Previously described as a 'primary school teacher with the mouth of a biker', one of the sweetest-looking blue comics in the business chats to Emma McAlpine.
They say laughter is the best medicine and no one must have felt that more keenly than Sarah Millican, who turned to stand-up comedy after a painful divorce. Drawing on her experiences for material in her 2008 debut solo show Sarah Millican's Not Nice, she produced an Edinburgh award-winning performance packed full of dry and dirty jokes delivered in her disarmingly soft Geordie lilt.
Since then, she's appeared in Have I Got News For You, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Live at the Apollo and listened to people's problems on BBC Radio 4. Having just returned from the Melbourne Comedy Festival, she had some time to chat to me about first gigs, new gigs, being compared to Thora Hird and a certain secret oral talent...
You were recently trapped in Melbourne because of the volcanic ash - was it actually quite nice to get stuck in Australia?
Getting stuck anywhere is pretty stressful. Melbourne is great but even if you were stranded in a lift with Brad Pitt, you’d want to go home eventually.
How does the comedy festival differ out there to Edinburgh?
It’s more relaxed or maybe I was just more relaxed. Probably something to do with the sunshine and Aussie way of life.
You're currently performing previews of your new show Chatterbox. Can you tell us a bit about it?
It’s an hour of stand-up comedy including how to relax, how to celebrate your fortieth, how to not get married and how to get out of a bra.
You joined the comedy circuit fairly recently. What did you do beforehand?
I did all sorts of jobs: civil servant, cinema ‘cast member’, audiobook producer. I got into stand up after my divorce. Most people get drunk a lot or go on a sexual rampage. I made my heartache funny and told roomfuls of strangers.
Is it true that the first time you visited a comedy club was for your first gig? How did it go?
That’s true. I’d seen a couple of tour shows in theatres but never been to an actual comedy club. I did 5 minutes in a batwing top and for 2 and a half minutes they stared and for 2 and a half minutes they laughed. Then a man told me off for a coffin joke. I loved it.
Were you family surprised when you went into comedy or have they always thought you were a joker?
I think they thought “whatever gets you through” as I was having a rough time. My whole family is funny. They come to my shows and are proud of me which means a lot.
You started performing later than most, how do you think that's shaped your comedy?
I started at 29 and I think that helped in that I’ve lived a bit and am confident in myself. I can draw on 30 years of life and opinions and experiences. It also means that I appreciate how great my job is, because I’ve had proper jobs for years.
You've been referred to as a 'blue comic' and 'a young Thora Hird' by critics before. Do you agree with these labels?
‘Blue’ is a very old fashioned word for rude. I am rude. Yes. And I was also a brilliant actress who died at 91. So, yes, spot on.
You regularly get audiences involved with your shows and have a Radio 4 agony aunt show. What's the strangest thing a member of the public has told you?
For Support Group (the radio series), a man told me that he had slept with many women when he worked on a cruise liner. His wife was sitting beside him.
What does a normal day consist of for you?
I get up between 10 and 11am as I've usually gone to bed between 2 and 4am. I do admin, reply to emails, make calls then either drive to telly/radio/stand up job or if I have time, squeeze in some writing. Then I drive home from wherever I’ve been, listening to Magic or Heart and singing along to avoid dying. Fall on sofa with a microwavable dinner and 30 Rock/Modern Family as my wind-down. Getting home is the best part of the day.
Do you have any hidden talents we don't know about?
I can make a honking horn sound with my mouth. And I’m good at knowing which painkillers go with what.
Sarah will be performing a preview of her new show at the Hen and Chickens Theatre on Sunday 23rd May and in the Udderbelly tent on Tuesday 6th July.
See more Edinburgh previews
See more stand-up
Return to the London Comedy homepage
Add an event
Bigger, better, tons more music: East End Film Festival Q&A
The East End Film Festival has established itself as one of the biggest and brightest film festivals...