 Best known for Channel 4 comedy sketch show Smack The Pony, as well as turns in EastEnders and Coronation Street, Fiona Allen is preparing to do her first solo comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, aged 58. She talks about the terrifying transition from telly to stand-up, who she finds funny and how her attempts at mid-life hobbies failed… You're well known for being funny on telly but you're relatively new to live stand-up. What made you decide to try it now? I'd done a few open spots before lockdown and decided I would give myself three months to see how it went. I knew it would be serious arrogance and a massive mistake if I just went, 'Hey, I want to do stand-up now and because I've done comedy on telly it'll be all right.' I did it for a year and then lockdown happened just as I was getting bookings. I started again after lockdown and I just really started to fall in love with it. Fiona started stand-up comedy fell in love giving herself three-months to see how it went (Picture: Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock) What has it been like performing in the comedy clubs? It's interesting. I don't think audiences judge me – and I love the response I get from them – but I think other comics have judged me. One guy in his late 20s, in a dressing room full of blokes, said, 'You have got your awards, you've done things. You've got where we want to go. You should push to the side and let us come through.' Did he frame it as a joke? No, he meant it. I said, 'I want you to remember what you just said to me when you're my age,' and it went a bit quiet. I said, 'What am I supposed to do? Not do anything?' I'm not having anyone tell me I'm in a woman in my 50s and therefore I shouldn't be doing anything. Fiona Allen starred in Smack The Pony alongside Sally Phillips, Doon MacKichan (Picture: Channel 4) What's){kind=link}
Best known for Channel 4 comedy sketch show Smack The Pony, as well as turns in EastEnders and Coronation Street, Fiona Allen is preparing to do her first solo comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, aged 58. She talks about the terrifying transition from telly to stand-up, who she finds funny and how her attempts at mid-life hobbies failed…
I’d done a few open spots before lockdown and decided I would give myself three months to see how it went.
I knew it would be serious arrogance and a massive mistake if I just went, ‘Hey, I want to do stand-up now and because I’ve done comedy on telly it’ll be all right.’
I did it for a year and then lockdown happened just as I was getting bookings.
I started again after lockdown and I just really started to fall in love with it.