The Learner Parent on going from Mick Jagger impersonations to twin tantrums

When Sam Avery and his wife found out they were having twins it led him to starting a blog documentating his life as a first time dad.

“Everything was new to us,” explains Sam aka The Learner Parent.

“I started to write things down as I thought it would be great material, and then when the twins were born I would keep notes and someone said why don’t you do a blog, but my idea of bloggers was just like Perez Hilton and I didn’t want that kind of thing, so I resisted but then I started to get so many notes that I decided to do it.

“I just thought one day this could be great stand-up material but I was keen that the stand-up show wouldn’t have anything that has been in the book or on Facebook but would be exclusive new material.”

Sam has been a stand-up comedian since 2003, but doing a gig was something that for seven years would be his new year’s resolution, however, it would take a night out involving a Mick Jagger impersonation while at Liverpool university to give him the push he needed.

“I couldn’t sing but I could do a really bad impression and my friends convinced me to do it,” he reveals.

“I signed up and had a ridiculous outfit on everyone was taking it really seriously except for me.

“The next day I woke up with a massive hangover and a message saying ‘are we still ok for tonight’, I didn’t know if it was a girl I had met or not. But then it was revealed that someone had seen me and booked me into a comedy night. In my hungover state I put together a ten minute stand-up show.

“I was in two minds whether to do it but kept thinking you have wanted to do this for seven years and was so glad I did it and they booked me.

“It must have got enough laughs as I got other bookings and it went from there really.”