A funnyman from Grimsby who has performed at The London Palladium and was ITV’s Loose Women’s warm-up comedian for eight years is now entertaining listeners with a chart-topping podcast.

Lee Peart, 35, who recalls spending his youth working at Cleethorpes Tesco and dashing out to Flares on a Saturday night, co-hosts wine-tasting podcast ‘Bottoms Up’ with Alan Carr. The duo also presented the Virgin Radio show over Christmas.

Grimsby Live caught up with Lee amid his ongoing tour as a support act for Loose Women panellist and stand-up comedian Judi Love in her new show, All About The Love. “I met her years ago and we just instantly got on so I supported her a couple of years ago on her first tour and now I’m back on the road with her for her second one and she’s just brilliant – I love her,” he said.

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Lee said it is “all go” because he is balancing the tour with other work, including recording new episodes of ‘Bottoms Up’ which comes out once a week. You don’t have to be a wine snob to enjoy the show, with Lee commenting, “The podcast is all about being accessible, ultimately, we don’t really learn loads!”

Discussing his life growing up, Lee said: “It’s weird because I always say I am from Grimsby, and I always like to feel like Cleethorpes is in Grimsby even though they are two different towns.

“My whole childhood was Cleethorpes. I used to work at Pleasure Island the theme park and I was a ride operator. I always thought I was going to get the big rides when I first joined, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be on The Boomerang.'”

To his dismay, Lee ended up being responsible for “small little kiddie ride” The Froghopper. Before he left Grimsby to study Performing Arts and begin his comedy career, he went to local amateur group Class Act Theatre Company and was a student at Humberston School and Franklin College.

Lee also worked at Cleethorpes Tesco and had some “real fun memories” there. “I was addicted to the tannoy,” he recalled.

“I think that is why I ended up going into stand-up comedy – I just wanted my voice amplified so much. When I got promoted from checkouts to customer service I had made it. I got to wear a blazer. I really thought I was the dog’s b*llocks.

“I was just this 18-year-old child giving people refunds. But I was like, ‘I’ve made it, I am Customer Service’.

Lee said he mostly behaved with his tannoy responsibilities, but would sometimes “feel a bit fruity” and “adlib a bit”. Lee was also popular with staff, not least because OF his closing time punCtuality on a weekend.

He said: “My colleagues loved me because I was always basically shutting the store early and getting customers out. You were meant to do a five-minute warning, but I was 20 minutes before, ‘The store is closing in…’

“I was like out you get, because I wanted to be in out in Cleethorpes.” Lee would keep a change of clothes at work and bolt out the doors as quick as possible, once making it to a club by 10:08pm.

“Boom, out the door. Leave my uniform in my locker. Bam, off I go to Flares,” Lee said. He admitted the “power got to my head a bit with that tannoy”.

Lee added: “A lot of my act is all about growing up and growing up in Grimsby, working at Tesco, childhood, coming out, family, it definitely weaves its way in and has formed a lot of my stand-up material.”

Those hoping to catch Lee in Grimsby might be in luck. “I was thinking only the other day, I would love to do a hometown show somewhere like the Parkway Cinema,” he said.

Future gigs are listed on Lee’s website or you can follow him on Instagram, and Facebook. ‘Bottoms Up’ can be played wherever you usually get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

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