Padgate stand-up comic Bobby Murdock continues his comedy column for Weekend.

This month he talks about his most disastrous gig and why people love hearing about 'comedy deaths'.

COMEDY is a funny old game indeed.

I can tell you about some lovely gigs I've played where the room just fills with laughter.

But one thing that always stand out in your mind is a 'comedy death'. That's what people really want to know to about.

People always say things to me like: 'Do you get nervous?'

And I must confess I found it bizarre when Carl Fogarty, the most successful World Superbike racer of all time, asked me that question.

I was talking to him after a gig when he was in the audience and he was convinced that I've got more guts than him for holding a microphone and talking to people on a stage.

This is a man who flies around on a motorbike doing 100mph with his knee two inches off the tarmac.

Come to think of it he's got more guts than most. Did you see him eat kangaroo penis on ITV's I'm A Celebrity?!

Now before I tell you about my own 'comedy death', it always reminds me of the advice I was given by a good friend of mine, Brendan Riley.

He has more than 20 years' experience as a stand up and is one of the most positive people in the business.

Brendan's worked with everyone from John Bishop to Jason Manford and – bouncing around like a boxing coach – he said: 'Good or bad just keep going, keep smiling, keep up your energy and keep up your enthusiasm and hopefully you just might come out the other side'.

Thanks for the advice Brendan but it was a tough old game in my early days just as I was about to find out...

I had at the time only performed around 15 gigs and the club I was performing at had a very high stage with steep steps and a handrail.

As I made my way up the steps I was an absolute bag of nerves shaking like a cold dog.

It was a competition as well which makes it more intense and more nerve-wracking.

I'd just about finished my time, put the mic back in the stand and as I turned to my left to make my way off stage I fell down every single step in front of the 200-strong audience.

I blamed the fact that I was wearing new trainers and that they were not worn in yet.

But the fact is falling flat on my backside down six rows of steps got a better laugh than my set.

That is a steep learning curve and unfortunately one I will never forget!

I hit every step that hard on the way down it sounded like the ending to Eastenders.

If you had a crystal ball and told me four years later I would be going to Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform a full to capacity show with 75 gigs in 25 days I would have been the first to chuckle.

In fact, members of the public are that intrigued by comedy deaths that a friend of mine, Javier Jarquin from New Zealand, hosts a show dedicated to them.

A wide range of guest comedians bare all, telling tales about their worst soul-destroying, agonisingly painful times on stage.

Call it what you will – bombing, tanking or dying – great comics telling their worst experiences in front of understanding crowds just somehow works.

Because really, who wants to hear the good stories anyway?

See you next month

- For more information about Bobby Murdock and the shows he organises visit whodaresgrins.com and on Twitter @WhoDaresGrins