US-BASED COMEDY cable channel Comedy Central turns its cameras on Asia next week with the launch of the first-ever Asian original stand-up series, “Comedy Central Stand-up, Asia!” Debuting on Tuesday, the new series features a diverse and extended line up of popular Asian comedic acts from across the region with a weekly half-hour episode offering small screen viewers a unique opportunity to savour the different flavours of Asian stand-up.

The line-up consists of 24 well-known and up-and-coming talents including Ron Josol (Canada), Vivek Mahbubani (Hong Kong), Mo Sidik (Indonesia), Douglas Lim (Malaysia), GB Labrador (Philippines), Sharul Channa (Singapore), Chris Wright (Thailand) and Atsuko Okatsuka (US). Expect hilarious insights into a melting pot of kung fu, Indian parents, the brutal truth of what it is like for a foreigner to date a Chinese girl and other jokes reflective of Asia culture.

We chatted with Hong Kong comic Jim Brewsky, Indian Neeti Palta and our home-grown star Chris Wright.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BECOME PART OF COMEDY CENTRAL?

Brewsky: There’s no greater |honour for a comedian, really! Comedy Central is the international hub of comedy, basically a one-stop shop for all things funny! So it feels incredible.

Palta: It’s surreal. When they asked me to be a part of the very first batch of comics to be featured, I thought someone was pranking me!

Wright: I was surprised and delighted because the shows they air on TV are big especially when you are a huge fan of comedy. I told them that I’m not actually a comedian-comedian, but they said they wanted people from different countries in Asia, and I guess I was the closest to a comedian from Thailand who could speak and do stand-up in English. But I’m proud to say that once upon a time I did a little gig on Comedy Central. It’s an honour to be a part of it and I hope to do it again next year.

WHAT DO YOU NORMALLY JOKE ABOUT?

Wright: I told them that my main job in Thailand is teaching English but that I am also a motivational speaker, trainer, author and TV host. But whatever hat I’m wearing, I try to be funny, adding jokes, silly anecdotes, and funny acting and facial reactions to my work. My jokes are usually about language usage, cultural differences, and the different lifestyles that are amusing especially when English-speaking Caucasians from developed countries come to Asia and vice versa, culture shock, language misuse and the lifestyle in developed countries and developing countries. I can also do quite a few accents, and that has won me some fans in Thailand.

Brewsky: Self-deprecation with a bit of observational humour. I like to explain the world, as I see it, with a twist of laughter, a pinch of the absurd and a dash of self-hate. It’s my recipe for making ‘ha-ha’!

Palta: My style is very tongue-in-cheek and observational. I joke about life as it happens to me. I joke about my parents, my upbringing, life of a woman in India, our great big Indian weddings, things like that.

WOULD THE JOKES CATER TO VIEWERS LIVING IN ASIAN CULTURES?

Brewsky: Absolutely! Yes, I mean, I’ve won two international comedy competitions in Asia, so I’ll take that as evidence. I feel that I am truly part of the culture, a representative of the new melting pot that has become the norm in many Asian societies in the 21st century. Funny is funny. It doesn’t matter where you are from, as long as your jokes are funny.

Palta: All Asian parents bring up their kids the same way. So when I talk about the beatings I got, everyone remembers their childhood. Despite surface differences, we actually have a lot in common.

Wright: For my gigs on the show, I selected stories and jokes that anyone in Asia as well as outside of Asia with an idea of what life is like and how different it can be, could understand.

WHAT’S YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SERIES?

Brewsky: I really just focus on making the audience laugh and have a good time. I want as many viewers as possible to check out the show and then tell me what they think I contributed. I just know I’m going to bring laughter and a really fun time. Beyond that, I hope that I make a personal connection with the audience and they’ll want to see more because I’m ready to bring it to them. I have to thank Comedy Central and LOL Events again for the opportunity to reach such a large audience. I’m sure you’ll see more of me!

Palta: To prepare, all I had to keep in mind was that if the joke was too rooted in Indian culture, I would explain the custom a bit before getting into the joke. The fun for the audience is that they learn something new about a different country and get to laugh too.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SHOW?

Brewsky: You can look forward to something a little different but still very much centred on comedy from the Asian perspective – as someone who is very much a part of the scene and industry here in Asia and has been for many years.

Palta: Lots of laughs!

“Comedy Central Stand-Up, Asia!” premieres in Thailand on Tuesday at 7.55pm on MeTV Channel 205.