Paul Merton discusses life on tour with wife Suki Webster
“Sorry, but I’m being heckled by my wife here,” Paul Merton says, waving his hand off camera, intent on ushering his spouse away. “She clearly didn’t get enough sleep last night.”, reports BritPanorama.
In early March, Merton, alongside his wife and comedy partner Suki Webster, is midway through their tour of Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show, a latest iteration of the improvisational comedy that Merton has specialised in since the 1980s. The 68-year-old, known for his long-standing role as a team captain on the BBC panel show Have I Got News for You, appears fresh-faced and alert during a video call, his grey hair untamed.
I inquire about the previous evening’s performance. “Good, though I can’t remember any of it now, to be honest. As it’s all improvised, you tend not to recall it afterwards, because you don’t have to.”
The format of their show heavily relies on audience input each night, and in Yeovil, the crowd was notably vocal.
“For the first time in a long time, someone at the show yesterday shouted out ‘Trump’,” he recalls. “The audience groaned. So I declared it a Trump-free zone. That cheered them up no end. I think everyone’s exhausted by the subject, don’t you?”
Webster enters the frame to adjust Merton’s Zoom screen size. After thanking her, he reflects on their professional and personal life together. Married since 2009 and without children, the couple tour regularly and host travel shows for Channel 5. Merton addresses the intensity of their routine, pondering whether arguments arise on the road.
“People ask this all the time, and I’m rather puzzled by it. It would be much more stressful,” he suggests. “If I was just here on my own. I remember on my last solo stand-up tour in 1999, sitting in the interval between shows with a cup of tea, all alone, listening to the buzz of the crowd. It was all terribly clichéd: the clown with a tear in his eye. So I’m very relieved to have Suki’s presence. I enjoy her company very much.”
After the tour, however, they each seek some individual downtime. “We’ve got two televisions, and so if one of us wants to watch Bridgerton, while the other one doesn’t, we can do that. But that’s normal, isn’t it?”
Merton has been a prominent figure in British comedy for four decades, known for quickfire one-liners marked by a mix of feigned boredom and disdain. He has largely avoided branching into films or sitcoms, remaining focused on the live performance and traditional television, opting out of the podcast trend. “No, thanks.” I ask if he has ever appeared on his peers’ podcasts. “Never been asked. Don’t know why. Perhaps,” he muses, “because I don’t really care…?”
Born in Fulham, London’s west side, in 1957 to a tube driver and a nurse, Merton grew obsessed with older comedy eras while performing stand-up on the side of a civil service career. “Back then, there wasn’t much opportunity for comedians to be on television for very long. Those that did ended up hosting gameshows. ‘What’s the capital of Peru?’ That never really appealed to me.”
The turning point came in 1990 when he was offered the chance to be a regular panellist on a new BBC One topical quiz show called Have I Got News for You, alongside Ian Hislop.
“A lot of this job relies on luck,” Merton states, “but you can’t keep relying on that luck once you get the gig. You just have to make sure you stay by doing the best you can do.”
HIGNFY has become the nation’s favourite and most enduring comedy panel show, outlasting many of its competitors. It has maintained its popularity by remaining true to its original formula while adapting to contemporary issues.
Following the departure of original host Angus Deayton in 2002 due to tabloid controversies, the producers implemented a rotating guest host format, adding varied energy to each episode. “We don’t get many politicians anymore,” Merton observes. “But then they were never very good, were they?”
He reflects on the inability of politicians to engage effectively, indicating that the show’s tone has often remained combative toward them. The interactions between politicians and the panellists have frequently highlighted the dissonance between political narratives and public sentiment.
Addressing concerns over past comments made on the show, Merton admits, “To be honest, until this conversation with you, I wasn’t aware of any such criticism.” Despite acknowledging that the show has become more inclusive over the years, he asserts that talent is the primary criterion for participation. “As far as I’m concerned, if people are good, then they’re good.”
HIGNFY continues to dominate the ratings, averaging around 5 million viewers per episode. “We always beat everything else that’s on at the same time, unless it’s I’m a Celebrity,” he notes casually, indicating an enduring competitive spirit.
Merton acknowledges the financial aspects of the show as well, playfully sidestepping questions about their reported earnings. “We’ve taken pay cuts over the years,” he reveals, attributing the reductions to external pressures. At 68, Merton seems content with his career path. “Actually, I’d love to do some straight acting for a change, and be in a drama,” he adds, jesting about potentially filling the role of George Smiley.
When asked about his views on contemporary comedy, he shrugs. “I don’t know, I don’t really watch any.” His most recent enjoyment was an episode of the classic sitcom One Foot in the Grave, which he found to still hold up well.
Concerning recent television initiatives like Prime Video’s Last One Laughing, he shares his thoughts candidly, indicating disinterest in an overly competitive setting. “For me,” he concludes pensively, “the definition of success is not to have to work all the time.”
Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show is touring the UK throughout 2026
