Craig Campbell: "Almost anyone can write a joke"

You're about to go back on the road after a successful Fringe. Did your summer experience inform your approach to the tour?

This was my first Edinburgh with a fully formed show. It was a strange place to be in, as I ended up with so much material, and it was very polished. It requires a different mindset to do a normal club show. I'm not in a rush with this material, I can pace it.

An audience member collapsed during your show at The Stand. That's a pretty strong reaction. (The person turned out to be OK..)

Other comedians have put audience members in hospital, it happens. Also, Paul Sinha, who is a qualified doctor, was on after me, so he was very helpful that night.

Paul Sinha's advice to his fellow comics is 'aim to be the comedian only you can be'. Does this ring true with you?

Oh,that's so true on a lot of levels, Paul has a very succinct way of wrapping things up. It's something I worked on for years and years. Almost anyone can write a joke. Quite early on, I steered myself away from that pub joke kind of thing. Being a Canadian of Scottish descent living in Devon gives me a unique perspective. It can create a limit, but it can make you a diamond in the rough. That's why I can't do Mock The Week – I can't get into the mind space of giving a shit about what Lady Gaga has on her head. I'm not going to compromise. I'm not into pub jokes.

You engage with questions of law and order in your shows, especially in relation to the UK.

We are in a strange place... the poor are vilified in the news, which is detached from actual life. There are no longer expectations of justice. I don't own a TV – it is 99% propaganda. But we can look into each other's eyes and see human contribution. The greatest thing we have is discourse with each other.