Joel Sanders is the Angry Boater

“Often, people find out their hull is only 1mm thick and there's water coming in,” Joel Sanders tells me. The stand-up comedian and star of Channel 4’s Narrow Escapes swapped performing in Las Vegas for living on the water 15 years ago, but stresses it’s a lifestyle demanding the right boat and mindset. Cutting corners is not a sensible option. “You'd be better off living on a park bench than some of the boats I've seen!”

Last year, he toured the country with his show, The Angry Boatman, playing mainly at venues near the canals and rivers. The title might be a tad misleading. “People come and see the show, and often say: ‘Well, you don’t seem that angry.’ I don't want to spoil it all, but anger is an interesting thing. A lot of people are ashamed of expressing their anger. But it's part of all of us, so embrace it.”

Perhaps this all acts as a counterpoint to the notion that boating is a bit sedate. “That is part of it, for maybe a couple of days a year. If you've lived on one of these things full-time time over 15 years… When things go wrong, they go very, very wrong.”

As the Zoom call connects, he’s simultaneously smashing out a tasty-sounding Chicken Adobo. Spring onion, red chillis and ginger have gone into the sauce, which reduces while we chat. He seems fairly normal. Not the kind of wild-eyed eccentric who might risk his well-being taking his narrow boat out on the open sea. It’s no revelation that flat-bottomed craft are a bit unpredictable when met by waves. You have to wonder what business he had taking his boat onto the choppy waters of the Bristol Channel, as we see in this month’s Narrow Escapes episodes.

“The best way of addressing it is to go bigger...”

“People kept telling me: ‘You can't do that. They're not designed for it.’ I don't like being told what to do. I'm fed up with it,” he says, before releasing a small laugh. “It wasn't really that simple. Normally, I'm on the canal, which is nice and calm. But, over the years, a few things have happened on the river and semi-tidal areas.” He tells me he found a body last year. To add to this, there had been a few encounters with difficult waters. Naturally, he started wondering where life on a narrowboat was going to end up. It was time to confront the gnawing anxieties.  “Alright… If I'm finding rivers a bit difficult, the best way of addressing it is to go bigger... So, I went out onto the ocean. I did have a pilot with me. You can't do that on your own.”  

There’s a recognised dramatic trope of individuals who made a home on the water. Living in a boat sets you apart as something of a renegade. Not getting on with the neighbours? You can just cast off and head for friendlier shores. From MacGyver and Crockett off of Miami Vice, to Sam on NCIS: Los Angeles and Captain Pugwash, all are comfortable with improvisation and meeting challenges head-on. Although it features distinctly fewer crimefighters or cartoon pirates, this general spirit is reflected in Channel 4’s hit daytime show, Narrow Escapes.  

From seasoned travellers to relative newbies, the show looks closer at lives on the canals and rivers of Britain. Whether it’s the bucolic nature of the scenery or a fascination with major life changes, the programme has proved to be an improbable ratings winner.

“It’s been the most watched thing on Channel 4. People just seem really into it. This isn’t a contentious show. It's not about creating drama where there isn't any. It’s all very real.” Most of Sanders’s co-stars are equally interesting. There's the 86-year-old couple who just travel around, Emily the boat mover, who takes people’s new floating purchases across the country or the pair trying to visit every waterside Wetherspoons.

Sanders’ journey into the hit show is a story in itself. Dominic Holland, a friend, fellow comedian and father of Tom, ran into Joel at a Hammersmith Apollo gig. “As soon as he saw me, he said: ‘Joel, I've been meaning to call you. My friend has been commissioned by Channel 4 to do a series about people who live on boats.’ The next day, she called me. So, Spider-Man's dad got me on there… There are so many people from different walks of life. It’s quite riveting.”  

“It was all quite PT Barnum, really.”

He says that since season one aired, he’s being recognised by 50% of his fellow boat dwellers. This newfound fame helped when doing his pop-up tour last year. “I would park the boat up and put myself on a Facebook group, saying who I was. More often than not, somebody with a venue would then contact me. I’d set it up sometimes at three or four days’ notice, sell the tickets and do the show, then just move on to the next phase. It was all quite PT Barnum, really.”

Many of the experiences have been special. He was going into a hall that had never done comedy before, even having to bring his own PA system and hire chairs. “This year, I'm doing more of a ‘proper’ tour. There's no way I can get from one gig to the next on time by boat.”

There seems to be a genuine sense of community on the waterways, but only if you open yourself up to it. “I overdid it last year, so I put myself into a marina for a few months. Part of me thought: ‘It'll be nice, I'll have a community again.’ But I haven’t really had that sense this year. It's not about the people here. It's about me.” He says that sense of belonging relies on you wanting to connect with others. When he started boating, he was so excited and wanted to meet everyone and make connections.

“Perhaps I'm more connected to the people outside the marina, because there is a kind of spirit. That's what I've done for 15 years - just moved around and met other like-minded creatures. On a marina, I think you've got a different type of boater, who doesn’t want to move. They want to be plugged in, have their own taps and convenience. And pay a fortune for the privilege.”

He says, with the soaring cost of living, many are looking at embracing alternative lifestyles. “It is causing a few problems. People are buying these boats, thinking that's an easy life.  And not thinking it all through.” Boating is more a state of mind than simple convenience. Along with the freedom can be a small amount of uncertainty.  

“I'm not practical. I've learned a lot.”

“I see so many people buying narrow boats, and three months later selling them for a third of the price. Everyone thought that was going to be me, because I'm not practical. I've learned a lot.” He was working as a comedian, doing some gigs on cruise ships, and realised he liked being on the water. Then a mate bought a barge, which proved to be a catalyst.

“It seemed better than my flat in Watford...” Whilst out cycling, he came across a marina and started chatting to some of its residents. Within a week, I’d bought a boat and moved to that same marina. “At that point, I wanted something new, a change, an adventure, and just like that, in a few days, I completely changed my life.”

Joel Sanders brings The Angry Boater to Brighton Komedia on Tues 17 June, Limehouse Cruising Association on Weds 18 June, Camden Comedy Club on Weds 17 Sept, Southampton’s The Attic on Thurs 18 Sept and Deal’s Astor Theatre on Thurs 23 Oct, as part of a nationwide tour. You can also see him on Season 2 of Narrow Escapes, which is on Channel 4 and All4.

www.angryboater.com  

www.komedia.co.uk

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