Easy laughs? The serious work of comedy
For the likes of Michael McIntyre, Russell Brand and Micky Flanagan a stand-up tour can be lucrative business, but what's it like for those just starting out in comedy?
Jack Stratten is one of the many new comedians gigging up to seven nights a week, clocking up hundreds of miles travelling across the country as he struggles to make a living and a name for himself.
BBC News asked Jack to keep a video diary as he travelled from club to club, and joined him for some of the many nights on the road.
Video Journalist: Tom Beal
Additional camera work: Billy Hill
Real Time is a series for the BBC News website in which ordinary people tell their own extraordinary stories.
26 Feb 2014
- From the section Entertainment & Arts