Comedy: Hot property

One of the most desirable transatlantic differences that has come to the attention of Canadian stand-up Simon B Cotter (right) is between the police officers. "Your cops don't have guns - that freaked me out; they have whistles. I stole everything. 'Oh, he's going to blow a whistle. Oh, don't, I might get a ringing sensation'."

Cotter draws much of his material from his outsider status in this country. "A lot of things that you take for granted are glaring to me. So when I point them out, I get a great response. Like the way you tell the time. When you say 'half eight', that's four, isn't it?"

On previous visits over here, Cotter has been pleased with the reception he's been accorded for such culture-clash gags. He's even got used to being greeted as Barry from EastEnders and asked if he wants to buy a used car. "British audiences are much better-read than those in North America - perhaps because you have so many fewer TV stations. Literary allusions go over much bigger in Britain than in any other country. In Britain, you can get big laughs for something clever - it doesn't need to be raunchy."

Over the years, Cotter has become something of a rarity on the circuit: a comedian who doesn't swear (akin in some people's eyes to alcohol- free lager). "That is a trademark of mine," he affirms. "Even in mainstream clubs, you'll hear a lot of profanity. Everybody does it. To me, a joke is much cleverer if something is implied. I have a gag about sex being like shopping: 'Men like to go in, get what they want, and get out, while women like to browse...' You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, but you don't have to be gross to tell it. If you speak up to an audience and assume they're more intelligent than you, then it works better."

Cotter is also unusual in that he packed in a six-figure salary as a realtor (estate agent) to become a stand-up. "I did an amateur night, and I just loved it. It's like a drug. Once you've made 200 people laugh, it's just impossible to go back into the boardroom."

Simon B Cotter is at the Aylesbury Civic Centre (01296 486009) 10 Jun; the Comedy Store, SW1 (0171-344 4444) 11-13 Jun

EXTRA

He may be the last surviving socialist left in Britain, but that only makes Alan Parker (Urban Warrior) even funnier. Simon Munnery's indefatigable agitprop anarchist shares an impressive bill with Ian Cognito, Mark Hurst, Steve Gribbin, Peter Searles and Ivor Dembina at the Red Rose Club, N7 (0171-833 3467) tomorrow. It is a benefit in aid of Prisoners Abroad.