Actor and singer Lloyd Griffith returns to his university on first national standup comedy tour

Comedian, actor, singer and presenter Lloyd Griffith has returned to the university where he studied as part of his first headline comedy tour.

Lloyd, who graduated from the University’s BA Music degree in 2006, performed at the Northcott Theatre last weekend on his new Baroque and Roll tour.

And the Exeter alumnus was back on the Streatham campus the following day to meet members of the Global Advancement team and share some thoughts about his student experience and how it has influenced his career.

Interviewed in the Mary Harris Memorial Chapel – which he said offered the finest acoustics of any venue in the country – Lloyd explained how he first came to the city as a choral scholar at Exeter Cathedral, having been a chorister at Grimsby Minster. And it was during this time that he “fell in love” with Exeter and the University.

“All of my friends were singing in the Cathedral choir and were students at the University studying a range of degrees – and I just wanted to stay here,” he said. “I loved what it had to offer. So, we sang in the Cathedral nine times a week and I continued to do that for the whole three years of my degree.”

The first member of his family to attend university, Lloyd recounted how he signed up for multiple clubs during Fresher’s Week. And he urged students on creative subjects to take every opportunity available to them to develop their skills and to gain new experiences.

“I think if you’re doing a creative degree, you should do as much as you can outside of that because it’s those activities and experiences that tend to enable you to do things further down the line,” Lloyd said. “Obviously I read music here, but then I was part of the RAG Fashion Show, which I hosted with a chap called Freddie in the Great Hall, and that was my first proper experience of presenting to big crowds, and my first experience of telling jokes to large amounts of people.

“I was then also involved with various groups like the swing band and singing ensembles. Doing all those things has definitely helped me in what I’m doing today. My advice would be to do as much stuff as possible!”

After graduating – receiving his degree from former Chancellor Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE – Lloyd began training as a comedian and quickly began to secure roles in a variety of television shows including Taxi to Training, 8 out of 10 Cats, Not Going Out and Soccer AM.

He had a recurring role in hit comedy Ted Lasso, and was also in acclaimed drama It’s a Sin, and, prior to Baroque and Roll, toured with Jack Whitehall.

“It was always a dream of mine to do a ‘Live at the Apollo’ and I think it’s almost like a barometer as to how good you are as a comedian if you can get on that show,” he said. “After a few years of trying, we got on it and it was great. It was an absolutely beautiful gig. But then also performing alongside Helena Bonham Carter in a Russell T. Davies drama is again something you don’t really think you’ll be doing.

And Lloyd had one final piece of advice for prospective students.

“If you are considering going for a choral scholarship, either here in the University Chapel or in the Cathedral Choir, don’t hesitate,” he said. “It was one of the best things I have ever done. I had the best four years here at Exeter singing at the Cathedral, singing in this chapel, doing all sorts of musical stuff.”