Zoe Lyons: “Public aren’t interested in alternative comedy debate.”

Comedian Zoe Lyons does not believe comedy fans are interested in the alternative comedy debate.

Comedy Central’s commission of The Alternative Comedy Experience – curated by Stewart Lee – has once again generated an industry-led conversation about mainstream and alternative comedy.

But in an interview with Giggle Beats, Lyons admits she thinks the discussion is best left to comedy green rooms.

Lyons said: “I think that it’s a conversation we should be having before gigs, but is it any interest to the general public? I doubt it.

“Michael McIntyre fills the O2 because he’s doing broad-stroke, mainstream comedy; you can’t do gags that split the room in a 25,000 capacity venue.

“There’s a massive market for that sort of comedy, so there’s no point telling people they’re stupid for liking it.

She added: “At the end of the day you only have to go to a branch of Tesco to realise you have nothing in common with 90% of the population.”

Lyons appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow in 2010, but she believes the current debate is part of a wider obsession amongst comics to get on TV.

“We’re now in an age where comedians are killing themselves to get on the goggle box, but I’ve found it isn’t always a great idea,” Lyons said.

Episode three of the Alternative Comedy Experience airs on Comedy Central tonight.

Read the full interview with Lyons here.