PE or do you have a memory from those days that you would rather forget?

I played in goal for some school teams. When the coaches would say make yourself 'big', I took it too seriously. I think they have a statue of me outside the PE department in Aquinas Diocesan Grammar.

15

Biggest gripe?

So hard to choose between Harry Maguire and the Tories.

16

Have your priorities in life or perspectives changed?

My main priority is coughing loudly near people to see how they react.

17

What would you like to see change for good when this is all over?

I think people staying at home when they are sick is a thing we should be doing anyway. People who bring a flu to a gig need a wee slap.

18

What are your goals for 2022?

To sell out, in every sense: to sell out club shows, sell out the Ulster Hall, sell my soul to the theatre...

19

What time do you get to bed and do you think you get enough sleep?

This varies wildly. Sometimes I'll get to bed after 3am, but usually it's around 1am or 1.30am. I always top up with naps. I suffered from pretty relentless insomnia for some years, but I have a good pattern now. Insomnia is grim.

20

Has coronavirus changed your attitude towards your own mortality?

No. I'm here for a good time, not a long time...

Ciaran Bartlett is playing the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Saturday October 15 and Saturday November 26 - ulsterhall.co.uk and ticketmaster.ie