Lucy Beaumont interview

Hull stand-up Lucy Beaumont has been speaking to the Driffield Today about her comedy career to date. Below are some of the highlights.

On ‘making it’ as a stand-up:

“Have I? It’s a hard industry to be truthful. You’re only as good as your last gig, and – as you can imagine – not all gigs go great. Your job is to make people laugh, and sometimes you step into a room or club and think, ‘Oh heck, this isn’t going to work tonight’. I’m still learning, to be honest; you never stop, and the bar for comedy is so high in this country, as we all know, that there are some exceptional stand-ups, so you’re always trying to improve.”

On writing:

“Nobody believes me, apart from friends and family who were there at the time, but everything I talk about is true; it might be put into a joke format, but it’s all real. So I just wait for something to happen, and then I try to make it work as a joke.”

On comedy in her hometown of Hull:

“Fruit in Hull puts on great comedy nights. Then there’s Pocklington Arts Centre and Union Mash-Up on Princes Avenue in Hull. It was taking part in the So You Think You’re Funny? competition in Edinburgh that got the ball rolling for me.”

On the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe:

“I really enjoyed doing my show at the Pleasance Courtyard. Lovely audiences, mature. I much prefer making the over-65s laugh… I don’t know why. And I’ve been given a radio series for Radio 4, which is lovely.”

On touring:

“There is literally nothing I like about being on the road apart from the time when I’m on stage talking in the microphone. I don’t like trains, public transport, takeaway food, or hotels. I need to learn to drive, but my mum won’t let me. She said the worry will kill her.”

Northern Ladies, feat. Lucy Beaumont, Hayley Ellis and Katie Mulgrew, The Witham, Barnard Castle, Saturday 10 January 2015, 8pm, £10, funnywaytobe.com