The Cockney Prince of Newham: An Interview with Quincy the Comedian

Quincy The Comedian © Quincy The Comedian

In the beginning, there was laughter…

Before becoming a full-time comedian in 2005, Quincy started as a DJ well-known within the Stratford/Newham area. His intrigue with stand-up and its similarity to preaching was intertwined with the influence of reggae DJs and the sound systems he grew up on such as Professor Nuts and Lieutenant Stitchie, and how both could captivate and engage an audience. While some comedians did inspire him such as Lenny Henry, Bob Monkhouse and Dave Allen, who he and his dad used to listen to, he pulled most of his inspiration from the influence of his lived experience. 

Born in Forest Gate, before moving to Canning Town, Quincy grew up in a Barbadian household, surrounded by his aunts and uncles who always had a very prominent presence in his childhood, but being in a predominantly white area meant he blended between the two cultures. Going to school in Canning Town, attending Trinity School (now Rokeby School) hanging out a lot with his friends in the playground where he says he spent most of his days, his interaction with different people from a range of backgrounds meant Quincy encountered “a lot of adventures and a lot of reality checks”. This made him into a comedian that could connect and relate to people regardless of where they’re from.

Because of this backdrop, Quincy writes a lot of his comedy around social issues but even more from his personal life. A topic that is not spoken about enough, Quincy writes a lot about the experiences of Black fatherhood and always tries to promote positivity around raising children from the perspective of a Black man. Having grown up around his uncles and strong positive men, he always brings that point of view into his comedy sets and seeks to talk about things that will resonate with his audience. One man was so affected when Quincy spoke about his life as a father and the passing of his late partner that he stated he wanted to mend his relationship with his sons.

Different strokes for different folks

Quincy’s style of comedy was different to that of other East End comedians, which is his strength but when starting out, proved to be a struggle. When he began his comedy career, he had a lot of support from those who already knew him, with the main forms of promotion being street flyers, word of mouth and Black radio. However, as he transitioned from DJ to comedy, some of the audiences he struggled with at first were Black, as he leaned on his East End, cockney upbringing.

Nonetheless, being consistently true to himself and not shying away from his eventful past has made him extremely popular. Sharing those moments that can make someone forget their troubles, even if for a short period of time, is what he loves about being a comedian. His comedy is political, honest, funny and always aims to bring smiles to people’s faces.

Home Sweet Home

Having grown up and spent most of his life in Newham, Quincy knows what the borough has to offer and found it to be “fascinating and intriguing”. It’s a world he wanted “everybody to know about” as the people there often had a ‘cheeky chappie’ reputation shaped from the confidence and humour steeped in their lifestyle.

Quincy The Comedian doing a live performance © Quincy The Comedian

Quincy also knew the importance of travel and taking his comedy all over the country and across the world to elevate his craft.

Quincy and Friends

However, some of his biggest highlights came right from Stratford. Speaking of his early shows, Quincy’s stage has been “blessed” by Kevin Hart in 2006 as well as Gina Yashere and Tiffany Haddish over the years. Even closer to home for Quincy has been his great childhood friend growing up in Newham, Idris Elba, who supported him all the way back to his first solo gig at Stratford Art Circus (now Stratford Youth Zone).

Quincy remains at the forefront of creating spaces for comedy whether it was in the Refreshment Rooms, Stratford Theatre Royal East Bar, Stratford Art Circus or Stratford East Picturehouse at the upcoming Only Joking Reunion Comedy Show in June for Newham Heritage Month, as we laugh and skip down memory lane.

See a snippet of the interview below and click here for the full video.

Book here for the Only Joking Reunion Comedy Show.

Quincy The Comedian and the Legends of Comedy © Quincy The Comedian

Find Quincy The Comedian on his Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

See his interviews with his Newham showbiz friends, Clint Dyer and Idris Elba as part of his ‘Extra Time Fridays’ show on his YouTube channel.