A CERTAIN chap by the name of William Shakespeare once reckoned that the world was a stage and there are probably few people who would dispute that observation.

Young up-and-coming Worcestershire actor and comedian Ben Humphrey certainly wouldn’t argue with the great man. In fact, he’s a great fan of the Bard… except that in Ben’s case, you might change the quotation slightly and say that the stage is his world.

It’s one he observes from his narrowboat home in Diglis Basins, Worcester, a haven of peace where he can get those creative juices flowing. Ben is one half of comedy duo Humphrey and Renshaw, currently riding high in their home county, thanks to a string of sell-out shows, all of them the product of a writing team spearheaded by the chaps themselves.

Ben has also starred in the last two pantomimes at Worcester’s Swan Theatre and will be playing the lead role in this year’s production of Dick Whittington.

All in all, pretty good for a lad who’s not yet turned 23 years of age… So how did it all come about? I clambered aboard Ben’s boat ‘Dragonfly’ to learn a little more about the waterborne thespian who’s never wanted anything other than being in the limelight and making people laugh.

Ben attended Sunnyside School, Barbourne, and then went on to King’s School, Worcester, which would prove to be a stimulating environment for the young actor.

“I first met Simon Renshaw and co-writer Abi Williams at Sunnyside,” said Ben. “I was destined to go on the stage. My grandma’s mother was one of 13, all of them actors and singers.

“Simon’s mum was the drama teacher and I just fell in love with acting. Later at King’s School, I did a few shows, light comedy, that sort of thing.

“Then one day, I had a conversation with Paul Vaughan of the Three Choirs Festival. He suggested that I should do some afternoon shows at Huntingdon Hall, and so I went to see Worcester Live director Chris Jaeger.

“He saw a ‘likely lad’ and let me have a go. It worked. Chris then gave me a platform at Worcester Festival. The shows sold well, and Chris said, ‘We could do something with this’. It just got bigger and better.”

So what are the mechanics of comedy – how does it work?

“We write something and then sometimes start to have doubts. Is this actually amusing? But then we remember that we found it funny in the first place and so go with it.

“People come for a good night out. They can see that we are enjoying ourselves, it’s a sort of ‘in it together’ feeling. The scripts are produced by a team of six writers, constantly looking at how sketches can be developed.

“You have to keep observing, that’s the key to this humour.”

Ben has a very clear-cut vision of what he wants to do. He realises he’s at the curtain call of his life and has some very big ideas for the future.

“I like the feeling of being a freelance performer but I probably actually prefer directing, producing and writing. I love shows, but if you’ve created them from scratch, you get applause for everything.

“I like solving problems and there are a lot of problems in the art world. I’d like to be the artistic director of my own theatre, that’s my ultimate ambition. Sometimes, I feel older than I am… I want everything now. But there again, I’m a Gemini, and we’re supposed to be the ones with split personalities!

“However, I’m really pleased with what I’ve done so far. I love my job, always thinking about street theatre, and devising sketches. The best ones come from my own experiences. You have to know when to leave a sketch alone.

“You can polish it too much, and if you do that, you’ve lost it. We like the manic feel – our shows are very British, ridiculously British in some ways, much of it self-deprecating.”

Ben is quick to acknowledge the debt he owes to the observational comedians who have dominated entertainment over the last 50 years.

“I grew up with Blackadder, Fry and Laurie, and Not The Nine O’Clock News. We draw from that well.

“We never take ourselves too seriously and there is a lot of banter. But if something is not right, it must be fixed. But I’ve been with Simon as long as I can remember and really I see him as a mate, not always as Humphrey and Renshaw. But we don’t live in each other’s pockets. In fact, we argue constantly.”

How did Ben end up living on a narrowboat?

“I was renting in Bristol and just paying too much. I looked at the options, including living abroad. Then a friend suggested buying a boat so I just did it. Now, I live where the work is – I was at Stratford last year in the Shakespeare Review, so I just sailed there. It was a lovely trip and took two days.

“It’s great fun but does have disadvantages. Last winter I seemed to live in pullovers. Nevertheless, it’s great fun, good for the soul, cheaper, and generally a more relaxed way of living.

“And it’s so quiet on the water. You learn very quickly how to fix a diesel engine and this is good for the brain. But I’m a big fan of Wind in the Willows, and who knows – I might even get to play Ratty one day.”

Ben Humphrey is, in many ways, a young head on old shoulders. In his relatively short life, he has written and directed an astonishing number of shows and sketches.

You could say that he doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, except in his case, it should maybe read pond weed on the bottom of his boat.

But one thing’s for sure – he’s set his tiller and steering a course for a life doing what he does best… making people laugh.