LIFE is getting harder for Blackburn comedian Lewis Costello — but he couldn’t be happier about it.

Lewis first got up on stage as a 15-year-old schoolboy for a five minute slot at the Blackburn with Darwen Comedy Festival in 2008.

Now, with his 19th birthday looming and an impressive comedy CV behind him, he’s glad audiences regard him as a serious comedian rather than some sort of precocious novelty act.

“I can’t hide behind my age any more,” said Lewis.

“That means there’s more pressure when I go on stage but I don’t want it any other way.”

Lewis is to headline his own show at the Thwaites Empire Theatre at Ewood on Wednesday, which he sees as one of the biggest shows of his career to date.

“I have a lot of new material which I’ll be trying out,” he said.

“At the start of the year I like to get rid of all the old stuff and start again, but for this show, as it’s in my home town and it’s not just a brief slot, I will have some tried and tested favourites in reserve.”

To warm up for next week’s show Lewis will be in Amsterdam, performing at one of two English-speaking comedy clubs in the city.

“We’re hopefully going to record the show for a CD which we can then sell at future gigs,” said Lewis.

Having left St Mary’s College, Blackburn, last summer, Lewis, from Brownhill, is now working on his comedy full-time.

“I really enjoy writing,” he said.

“I’m a bit of an insomniac so I’ll be scribbling away at four in the morning.

"I tend to get lots of ideas down and then sort through them, discarding some and refining others, and in the end I come up with something I’m happy with.”

For someone just starting out in comedy, Lewis’s CV makes for impressive reading. He’s supported the likes of Ed Byrne and American Doug Stanhope, written for Russell Howard’s BBC3 TV show and performed shows in America, at the Edinburgh Festival and at some of the leading comedy clubs in the North West with the likes of Johnny Vegas.

“It’s taken me quite a while to realise there is a definite craft to being a comedian,” he said. “It doesn’t work just to be a funny person. You have to learn the ropes.

“Johnny Vegas has been great giving me advice and critiquing my shows at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester. You couldn’t buy that kind of help.

"I’ve got to admit that some of my early shows were pretty poor but I hope that people will see that I’m getting better all the time. Comedy is what I want to do and I’m just trying to develop a persona and find my way.”

*Lewis Costello, Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn, Wednesday, January 18. Details from the box office on 01254 685500.