British-Australian stand-up comedian and author Ben Elton is soon to be back on the road with his nationwide tour.

He told Deborah Knight as a dual citizen he’s been able to stay hunkered down in WA over the last year, but safety has come with compromise.

“The price of those good fortunes is closed borders.

“I find that very hard … my mother’s 92, I haven’t seen her for a year, it’s perfectly possible I won’t see her again.”

However, the pandemic has not left Mr Elton lacking in new material – in fact, quite the opposite.

“The idea that serious times, difficult times, challenging times make for less comedy I would disagree [with] entirely.

“I first became a comedian in the early 80s in London. It was a terrible time, Britain was tearing itself apart. But for a comedian, for a young artist of any sort … it was a golden time.

“Passionate times … can produce the best art, and certainly I think comedy is at its best when it’s challenging, and when it’s dealing with the stuff that’s difficult to deal with.”

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