What's this all about then?

I guess I should tell you a bit about myself. I'm a stand-up comedian, one of a handful of women actually making a living from telling jokes. I'm not sure why there are so few of us, I knows tons of funny women! Plenty of gals start doing comedy, few seem to carry on tho.

There was something in the papers last week about how men find funny women a turn-off, so maybe that's why so many of them give up. I have to say I've never found that being a joke-teller affects my love-life, that's the least of my worries! I guess the lifestyle is a pretty solitary one, lots of travelling, working when everyone else is playing, stuff like that.

When I first started 12 and a half years ago, there were a few girls who'd whinge about how hard it was for women in comedy, I have to say I've never found that. In the early days I got far more breaks than the straight, white male stand-ups who were my peers. Being a minority helps sometimes!

I love what I do. I love standing on a stage, in front of a room full of people and seeing them throw their heads back laughing. It's an incredible buzz believe me!

Before I did this I'd had tons of jobs in the music business, tv, and newspapers, not to mention things like being a bingo caller at Butlins and working in a fish and chip shop. Oh yeah I know glamour! I've met all kinds of people from all over the world but the nicest bunch of people I've ever met have been my fellow comedians. There's less bitching and backstabbing on the circuit than in any other industry I've ever worked in. My theory is that we are all so self-obsessed that we have little time spare to slag off our compatriots!