Christchurch has launched some hilarious Kiwi comics, including the sharp-witted and oh-so-entertaining Eli Matthewson.

You may know Eli Matthewson from 7 Days, Short Poppies, AotearoHA: Rising Stars or any one of his many stand-up shows, but what you may not know about Eli is that he got his start in the 03. We caught up with him while he was living his best life in Scotland and taking on Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

How did Christchurch help you get your start? I first got into comedy by doing the High School Theatresports competition – I was obsessed! My team would practise way too much and we went to watch Scared Scriptless almost every week, and were constantly in awe of the legends of the Court Jesters that performed there. I was lucky enough – or maybe just persistent enough with my emails – to get a place in their company in my first year of university. It was there that I honed the skills to help me get where I am today (right now in Edinburgh, still in bed at 1pm, preparing for an 11pm show).

Tell us about your first performance in Christchurch. My first ever stage performance was playing a marching boy in The Elves and the Shoemaker with Southern Ballet. I'd been to see my older sister's ballet show and after it finished I snuck up onstage and started dancing by myself. I got caught, and so they put me in one of their shows.

What does your crystal ball tell you about the future of the Christchurch comedy scene? So many of the best comedians come from Christchurch! Justine Smith, Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery, Jarred Christmas, Rhys Darby, Brynley Stent, Ray Shipley, Emma Cusdin – I just think it will never stop pouring out the talent. Something in the water down in Christchurch!

Which comedians are making you laugh at the moment? I just mentioned them but Ray Shipley is absolutely terrific – a true breath of fresh air! Check out Ray as soon as you can! I've just seen Catherine Cohen in Edinburgh and her show is magic – you can check out her set on Late Night with Seth Meyers on YouTube for a taster.

Funniest moment on stage? One time me, Hamish Parkinson and Alice Canton performed on New Year’s Day for a nudist colony in Rolleston – the gig was amazing! They say it helps to imagine the audience naked, but all of them were and they were more confident than us. We did get made fun of for staying clothed though.

What are you working on at the moment? Right now I'm finishing up my season in Edinburgh for the Festival Fringe, performing my solo stand-up show and my improv show Snort every night. Soon I'll be heading back to NZ to work on Have You Been Paying Attention? and later in the year I'll be down in Christchurch doing some shows at Little Andromeda – see you there!

elimatthewson.com