6. What do your parents/children (delete as applicable) think of your job?

My mam and dad are incredibly supportive. I think my Mam is slowly but surely claiming more and more comics that she meets as her adopted sons. She loves getting to meet people and see new comics she’s never seen before. They both love comedy so I’ve managed to defy the odds and not cause crushing disappointment with my career choice. Mind you, I did also do not one but two drama degrees so they probably accepted a long time ago I wasn’t going to go on to be a brain surgeon or a lion tamer. My dad is building up a collection of my Edinburgh posters and framing them on the stairs. I feel like next year I’m gonna catch him trying to nick one of the big posters off the railings and smuggling it onto the train. I know that not all parents would be so readily approving so I feel very lucky to know that I’ve got my parents full support and I want nothing but to make them proud.

7. What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?

The admin. Being a comedian is a lot less being on stage and a lot more doing admin than ever anticipated. It’s a lot of sending emails trying to get gigs, and nine times out of ten those emails being ignored. While you’re waiting for those emails to be ignored, you’re sending invoices, or chasing invoices, or answering a series of questions about yourself.  I hate chasing invoices. More often than not I end up feeling like an inconvenience even though I'm only asking for money that I’ve worked for and earned, I get so British about it 'excuse me sir it's been 3 months could I please have the money you owe me if it is not too much  trouble, it’s not like I live in London and have astronomical rent to pay.' OH WAIT I DO. At least when you’re waiting to be paid you can resend all those emails that got ignored, ready for them to be ignored all over again. But I suppose if I didn’t have admin to do I’d have nothing to do in the day other than watch repeats of Come Dine With Me.

8. I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?

Thank you. I have days where I think I am very good at what I do and days where I think I am terrible. I don’t have a lot of self-belief and am definitely my own toughest critic. No bad review I ever get will be harsher than how I could review myself so take that reviewers! However, over the last few months I have had a slight confidence boost. Before Edinburgh I was so up and down – I wanted my debut to be damn good cause you only debut once and I have worked so hard to get to this point. I threw everything into my show and was terrified people wouldn’t like it and I’d bomb. I loved my show but the second I had a bad gig or a quiet preview I’d be throwing my notes in the bin and sobbing down the phone to increasingly disgruntled fellow comedians that I was a terrible comic and my show was going to be shit.

Every single one of them said the same thing – come back and tell me if you think all these things are true after Edinburgh is over. Spoiler alert, I didn’t. I was so overwhelmed by how the show went, I really felt like hard work had paid off. I’m sort of embarrassed to admit it but I’d often felt a bit overlooked in comedy, always the competition finalist and never the winner sort of thing and I was hoping for my chance to break through and be like LOOK WHAT I CAN DO HELLO I HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD PLEASE NOTICE ME and I think it’s safe to say this Edinburgh I made sure every person noticed me. And all my stars on the poster. I will just pick up that brag I dropped there. It’s been such a confidence boost for me, to have something I’m truly proud of that was recognised by both audiences and industry has kicked a little bit of self-belief up my bum hole. 

9. How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn?

I earn enough to live in a grotty house in London with a bunch of other struggling comics, pay my bills, and get the occasional Chinese takeaway. I would like to earn enough to get the occasional Chinese takeaway, pay my bills and live in a less grotty house with just the one struggling comic aka myself because I love my own space. But to be able to afford that in London you have to sell your soul or a vital organ.

I might not have much money but I am far happier than I was when I juggled a day job and comedy. Being able to earn enough to live off comedy, even if it’s to live modestly, is the greatest feeling and walking out of my day job for the last time I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I didn’t come to London to be a stressed out waitress, I could have stayed in Newcastle if I wanted that! I came to have a career in comedy and I feel like I’m making that work slowly but surely. If I could earn a bit more to live somewhere nicer and maybe have the occasional holiday, well that’d make me a happy egg for definite. 

10. How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks? 

I think luck is definitely slightly important, but you also need the perseverance and the talent. It’s like the holy trinity. Sometimes you can be trying your best but it can feel a bit like you’re stuck, like you’re treading water and just can’t move forward and you find yourself crossing your fingers for a bit of luck to come your way and get you going.

But you can’t just sit back and rely on that, you have to keep working hard (and being good!) I’ve definitely had a lucky break – I got to the finals of Funny Women in 2014 hosted by Katherine Ryan. 8 months later she asked me to support her on 2 of her Glam Role Model tour dates. I’ve gone on to support her on her following two tours and I was signed to the same agency as her just 4 months after those tour support dates in 2014. That was definitely a lucky break, but it's not like it's all been plain sailing from then, I've had to work my tits off.  Also she wouldn’t keep asking me back if I was shit so while luck has been part of it, so has the whole not being shit thing.

11. Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into a third category? 

I think I fit into a third category in the middle. I don’t like the term tortured artist because I always feel it implies you relish being sad or miserable. But I do struggle to just pick myself up, brush off a bad gig and carry on as normal. I don’t have a lot of self-belief or self-confidence so can be quick to pick myself apart and pin all the blame on me which are some strong self-harmer qualities, but at the same time I don’t give up, I’m persistent, ambitious and keen to succeed and I’ll work hard to get where and what I want which I think gives me some golfer game.

12. Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians? 

That rules out virtually everyone I know so I’m going to have to say Imran who works in the Tesco on my street. When I first moved to London I was really lonely and Imran was sometimes the only person I would talk to all day. Such a good lad.

13. Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response).

I would like to know anyone who has answered no to this so I can remove them instantly from my life. My drawers are tidy, everything is folded and put away nicely LIKE IT SHOULD BE. All my socks are paired up correctly cause only heathens and people trying to replace having a personality with being ‘quirky’ wear odd socks. (editor's note - perfect answer)