Javone Prince is an actor and comedian, currently starring in his biggest role to-date, the self-titled The Javone Prince Show. Phil Bowker is not only the show's writer, but also its director and producer (talk about multi-tasking!) who also worked with Javone on the E4 sitcom PhoneShop.
We spoke to Phil and Javone about their latest project for BBC Two, which is a mix of stand-up comedy, live music and sketches.
In your first sketch, we see you parody a period drama. Was it a lifelong dream to star in something like that?
Javone: Yeah, I’ve always wanted to. There’s so much stuff that I watched as a kid, like, Dangerous Liaisons – and I was like, I need to be in this. In drama class at school I never got cast in anything, so you know what, I thought I might as well do it myself!
Phil: I think that suit that you bought for the sketch was very fetching. I think it really suited you.
Javone: I think it suited me too. Even I fancied me!
Phil: I don’t think you should get your hair cut anymore. I think you should just grow it.
Javone: Grow it, and then sort of just perm it into those curls!
Phil: That’s who you’d be like – that Mr Darcy!
Have you ever been in the audience of a comedy show and been heckled or picked on?
Javone: I was in one of Gina Yashere’s shows, and this guy kept on heckling her. And she said to the guy: “Why are you bothering me when I’m at work? Do I bother you when you’re at work, in the line, signing on?!”
Phil: It’s your biggest fear when you’re sitting in the audience that you’re going to get heckled. I’ve been in comedy for 20 years and I sit there and I think: “Don’t pick on me!” So what I tend to do (coming from Liverpool and that) is that I put my best hard face on, which says: “Do not even THINK about picking on me, or I will go mad!”
Javone: Never sit at the front! I always sit at the back.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Javone: I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly.
Phil: I think you’d be good at doing that! I think the next thing we should pitch is The Javone Prince Karaoke Show: doing karaoke duets with members of the public.
Javone: "I went to Phil with the idea and said we’ve GOT to do Made in Chelsea!"
What’s the best comedy gig you’ve ever been to?
Phil: I went to see Jonny Vegas years ago in Edinburgh, and I’ve never see a room given over so much to one person. The whole room would have done anything for him.
Javone: I think Felix Dexter. He’s passed away now. He was so brilliant. He was so raw, you just couldn’t fault him because he was just so intelligent about his comedy. He would tell a group of people that Jamaicans were like this, and Jamaicans would be like "WHAT?" but before they could get angry, he just comes in with a punch line, and everybody just got on his side. He was one of the reasons that I wanted to get into this industry – because I saw The Real McCoy first.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?
Javone: Real work? I had to cold call people and it just wasn’t me, trying to get people to part with their money. I only worked there for about a week!
Phil: Javone Prince is a decent man!
Javone: An honourable man!
Phil: Javone Prince, an honourable, horse-riding man! Put that on your business card.
You raise some serious points in your show…
Javone: For some of the sketches, it’s about how ridiculous an everyday situation can be, a situation that many people go through. And I want the people that it happens to, to acknowledge that it happens to a lot of us, and the people who do it to see how ridiculous it is. So the message is to stop getting angry about it or upset, and just look at the situation, because it’s silly really.
The Javone Prince Show continues on Sunday, 26 July at 9.45pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
