Andi Osho started performing on the stand-up circuit in 2007 and reached the finals of five major new talent competitions in her first year. Recently, you might have seen her on Channel 4's new topical show Stand Up For The Week. Emma McAlpine talks to the up-and-coming comic.
What’s Afroblighty about?
It’s based on growing up in a different culture in the UK and trying to make sense of both British and Nigerian cultures as a kid. It’s contextualising the stuff I’ve been doing on the stand-up circuit along with some new material as well.
You got into comedy fairly recently. What did you do beforehand?
My previous career was in post-production and then I went to drama school and started acting. Around the same time I went into stand-up but stand-up then took over. It was quite a contrast because all the acting jobs I got were quite serious, I was usually telling someone their daughter had died!
Are you happiest doing stand-up?
Yeah, I’m happier now because I’m doing what I love and performing on stage and I think it’s more in tune with my personality to be doing stand-up rather than straight drama.
You won the Funny Women competition after only four gigs – is that right?
Yeah, it happened very early on in my comedy career, I was amazed. Everyone has a different approach and I thought I’d enter as many competitions as possible in the first year. Then I won Funny Women straight away and went up to Edinburgh to do the So You Think You’re Funny? competition.
That was tough actually because I’d only been going four or five months before Edinburgh and there was a lot of expectation on me to be good, having won Funny Women. I was still very new and found it really challenging.
You’ve recently been in Stand up for The Week with Jack Whitehall, Rich Hall and Kevin Bridges. Was that a lot of fun?
It was a bit stressful at first but once we got into the swing of it, it was great fun and they were really nice guys to work with as well.
What are your plans after your tour's finished?
I want to write a one-woman play. I’m also writing a BBC comedy pilot which I’ve had commissioned. I had to step away from it while I did Stand Up for the Week so I’ll be working on that as well.
Andi Osho: Afroblighty is at the Soho Theatre from 14th-16th October
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