When Kevin Jones and Keiron Self first started to experiment with their comic character ‘Martin Decker’ – an awkward, oblivious but gold-hearted ‘bloke of a certain age’ – they were simply trying to distract themselves from the tedium of lockdown.

For Self, working on Martin Decker was also a means to avoid the looming question – “Will I ever work again?” – while for Jones, it was an attempt to salvage a character from a play that COVID had unceremoniously shelved.

Five years on, the character is coming back to where it all – should have – begun: the stage. 

The Martin Decker Show

“It just gave us something to focus on,” Jones explains. “We thought, why not try and make a short film version under lockdown conditions?”

“There were lots of out-of-work actors looking for something to do,” Self says, reflecting on the turbulent pandemic period. “I did a few Zoom projects just to keep going – but Martin Decker really became my focus.”

Fortunately, the duo found that the character translated just as well to screen as it had to the stage.

“We made one episode, then another, and eventually quite a few – put them on YouTube – and by the end of lockdown, more friends got involved, and we had this urge to stitch it all together into something bigger.” Jones says.

In the original play, Martin wanted to become a rapper, which became the focus of the first YouTube episode. As the character evolved, he later attempted to create his own sci-fi show, an influencer-inspired travelogue and in the highest rated of all the episodes, he ventured into the rich world of Minecraft.

All this culminated in the film The Martin Decker Show, which debuted on the festival circuit in 2023. But now, the character is returning in a stage show – ‘Martin Decker: DAD’.

“He just stuck with us, and at one point we thought – what if Martin did a show about Indiana Jones and fatherhood?”

Self owns up to having the zany idea for this intriguing combination. “I’m a big Harrison Ford fan. I even did a radio show once called Chasing Harrison Ford, about a guy who tries to be in one of his films being shot in Wales. So, that idea had been bubbling for decades.”

The Scrappy Spirit of the Short Films

The show retains this ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ mentality, along with the scrappy spirit of the short films, with homemade props – such as a Kylo Ren mask fashioned from takeaway trays – remaining at the heart of the production.

During COVID, restrictions forced the pair to work within tight limitations. Keiron often had to film and perform solo in order to comply with social distancing rules. But, as is often the case with under-resourced creative projects, these constraints sparked inventive solutions that ultimately became key to the show’s identity. Jones and Self were determined not to lose that charm in these less restrictive times.

“Everything’s DIY. We have homemade special effects, tributes to Indiana Jones and Star Wars. If it’s not papier-mâché, we’re not interested! Kev’s whole family helps out – there is a proper cottage industry going on,” Self says.

Jones adds, “It’s very important to us that everything is made physically. It doesn’t feel like Martin if things aren’t just a little bit naff. There’s a bit of a running joke that everything in this show has an incredibly low carbon footprint – hardly anything on stage isn’t recycled.”

That quintessential Decker make-do attitude also informs the overall direction of the piece. Jones admits that, under normal circumstances, they’d be far more meticulous, but the haphazard world of their fictional creator offers the pair a unique creative freedom.

“If we were making a proper film, we’d have all these constraints – lighting, editing, taste. But Martin’s world gives us the freedom to just go for it. Though, of course, you still need to be very aware of what you’re doing… you can’t make it too ropey!”

A streak of melancholy

With any comic character that makes a lasting impact, there’s usually more at play than the laughs. In this case, the inner-conflict of the character touches on the emotional realities of poor mental health – especially those that affect men in midlife. It’s a trait seen in numerous characters from David Brent to Alan Partridge, where outsized ambition and eccentricity serve as a mask for vulnerability.

The response to Martin Decker has been, at times, unexpected – particularly in feedback from middle-aged men. Jones was surprised by how deeply this connected with audiences. “People would come up and say, ‘I get what you’re saying.’ We always knew the feelings were there, but it was surprising how much it resonated.”

“There has always been a backstory about Martin using creativity to avoid dealing with real issues. But as he developed as a character, we soon realised his connection to these ideas was superficial.”

That streak of melancholy in Martin isn’t just a comic device, it’s personal. Both Keiron and Kevin admit they’ve used Martin as a vessel to work through emotions they hadn’t fully articulated themselves.

“It gives us a certain clarity to speak through him,” Jones says. “Creating Martin gave us access to explore certain things, some of which we might feel quite exposed about if it were just us talking. Martin gives us a bit of distance.”

Men are still in a tough place

They’ve been in touch with mental health charities such as Lads and Dads, and are currently in discussions about setting up collaborative workshops and Q&As around the show.

“Men are still in a tough place,” Self says. “Either people are oversharing or not sharing at all, and that leads to all this toxic masculinity. Guys don’t feel good about themselves, so they look up to the wrong people. It’s a mess.”

“But we’re not trying to give answers,” Jones interjects. “We’re just showing this character, taking him on a journey. We’re not experts. We’re just trying to be honest.”

It’s striking how much depth underpins what is, on the surface, a self-consciously silly show. Martin Decker himself is prime material for mockery, but there’s a real emotional weight behind his story. It raises an interesting question: why is it funny when a middle-aged man has wild ambitions? If a young man did the same, he might be praised for his drive, so why does it become comic in someone like Martin?

“When you hit a certain age, you’re not meant to be ambitious anymore,” Jones suggests. “So when you are, it looks kind of ridiculous. We lean into that with Martin. It’s childish and over-the-top in a way, but also surprising and inventive, hopefully.”

“And as you get older, you think you know best,” Self adds. “Martin wants to do a show about dads because, well, he is a dad. He thinks, ‘I’ve lived it, I get it.’ But the way he expresses that is absurd. There’s a certain lack of self-awareness.”

“But underneath it’s about someone trying to be seen – by his son, by his father – and I think that’s something a lot of people – especially men – can relate to.”

‘Martin Decker: DAD; is performing at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff from 2 – 5 June. For more information, visit: https://www.shermantheatre.co.uk/event/martin-decker-dad/