Interview: Butetown’s Leroy Brito talks new show Halftime and the humour in midlife

Nation Cymru staff

Following success on Netflix runaway hit Baby Reindeer and acclaimed tour support slots for Rhod Gilbert and Mo Gilligan, Leroy Brito is set to stage biggest and most ambitious show to date this year, with his stand-up show heading to Wales this December.

Halftime is Cardiff native Leroy’s hilarious new hour of stand-up about turning 45, accepting that you’re officially middle-aged, and stepping into your DILF era.

Leroy Brito brings his new stand-up show Halftime to Wales Millennium Centre on 6 December 2026, where he takes a deep dive into life after turning 45 and accepting that you’re officially middle-aged.

Leroy discussed the show recently, covering his acceptance of being in his mid 40s, and his pivotal relationship with Wales Millennium Centre.

Your new show is called Halftime. Why did turning 45 feel like the right moment to create this show?

Turning 45 and almost 16 years of doing stand-up just felt like the perfect point to stop and have a look around. I’m old enough now to have lived a bit, made some mistakes, had some wins, had a lot of losses, and hopefully learnt a few things along the way.

I’m seeing 45 not as a midlife crisis, it’s more of a midlife check-in. The show’s about looking back at the first half of my life and asking, “What do I want the second half to look like?”

Reaching 45 is often a milestone that encourages people to reflect on where they’ve been and where they’re heading. Has writing Halftime changed the way you look at your life or your career?

Definitely. It’s reminded me how lucky I am. Writing this show made me realise just how far I’ve come on this journey. I’ve got an amazing family; I get paid to travel the world to tell jokes and I’m about to perform my biggest show a stone’s thrown from where I grew up. This show has given me the opportunity to stop and appreciate the journey.

You’ve described Halftime as your biggest and most ambitious show yet. What can audiences expect when they come along in December?

Lots of laughs, first and foremost. I never want people to feel like they’re coming to a lecture! It’s a stand-up show about getting older, family, marriage, trying to stay relevant and chasing dreams when sometimes you feel like the only person in the world who can see them.

You’re a Cardiff Bay boy through and through. What are some of your happiest memories of growing up here, and what does this part of the city still mean to you today?

Tiger Bay! Tiger Bay will always be home to me. Growing up in Butetown, there was such a strong sense of community. Everybody knew everybody. It was diverse, full of characters and full of stories. Those stories have shaped who I am as a comedian. No matter where I’ve performed around the world, I’m always representing Tiger Bay and Cardiff.

Wales Millennium Centre has been part of your journey for many years. You wrote your very first joke in the Caffi there, performed in some of the Centre’s smaller spaces, and now you’ll be headlining the Donald Gordon Theatre. Does it feel like you’ve come full circle?

It really does. I can still picture myself sitting in the Caffi with a notebook, looking at a blank page and having no idea how this would play out. I’ve been lucky enough to perform in some of the Centre’s smaller spaces, and every show felt like a step up in my career and now to be standing in the Donald Gordon Theatre with my own show… it’s pretty special. It feels like coming home.

Can you remember writing that very first joke in the Caffi? What was it about, and did you ever imagine that one day you’d be returning to perform your own headline show on the Centre’s biggest stage?

I honestly can’t remember what the joke was, but I know that it wasn’t any good! I sat in the Foyer in the December and booked my first ever gig in Chapter Arts for the February.

I had 5 minutes to do and that honestly felt like a lifetime, I had no idea how I’d fill 5 minutes with jokes. My goal then was to just get on stage, I never imagined I’d one day be headlining the Donald Gordon Theatre. I was just hoping somebody might laugh at my first gig.

When you walk out onto the Donald Gordon Theatre stage this December, what do you think will be going through your mind?

I’ll probably just take a second to look around and soak it all in. There will definitely be a few nerves, but I’ll take a moment to just appreciate the moment without getting too emotional as people have paid to have a good time and not watch me sob on stage.

You’ve supported some of the UK’s biggest comedy names, including Rhod Gilbert, Mo Gilligan and Richard Blackwood. What have you learnt from sharing the stage with comedians of that calibre?

The biggest lesson is that they’re all completely themselves and they are dedicated to the craft. Some of my favourite memories in my comedy journey has been sitting in green rooms with people like Rhod, Mo and other comics and just talking about the craft of comedy. It’s inspiring to see acts who have reached the summit of the game but keep turning up to get better.

You also appeared in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. How did that opportunity come about, and what was it like being part of such a widely acclaimed series?

Baby Reindeer was a lovely surprise. I was actually on holiday when I auditioned for it. I had just got the news that I didn’t get booked for a big TV stand up show and was feeling sorry for myself.

My agent at the time sent me over the casting and I just went through the motions but luckily my wife and daughter were watching and gave me a kick up the backside, making me redo the self-tape with more energy and more me. We filmed in London and as it happened, I had to walk past the venue where they were filming the TV show which I didn’t get.

I shot my scenes in one day and everybody was lovely, including Richard who was still writing the script between takes. If I’m honest, I kind of forgot about it then, as it didn’t come out until another 18 months. Once it hit Netflix though, the rest is history.

Every comedian has a different route into stand-up. Looking back, were there moments when you questioned whether you’d ever make it, and what kept you going?

Loads of times. Comedy is full of highs and lows. One week you’re flying, the next you’re sinking. What has kept me going has always been the belief in myself and the love of performing. In all ascents of life, it’s never going to be plain sailing every day, so you have to take the losses with humility, grace and a little bit of humour. It’s hard though.

Comedy often comes from life’s awkward, difficult or unexpected moments. How much of Halftime is drawn from your own experiences?

Almost all of it. I always say I’m not clever enough to make this stuff up. It’s inspired by family life, getting older, marriage, raising kids and all those little moments we don’t think anyone else notices until you say them out loud. That’s usually where the biggest laughs are.

Your comedy is incredibly warm and relatable. What do you hope audiences take away from the show, beyond a good laugh?

I hope people leave feeling a little lighter. Life can get busy and serious, and sometimes it’s nice just to spend a couple of hours laughing with a room full of strangers. If people walk out smiling, chatting and forgetting about their worries for a bit, then I’ve done my job.

What does it mean to be able to perform your biggest show yet in your home city, surrounded by people who have followed your journey over the years?

It means everything. Cardiff has supported me from the very beginning. There’ll be people in that audience who saw me in tiny comedy clubs, people who’ve watched me grow as a comedian and as a person. To share this moment with them in my home city makes it even more special.

If you could go back and speak to the younger Leroy sitting in the Caffi, writing his first joke, what would you tell him?

I’d tell him to relax and enjoy the ride. Keep writing, keep gigging, keep learning and trust that all those little steps will eventually add up to something much bigger than you can imagine.

Finally, if Halftime represents the interval, what do you hope the second half of your life and career looks like?

More of everything, really. More great shows, more opportunities and hopefully reaching even bigger audiences. But most importantly, I want to keep enjoying it. If the first half was about proving to myself that I could do this, I hope the second half is about making the most of it.

Leroy Brito, Halftime takes place at Wales Millennium Centre on 6 December. More information and tickets here.

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