The standup on her first gig, why she pretended to be a stage manager for The Lion King and the best service station in the country

How did you get into comedy?
Initially I wanted to be a comedy actress, so at 18 I went off to drama school and loved it, but I graduated into a recession. There was very little work and acting agents were nervous about signing new clients. I was totally gutted. Then a friend suggested I try standup. From my first gig (in a dingy basement to 12 people), I was utterly hooked.

Who did you admire when you were starting out?
I have always loved French and Saunders, as a teenager I was obsessed. When I started standup, I admired people who I would see on the circuit, people ripping gigs like Kerry Godliman, Tom Allen and Zoe Lyons. I went up to the Edinburgh festival and saw acts doing incredible one-hour shows like James Acaster, Bridget Christie or Sara Pascoe. I was totally inspired from seeing great comedy shows. I still am.