What's On: 2011 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

A knack for impersonations and casting wry observations on foreigners and travel, Ryan has garnered rave reviews from The Chaser, scoring headline acts across the country. Here, he shows Anna Tsekouras why Aussie’s are just so damn funny.

The worst neighbour you've had?
I lived in Scotland and in the wee hours of every night, without fail, I heard noises from the apartment above mine. It sounded as if furniture was being dragged from one end of the place to the other by a heavyset person who favoured industrial Doc Martin boots. It seemed an odd time to experiment with feng shui. Then I heard the repeated sound of a ball being bounced against a wall like when Steve McQueen was sent to solitary confinement in The Great Escape. My flatmates and I knocked on the door one night and we confronted a university student. She denied any suggestion of noise. Decidedly more odd, was that she lived alone in this three-bedroom place. Our imagination ran wild. No university student could afford to rent there on her own. We deduced that the only logical explanation was that she killed her parents and was dragging their carcasses up and down the hall each night in some weird ritual.

The most over rated place I've lived in is...
London. One night I slept in my car in the ice-chilled month of January. I awoke with a numb leg and automatically assumed I'd die of hypothermia, requiring immediate hospitalization. Ironically, I was parked right out the front of a hospital at the time. Europe in winter sounds so great - picture perfect snow covering the fields and rooftops, mulled wine, hot chocolate and open fire places, ice skating and wearing cosy scarves. I've come to the conclusion that snow is just white mud. Just walking from your front door to the mail box can involve potentially breaking everything.

Way to break the ice at a slow dinner party?
Fortunately, I don't get invited to many dinner parties due to my perpetual single status. Plus I don't do well discussing curtain patterns. I frequently prefer to sit at the kids table or play with the dog. If you do find yourself at a dinner party and it's boring, I'd suggest spiking drinks, rubbing a few legs under the table or throwing your keys in the nearest bowl. This can be awkward at family dinners however.

You know you were destined to become a comedian when...
As a kid I'd prop myself in front of the telly with a stop-watch and pad and time comedians sets, while taking notes.

Your response to hecklers?
Hecklers like to hurl abuse in the safety of darkness. Essentially they are school yard bullies and want a bit of attention. I like to expose them and turn the entire audiences' attention their way. I see your childish behaviour and raise you! I turn the tables and with the help of the audience make them feel very uncomfortable if necessary. I've won over bucks parties in Scotland and dealt with Belfast audiences. If you choose to heckle you have to deal with the consequences. A guy drank from my beer when I was on stage the other night, so at the end of my set I asked if he wanted the rest? He said 'yes' so I tipped it all over his head. Marcus: 1. Heckler: 0.

Why are Aussies so funny?
Anyone that lives in a country formed on the basis of being a prison island surely must have a sense of humour. It's like we're one big reality show. I can see the network pitch now. We find this desert island, largely uninhabited, apart from some natives and a collection of the deadliest animals in the world. We drop a boat load of convicts and guards in together and they have to build a community. The ratings will sore! Isn't that 'Survivor'? No, it's Australia.

Plus, Australia had so many cultures all thrown in together with a fair mix of cross breeding - the results were bound to be pretty funny. It's bred into us to generally be quite jovial in life. As a nation we’re practically toddlers, with an absence of conflict with other nations, so we are cheeky in our youth and take the piss out of ourselves instead.

What are audiences in store for in your show?
My show last year was straight standup, one gag after another. I'm hoping this year to cut back on the laughs. That's why I'm only doing 10 nights. I got sick of the incessant complaints that audiences didn't get a proper reprieve from my jokes. This year I'm aiming for one laugh every 15 minutes.

Dates: 12th – 16th April, 19th – 23rd April
Visit: www.dramatix.com.au.