Shiver Me Timbers

Summertown.

DANIEL Clarkson is the lanky one, messing about in the CBBC cupboard everyday with his mate Geoff. By night the pair are larking about on stage in their own children’s play Potted Pirates, which sells out everywhere it goes.

“Yup, we are living the dream,” Dan tells me, trying hard not to look too pleased with himself.

“Live TV every day and touring a former West End show which we wrote and perform ourselves.

“It’s like having your cake and eating it.”

The show is coming to the North Wall tonight, and the only downside is not having any time off, although Dan doesn’t look remotely bothered.

“I haven’t had a day off for 53 days,” he says.

“Not that I’m counting, but we joined BBC1 for a trial period over Christmas and have been there ever since. And having done some ‘resting’ between jobs’, I know how difficult it is to land a spot like this, so I think it’s been drilled into me to never say no.”

As far as the TV goes, Dan and Geoff are a perfect pair, complementing each other, and filling in when something goes wrong.

“We have a great telepathy,” Dan says. “Although Geoff has a particular ‘rabbit frozen in the headlights’ look that I know very well and visa-versa,” the 30 year-old laughs.

“And we work well together because I’m more anarchic and off-the-wall, while he is more worldly and deadpan. So I’m the one that gets asked to tone it down.”

So is it hard to swap stage and TV?

“I was told to be less of a carpet salesman at the beginning. I was too upbeat and loud, as if I was still on stage. So you need the same energy but not to be too scary. It’s just about adapting,” Dan explains.

“And we just make-it up as we go along. You only have about 10 minutes to rehearse and we enjoy improvising, comedy and ad-libbing. If you can handle all that with someone shouting ‘three seconds’ in your ear, then you’ll be OK.”

To cut a long story short, Dan and Geoff met while working at Madame Tussauds and wrote Potted Potter, took it to the Edinburgh Fringe and sold out before it even opened.

“I knew that was unusual,” Dan recalls.

The play was orginally meant for adults, but when someone pointed out it would be perfect for kids, they took out the blue jokes, and it became a roaring success.

Potted Pirates followed and caught the BBC’s eyes, who gave them a slot on the satellite CBBC channel and have now moved them up to BBC1.

“Its a great platform for other stuff,” Dan agrees.

As for his private life, Dan says he doesn’t have to make a conscious effort to be squeaky clean.

“You can still go to the pub after work with your mates. You just can’t be the one dancing on the tables.

“And to be honest, that’s not me anyway. That’s what you go to university for – to get it all out of your system,” he laughs.

“So it’s fairly easy to tow the line.”

But there’s no time to waste.

Dan and Geoff are also auditioning for a few new shows, writing a new show which they hope will be in the West End for Christmas, and performing.

So is all this success going to his head?

“Not if you’re performing to kids – they keep you on your toes.

“I remember a show, which luckily I didn’t write, where one child stood up and said ‘I’m bored now, can you do something else?’ “Adults are much more polite, but in Potted Pirates we had an eight year-old’s birthday next to a hen party, and they were both loving it, because it’s very tongue-in-cheek.”

To give you a clue what to expect, Potted Pirates tells the tales of the seven seas, from Long John Silver to Blackbeard, plus notorious cross-dressing lady pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Dan and Jeff also promise a full-scale re-enactment of the Spanish Armada, featuring 30 actors in full costume.

A good life then eh?

“We love it. but I’m sure my mum tells everyone I’m an accountant,” Dan laughs.

Potted Pirates is at the North Wall Arts Centre tonight. Box office on 01865 319 452 or visit thenorthwall.com