'My first job was canning peas in King's Lynn'

Comedian Ardal O'Hanlon found people in Norfolk were "very friendly" when he lived in the county as a teenager

The comedian Ardal O'Hanlon has revealed his first job outside Ireland was at a pea canning factory in Norfolk - crediting a local Good Samaritan with one of his most treasures memories of the time.

O'Hanlon, known for his "bewildered" character Dougal in the 90s comedy, Father Ted, and later as a detective in Death in Paradise, will return to his stand-up roots to headline a new comedy night in Great Yarmouth.

He told BBC Radio Norfolk how he had travelled to King's Lynn as a 17-year-old for seasonal work, adding: "I took great pride in canning peas, I'll have you know."

""I was at a loose end in the summer," he added, "and am easily impressed and persuaded to do things."

Father Ted actors (L-R) Ardal O'Hanlon, Dermot Morgan and Frank Kelly in character as Fathers Dougal, Ted and Jack in 1998

O'Hanlon told how he arrived in the county "on a whim", armed only with a tent.

"I just got on a ferry, on my own at the age of 17, got on a train to London and a train to King's Lynn," he said, "I pitched my tent in a disused barn.

"I rocked up at the pea canning factory the next morning and asked if they had any jobs. I lived very happily there for the whole summer.

"It was brilliant. A coming of age."

He remembered "a great bunch of people there, locals and seasonal workers from all over the UK", adding: "It was a great formative experience."

O'Hanlon also revealed that after a downpour one night, he was left "feeling miserable" as his tent was rain-soaked.

"I went into a hotel in town - I had no money - wet through, and asked [the owner] if I could stay for free.

"People are very friendly in Norfolk. He could see I had a very honest and angelic face and how dishevelled I was, so he said okay.

"That was one of the kindest acts someone has ever done for me.

"I just lay in bed and watched the 1984 LA Olympics. I did go back and pay him a few days later.

"That's one of my treasured memories."

O'Hanlon said end-of-the-pier comedy was not a tradition in Ireland as "people were afraid of the sea", adding: "People were very wary of paying to see comedy, because everyone fancies themselves as a bit of a clown".

He said he was influenced by British TV and "the new wave of comedy" in the 90s and "wanted to be part of it".

"It was another leap of faith," he said.

O'Hanlon will headline at the Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth on 21 June, along with comedians Justin Panks, Fiona Allen and Darius Davies.

The show is organised by WCB (Weird Coastal Buoys) Comedy, set up in 2012 by Paul Carlton at his local pub in Lowestoft, Suffolk

The Irish comedian will also embark on his first nationwide tour in five years, Not Himself, starting in September, with shows planned across the East, including Norwich in March 2026.