Hello, I'm Kirstie Young.

Thank you for downloading this podcast of Desert Island Discs from BBC Radio 4.

For rights reasons, the music choices are shorter than in the radio broadcast.

For more information about the program, please visit bbc.co.uk-radio4.

My cast away this week is Michael McIntyre.

The best new comic in the English-speaking world is how his first Edinburgh festival show was built.

Unfortunately, it was quoted made up himself and it only persuaded one person to buy a ticket.

But in less than five years, he's gone from being an unknown stand-up, deep in debt,

to one of the most successful comedians in the business with awards,

chart-topping DVDs, and sell-out arena shows under his belt.

He comes from entertainment stock, his father wrote the Kenny Everett show,

and his mother was a dancer.

He says of his spectacular success, it's just mind-blowing.

One minute, I was traipsing around comedy clubs telling my jokes.

The next, I'm playing arenas.

It simply doesn't get any bigger than this.

Given the heights to which you've soared, Michael McIntyre,

I wonder if you ever looked down and get a bit dizzy with it all.

Well, it is mind-blowing. It genuinely is.

The way things have gone, it has been amazing and uncomfortable as well,

because I've just been busy working and creating this stuff,

and now I've sort of stopped for a bit.

...