Comedians

iPlayer Preview: Funny Valentines

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If you watched the BBC iPlayer shorts from June 2014, you’ll have seen for yourself how these miniature comedy installations really do open up a new style of viewing. Last year’s six hilarious bitesize programmes allowed us to sample a whole range of funny creations from the likes of Matt Berry, Reece Shearsmith, Micky Flanagan and Meera Syal, and it’s no surprise that the news of a brand new set this month was more than welcome.

Rom Com is the increasingly popular Romesh Ranganathan’s Valentine’s-related short, starring Aisling Bea. Together they make up the world’s seemingly most awkward first date ever. The episode follows Romesh as he is rigorously prepared for his evening with this quite mysterious young woman by his very own verbally abusive relationship guru, who also happens to be a figment of his own imagination. Rom Com is a dark and oppressive comedy, and is made bitterly funny thanks to both of its stars.

Katy Wix’s Dear Jean Pierre is a silly story of a quaint French romance, as it reaches its emotional final moments. In this remarkable tale, Wix relives the moments where the relationship began to decline, and brings her wonderfully childish humour along for the ride. With her trademark hopeful and innocent nature, and a knack for surprising us with various twists and turns along the way, Dear Jean Pierre is a complete comedy delight.

© BBC/Baby Cow/Guy Levy

Matt Berry’s Wild Love is certainly wild, shockingly funny and crude. In the sequel to last year’s Lone Wolf, Berry narrates the mating antics of various creatures ranging from golden frogs to “colonial hopping dogs”. This undiscovered world is absolutely crazy, and even our beloved narrator himself seems to get carried away by the absurdity of it all, which makes for hilarious listening. Writer, Bob Mortimer, and Berry have come together yet again, to create something fantastic, and it’s not too difficult to visualise this becoming a series one day. Watch out David Attenborough!

Bill Bailey brings his brilliant song-writing skills to present a parody of the romantic-rock music industry by remaking one of his own songs, Love Song. It is bleak, harshly funny and typical of Bailey’s hilarious comedy. It also really made me want to watch his ’96 live show Cosmic Jam again as this man’s material is absolutely timeless. Music Lovers is Sara Pascoe’s surreal comedy short about a Norwegian band, Monozygotic, who are promoting their new album, but it turns out there is much more going on behind the scenes that are revealed throughout. I loved this because it’s completely different from anything I’ve seen Sara do before (and because I got to hear Elis James’ Norwegian accent.

© BBC/Happy Tramp/Guy Levy

Elephant, starring Nick Helm and Esther Smith, is the sweetest little comedy I’ve seen in a long time. It follows a very clumsy yet likeable pair of young almost-lovebirds as they embark on the world’s cheapest almost-date ever. The visuals of this one are absolutely beautiful, with bright natural lighting and smiles all round and the over all effect is a slow-burning, lovely episode that really warms the heart. The Lady and the Fly from Modern Toss is very different from the rest of the episodes due to its animated format. A fly has fallen in love with a human woman and her apparent rejection has made him feel like ending it all and becoming a “self-netter” by flinging himself into a spider’s web, ready to be eaten. Modern Toss have created something that is cleverer than most observational comedy, as the ideas are implied through the fly’s narrative, rather than in explicit statements.

These iPlayer shorts are such a great new development in online viewing and I look forward to a third batch at some point in the future.

Watch all of the fantastic comedy shorts on BBC iPlayer

TV Review: Crims

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Crims is a sitcom about Welsh nice guy Luke, played by stand up Elis James, who is unfairly sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution as a result of his moronic friend (the brother of Luke’s girlfriend), Jason (Kadiff Kirwan) getting him involved in a failed bank robbery. These two unlikely friends are now forced to spend all of their time together, as a result of sharing a cell, and simultaneously try to keep their heads down as well as ending up on the frontline of all manners of trouble.

Luke, or “Lulu”, as Jason calls him, is your typical antihero. He is meek and frustratingly stubborn, but an increasingly likeable character nonetheless. Jason, on the other hand, is an endearing idiot, who we can forgive for all his wrongs because he is oblivious, and very funny as a result. It’s fair to say that Luke and Jason are unlikely protagonists, their personalities are polar opposites and they bicker like an old married couple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvmhlkvETPM

A hilarious backstory between prison officers Dawn (Cariad Lloyd) and Creg (Ricky Champ) provides a refreshing side-narrative that develops with each episode. Creg’s incessant stalking of Dawn also adds a sinister element to Crims, and, mark my love of shows like The Mighty Boosh, Snuff Box and The League of Gentlemen, you can see why I’m a fan.

The writing from Adam Kay and Dan Swimer is excellent; the characters come together effortlessly and there is no room for boredom in a jam-packed 30 minute episode. Crims has a brilliant cast, including Theo Barklem-Biggs as Twilight-obsessed thug, Marcel, Ed Kear as ‘Black Elton John’, Selom Awadzi as Daz, and Jamal Hadjkura as the prison-snitch, Isaac. And appearances from the likes of the fantastic Tracy Ann-Oberman and Sylvester Mccoy make a great addition to the cast too.

This brand new sitcom has proven itself to be highly original, witty and accessible, and I hope there are more series to come.

CATCH SERIES ONE OF CRIMS ON BBC IPLAYER

Seven Questions With… Kim Noble

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Kim Noble has played a part in many brilliant sitcoms over the years, including playing Doctor Jim in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace; you may even recognise him as the bipolar flag from series one of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. With stand up shows that blend humour, filmography and themes that are too often regarded as “taboo”, Noble makes it his art to divide the public and spark controversy, which is exactly what comedy needs in order to thrive. His material is often incredibly dark and wicked, his delivery fluctuating from lethargic, to frantic, to furious; Kim Noble is a comedian who goes beyond the realms of our constructed normality, and does so with pleasure.
In order to find out a little more about him, I asked Kim these seven questions…

1) If you could smash anything with a hammer, what would it be?

A goat. Straight betwixt the eyes. You know. In that sweet spot. Man! And when you land it just right there’s nothing better.

2) What book should everyone read?

My book. 

Buy it here on Amazon:

(I haven’t provided the link because I haven’t actually written a book… well I did but the publisher basically said it was shit… he didn’t like my obsession with goat massacres) but if you want a book, you can pop round and take one from my shelf.

3) Something that you wish you had invented?

The wheel. I mean it’s just a really good bit of design and useful to boot. that or the Henry Hoover. Like the wheel: useful and good design.

Kim Noble

4) What is the hardest aspect of your profession?

People think it’s just sex sex sex sex. Constant sex. On tap. 24/7. Sex. Morning noon and night. Sex. Constant fucking. Hardcore filthy sex. Non stop sex. But it isn’t like that at all! Trust me. It’s the opposite.

5) Who is your favourite person from history?

Anyone with a nice smile.

6) Who is your favourite comedian to work with?

Mostly they are wankers so I don’t.

Fielding: idiot, Kearns: nonce, Munnery: nonce, Christie: (don’t know), Key: nonce, Meeton: paedo, Simmons: dick head, Tate: fucken bitch.

Etc etc etc.

7) Why did you do it? (make of this question what you will)

Do you want to go for a drink?

Follow Kim Noble on Twitter and check out his hilarious Youtube channel

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR KIM NOBLE: YOU’RE NOT ALONE AT THE SOHO THEATRE 3RD FEB-7TH MARCH

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

January: Comedian Of The Month #12, Maeve Higgins

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Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

My first Comedian of the Month for the new year is the fantastically funny Irish star of The Alternative Comedy Experience, Maeve Higgins.

Opening with lines like: “I don’t know if you know my parents. Do you know my parents?” Maeve quickly sets the scene for her strange style of conversational comedy. She is one of the most likeable stand up comedians I think I’ve ever known, but she’s no pushover. I have no regrets in saying that this lady is absolutely adorable and very endearing; her material is silly and childlike, often being almost whimsical.

She likes to play with and manipulate the comfort levels of her audiences, often acting as though she’s just a sweet little lady who wants to try a bit of comedy, but by acting so out of her depth, it just shows us that she really isn’t. Her material can often warrant awkward pauses, but she is quick to assure her audiences that she is, in fact, in total control- the awkwardness is a part of the whole package. And in creating this false sense of fear or anxiety, she earns all the more laughter as a relief from the stress once viewers realise that everything is fine.

Presenting her home country of Ireland as some kind of mystical foreign land, Higgins effortlessly slips into an almost surreal form of comedy, with tagged-on lines like: “I can do both of those things at the same time. Simultaneously as they say in my country,” and references things like ‘marmalade season’. And while she performs, she appears to be almost ageless; her delivery can border on deadpan, but she’s also energetic and youthful in equal measure.

Maeve Higgins is a very exciting comedian, and I look forward to seeing what she creates in the future.

Follow Maeve on Twitter and for further information, visit her website.

DECEMBER COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH

Book Review: Sane New World

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Sane New WorldI have an immense amount of respect for Ruby Wax, not just as a comedian, and not just because she has worked so hard throughout her life to help end the stigma on mental illness, but because she also actually does something to help those affected. Sane New World acts as an introduction to the phenomenon that is Mindfulness; it provides exercises to try as well as evidence of their effectiveness.

With clear influences of Mark Williams (a professor of psychology who wrote the most important book I’ve ever read), Wax makes it her goal to teach her readership a little more about something too few of us truly understand: our own brains, and for those who are not regular mindfulness practicers, Sane New World has the potential to be an absolute life-changer.

It is not an autobiography or memoir, nor is it a self-help book. Sane New World is a little bit of everything, a ‘manual’, and a piece of comedy in itself. Wax has brought her sharp tongue and uncompromising sense of humour to a topic that many of us don’t enjoy discussing, but she writes sensitively, with frequent references to her own experiences with depression.

“The organ that allows you to realise the world understands so little about itself”

This book teaches us that we’re all mad: our brains are still doing things that were required to keep us alive when we were cave dwellers, such as the way our focus is not wired to stay ‘in the present’ for too long because tens of thousands of years ago we needed to be able to recall past experiences and anticipate future ones to avoid getting killed. In the modern world, however, this means that we are constantly floundering as our brains are simply not wired to pay too much attention to what’s happening right now at any given time, and the problem arises from the fact that we are no longer being hunted in such a way that requires us to think ahead instead of thinking about the now.

But Ruby hasn’t aimed to make us feel bad about the fact we have such little control over own brains, but rather the opposite: Sane New World is a book that brings a positivity, a hope that we can change the way our brains work for the better. Empathetic, kind and comforting, this fantastic comic has entertained and educated us in this all-inclusive novel, which is laugh-out-loud-funny in places.

It teaches that our brains have plasticity and can change. Our brains and our minds are not the same thing. Our thoughts are not ‘us’, they are a by-product of ‘us’. All the answers are there, we just need to acknowledge them. In the year or so that I have been learning Mindfulness, my life has completely transformed and I genuinely feel like a different person.

Photo- Clara Molden

Eg. “Researchers from Stanford University have found that mindfulness can help with social anxiety by reducing reactivity in the amygdala, an area of the brain that is typically overactive in those with anxiety problems.”

“Researchers from Toronto and Exeter in the UK recently found that learning mindfulness, while tapering off anti-depressants, was as effective as remaining on medication.”

This isn’t just a book for those studying psychology, those interested in help for sufferers of mental health issues, or seeking therapy for themselves. It is, in fact, a book for everyone: school students, people in work, people out of work, old or young. I want to assist Ruby in spreading the word about this simple technique. This is a book that I have been excited to tell all my friends about, and plan on lending it to as many that will listen to my recommendations.

“I hope if nothing else we move to a world where it’s not survival of the fittest, but survival of the wisest.”

PURCHASE RUBY WAX’S ‘SANE NEW WORLD’ HERE, AND ‘MINDFULNESS’ BY MARK WILLIAMS AND DANNY PENMAN HERE.

Seven Questions With… Elf Lyons

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Elf Lyons is vibrant and uncompromising; a woman of the people with a warm, friendly charm. This lady was clearly born to perform, and not just in a public speaking sense, but in an extravagant and physical style of comedy that few seem to be creating these days. Elf, who’s comedy is often compared to that of Noel Fielding, hits London in early February with her new show, Being Barbarella. If you need energising, or just want some new talent to watch, check out this refreshingly real and exhilarating performer.
I asked Elf these seven questions to learn a little more about her…

1) What is the first thing you think of every morning?

More often than not my thought process in the morning tends to go like this: First, “Why is the woman upstairs vacuuming at 6am?”, secondly; “I’m never drinking three bottles of Prosecco again,”  then, “How did I get home?”, then, “Please God let there be coffee in the kitchen”, then, “I should probably go to the gym and think about what I’ve done with my life”, then finally ‘NO. Bad idea. I’ll just eat a croissant in bed and write a new bit of material instead. WISE”, followed by “WHY IS SHE STILL VACUUMING??”

However, if I am being a normal adult woman (which is what I am 99% of the time because I am very mature) I tend to wake up every day around 7.30am, turn to my left, look at the ‘To-Do List’ I write religiously the night before (just before I go to sleep usually- this is one of the great superpowers OCD gives you: ‘uber organisation’) and follow/complete the to-does I’ve set myself. It always starts with the first point: ‘WAKE UP’ and then ‘GET COFFEE’. If I can get all the admin-rubbish done as early as possible in the day, it gives me more time to be creative and make work for the rest of the day. And go to the cinema.

Photo: Pippa Moyle

Photo: Pippa Moyle

2) What was your favourite subject at school?

Art. I used to draw all my teachers in class, used to make up characters in my head and I was obsessed with Pastels and making a mess. Also, you were allowed to listen to the RADIO in class! #winning. I am so at peace when I am drawing – I used to sketch lots of comics live when I first started and am proud to say I have a lovely lil drawing of James Acaster from 2010 in my journal at home!

When I was life-drawing I used to listen to comedy podcasts on my iPod. However, my teacher had to ask me to stop listening to them when I was drawing. When I asked why, he explained that I kept on laughing randomly during the sessions and it was making Miles, our life model, very nervous. He thought I was laughing manically at him and his flaccid member, however, I had to explain I wasn’t laughing as his naked body but was in was in fact giggling at the comedy of The Mighty Boosh. Easy misunderstanding.

When I left Uni I ended up getting a job as a life-model. Most of my parent’s friends didn’t know what that was, so I just told them I was a ‘lazy stripper’. My parents were thrilled.

3) Something that you’re afraid of?

Seals. I am terrified of seals. They are the underwater equivalent of Samara from The Ring and look like the type of animal Hades would keep as a pet in the Underworld. Big fat blubbery demetor mammals with eyes like black snooker balls. THERE IS NOTHING CUTE ABOUT THOSE EYES. THOSE ARE THE EYES OF A PSYCOPATH. I have no problem with seals being eaten by sharks. I tried to explain this to a man I met on the tube once. He moved seats.

4) What is the worst month of the year?

I’m gonna be blunt and say that March is pretty pointless. I personally think we have too many months with 31 days anyway and I’d argue that March could possibly just get cut and we could double up and have a 61 day June – as June is the absolute best. Although we have international ‘Save a Spider Day’ on March 14th, I’d go so far to say this is the only redeeming feature of March. March is named after Mars who was the Roman God of War, and next to seals, I absolutely hate war and I don’t think we should have a month that encourages it. Also if you were born in March, chances are you are either an Aries or Pisces and as a Gemini (again, June is the best) I have never had a successful Tinder date with either.

5) Who is your comedy hero?

My dad. He’s always saying very funny, dry jokes. For example, when I ask him, “Hey dad! Do you love me?”, he always replies with the phrase, “What are the choices?”. Never gets old. Never.

He was born in March.

Other than that, my comedy heroes have always been Dave Allen, Emo Phillips, Noel Fielding and French & Saunders.

6) What’s your opinion on celebrity culture?

I can’t wait to be a part of it. If it helps one get a ‘Black Nandos’ card to eat free in my favourite chicken establishment or be able to get 35687,0000000 likes on Instagram for a picture of my puppy, Khaleesi, I am all for it.  Also, by ‘celebrity culture’ I assume you also mean the other western translation meaning ‘Kim Kardashian’s bottom?”. That is a very important part of celebrity culture, and I’d argue to some extent a global issue. Any woman that can happily risk balancing a bottle of expensive champagne (or Prosecco, she may be on a budget) on her oiled posterior all for the sake of breaking the internet (very important issue right now) gets a high five from me. Mainly because if there is one thing I think that is lacking at the moment, it is highly suggestive and sexualised imagery of powerful women doing impractical things with kitchen appliances and home goods! AM I RIGHT LADIES???

7) What would you like people to take away from your comedy?

A chair. Chairs at comedy gigs are often very comfortable and if you enjoyed the gig i think it’s wise to take* the chair you laughed in home with you, so you can sit in and go “ah, this is my fun chair”.

A memory. The type of memory that one can sit and think about fondly in one’s fun chair and go “Ah… that was a fun gig.”

A picture of my face. Like a religious memento, that one can look upon and cry fondly over.

*some would say ‘steal’.

BUY TICKETS FOR NEXT WEEK’S LONDON RUN OF ELF LYONS: BEING BARBARELLA

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Seven Questions With… Lloyd Griffith

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Today I present to you a man of many surprises: a choir boy, a fire engine fanatic; a man who can do a brilliant impression of sellotape. Lloyd Griffith is a very funny guy with a very unique take on the concept of stand up comedy who manages to incorporate detailed autobiographical anecdotes and spot on observations as well musical interludes. Here we have a comedian who will soon be appearing on every television show under the sun, if his latest Sweat The Small Stuff and BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Comedy Club are anything to go by.
I asked him these seven questions to find out more…

1) What’s the best thing about modern day technology?

Pretending that we’re doing interviews face to face. Nobody will know if this interview is face to face or not. Sure, you could have a photo of you and I together but that can be done by photoshop. The whole world is fake because of modern technology. Why are you looking at me like that? It’s the truth Becca.

Meeting Lloyd Griffith, January 2015

Meeting Lloyd Griffith, January 2015

2) What’s your favourite film of all time?

Very good question.

3) Which five comedians would be on your perfect line up?

Alive: Lee Mack, Sean Lock, Terry Alderton, Daniel Kitson, Me.

Dead: Lee Mack, Sean Lock, Terry Alderton, Daniel Kitson, Me.

4) Best/worst nightmare you’ve ever had?

The other night I had a dream that I had a flip phone like people had in 2004. People were shouting at me in the street as though I was a child murderer because I had a flip phone. Whenever I went into a phone shop to try and get an upgrade they had security remove me from the shop. It was awful. I woke up in tears. 

5) Which is your favourite British city?

Tough one this Becca. Very good question. My rating of cities is based on Cathedrals and Football stadia. If it’s a draw, I’ll use fire stations as the deciding factor. You see, Durham has a very nice cathedral (my 5th fave), yet has no proper football stadium. On the flip side (not flip phone, lol) Brighton has a very nice football stadium but no Cathedral. Now, Liverpool has two very good football stadiums and two VERY interesting Cathedrals, but, I have to say that Exeter is my favourite city after London and Grimsby. 

6) Does the lifestyle of a working comedian suit you?

Oh totes babez. I spend the day at home in my Grimsby Town shorts eating soup (homemade pea and ham at the moment, got myself an hand blender in the January sales didn’t I?!) and writing jokes. Occasionally people like you come round to do an interview and I make an effort and wear a suit like I’m wearing now, but overall that’s what I do. Then I’ll jump in my Seat Ibiza 1.9 tdi (s) and go tell jokes to people in the evening. I sometimes take a soup with me. Genuinely, I love making people laugh and so when I do that (usually 44% success rate) I’m having a good time. 

7) Are you a rule breaker?

Nah mate. Pretty straight down the line LIKE A RULE. Haha. Please come to my show.

For more information live shows and television appearances, visit Lloyd’s website, or follow him on Twitter at @LloydGriffith.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Review: Bramall Comedy Night, Ivo Graham, Holly Walsh & Nathan Caton

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Last Thursday I visited Bramall Hall at the University of Birmingham for the third instalment of their fantastic comedy night. It was great to see a very busy venue this time, as opposed to the relatively small numbers I had seen in previous months, perhaps due to the fact the names on the bill seem to get bigger each month.

Ivo Graham was the night’s compere and showed an impressive ability to build a set around the answers of the few people he questioned, whilst remaining open to the audience as a whole. Only a small portion of what was said was obviously material and Graham seemed to derive most of his laughs from impulsive remarks as his energy bounced of the audience. With a love for Mario Kart, Ivo Graham is a wonderfully endearing loser (like the majority of us deep down) and was able to laugh at himself without it seeming constructed or forced.

First up was Holly Walsh, who I’ve watched for years on numerous television shows, particularly panel shows like Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Mock The Week, but more recently on Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled. Holly brings a lovely enthusiasm to a room and has such a delightfully positive vibe about her, and as she pointed out, she sounds ridiculously sweet when she swears, so it doesn’t have the desired effect. Introducing herself as “Holly. Or if my parents are telling me off, Holiver,” it was great to finally see this funny woman in person.

Nathan Caton

Nathan Caton

Nathan Caton was a name and face that I knew, but I hadn’t seen that much of his stand up as I’d only ever seen him on shows like Mock The Week and Good News. Caton’s personality on stage is brilliant; he is cool and relaxed, with material spanning family, politics and race, amongst others. His impressions of his grandmother got the audience laughing the most, and were my favourite part of the night, as well as his newfound fear of white women in dark alleyways.

This comedy night just keeps getting better and better, and I truly can’t wait for next month (check the line up to see why).

BRAMALL COMEDY NIGHT: DECEMBER 2014

TV Review: Not Going Out: The End

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Not Going Out came to its conclusion in December, and has been consistent and homely viewing, with frequent laughs at the characters’ expense. It is silly, frustratingly painful watching (the protagonists get it so wrong every single time) and very rude.

The characters are all familiar by now; we know when Lee is going to do something stupid, or when Frank is going to arrive out of nowhere, or when Daisy is going to say something entirely moronic, and that is all part of the charm. Lee’s dysfunctional family and friends become our own family and friends and it feels like they have truly earned a place in our homes after all these years.

Mack’s vast quantity of gags and puns continue to fill the space that Tim Vine left behind back in 2012, but that doesn’t mean Vine isn’t missed. A new addition to the programme, however, has been that of Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered) who plays Lee and Lucy’s new neighbour, Toby. The introduction of Toby in series 7 has allowed the character dynamics to be balanced with his level-headed presence, in predictable and typical Dennis-style.

A highlight of this series had to be episode five, Pointless (see above link), which featured appearances from both Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, who stepped up to the job with apparent ease.

I won’t spoil the ending of the series, but I will say that it ended in typical Not Going Out style (though with the addition of something all concluding sitcoms seem to be doing these days: showing cringeworthy flashbacks of the famous moments from past episodes within the final scenes of the last show). All the memorable characters from the past eight years came together, including Tim Vine which was a delight.

I will always enjoy watching reruns of Not Going Out, but I have to say I felt it reached its natural conclusion here and I am glad it wasn’t stretched any further. Lee Mack’s brilliant comic writing has provided us with years of quality family entertainment and I look forward to seeing what he goes on to write in the future.

Seven Questions With… Lou Sanders

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Lou Sanders is a wonderfully upbeat comedian with a fantastic energy that seems to win over any audience. She has mastered the art of saying the most horrendous things but using her charming personality to carry her through to safety every single time, with her innocent delivery and sweet smile. Sanders is definitely one to watch, having appeared on Russell Howard’s Good News Extra as well as being a writer on Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week.
I asked Lou these seven questions to learn a little more about her…

1) Have you ever heard a really strange rumour about yourself?

 I don’t think so. Oh no, hang on – the other day I bumped in to another comic, John Luke Roberts and he said; ‘Oh I was just talking about you with someone.’

‘Let me guess you were saying my comedy is on fire at the moment? ‘

‘Oh no, they said you were really in to Tantra.’

‘Oh right.’

Now, I’ve got nothing against Tantra, I bet its great but I’ve never studied it. Also, I’m single so ‘Tantra for one’ seems like a bit of a waste of time. I mean, I’ve got admin to do and Tantra is not a friend of time management, it’s simply not efficient.

2) What is the best song in the charts right now, and why?

Right – I’ve just had to search engine the charts.

Hang on, seems Ben Howard’s still hanging around the charts so him. It’s hard to say why you like certain music, I don’t really care for maudlin, sad music. I love rock and folk rock and a bit of depth but not really sad songs. Puts me in a downer. I love Babyshambles’ new album (well at least half of it which is good odds with an album) and I saw The Libertines recently and they were brilliant (just before Pete went to rehab but he held it together – though Carl did lead the show). I’m stuck in the music from about 7 or 8 years ago maybe when I used to go to gigs all the time.

lou sanders

3) What one word describes your life, and why?

Rosy. Because I sprayed rose perfume on earlier and it accidentally went all in my face. So my life / face is pretty rosy plus I have a rose candle lit at the moment. I mean COULD LIFE GET ANY ROSIER? Probably yes.

4) How many friends is too many friends?

26.5 (I measured it).

5) Why is comedy the right job for you?

I’m not sure it is. I’d like to do something a bit more helpful to the world maybe. I kind of want to nail comedy first though.

6) Something that makes you feel old?

Both the question and my answer to Question 2.

That and crowded areas – I’m not into it and the older I get the more I get a boner for nature. But I still feel quite young. The other day I was up dancing till 10pm for example.

7) Which stand up comedians should we look out for?

Annie McGrath is so great, she’s in a brilliant double act called Twins, but has started doing stand up as herself too which is excellent. And Lolly Adefope is smashing – she does character stuff. Patrick Turpin turns out some great shows and jokes. And I saw a set by Peter Brush the other week and his writing was brilliant. I’m sure I’ve missed loads of them out but these are just great ones I’ve seen recently.

Lou Sanders will be releasing a DVD on Go Faster Stripe in early 2015. For more information about this, and any of Lou’s other projects, visit her website, or follow her Twitter at @LouSanders.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…