25 years on from being a finalist in the ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ competition, (alongside Jimmy Carr, Russell Howard, Josie Long and winner David O’Dohertyin 1999) and now a familiar face on film and TV as an actor, Juliet Cowan finally makes her stand up debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

‘Fuck Off & Leave Me Alone’ sees Juliet go back in time to when she was obsessed with not dying a virgin in a nuclear attack. This plan was hampered by her hairiness and off-putting personality. Juliet found ‘The Joy Of Sex book’ in her parents bookshelf and grew up not knowing that being hairy was a teenage crime. Her mother was full of the patriarchy, screaming bitch at other women she thought were in competition for her (gay and married) friend’s attention! Now middle-aged, Juliet brings her own little manifestation of the patriarchy on stage, a plastic monstrous kid’s toy dangling from a string, and he helps her along by constantly becoming increasingly annoying.

Juliet shouts at her teenage self, and wonders if they have anything in common and if they can join together and go forward on their journey. Teenage Juliet gags at the thought of having to do anything with anyone who uses the word ‘journey’. Now menopausal, she burnt down her life and turned into a mad whore. She looks back at her teenage self and wonders why no one warned her this could be coming…. 

She has recently been seen onscreen playing Amy Winehouse's mother Janis in Back To Black and can currently be seen as Michelle De Swarte's mother in the TV comedy Spent. She also appears in numerous other hits including ‘Am I Being Unreasonable’ and ‘Brassic’.

Juliet Cowan’s ‘Fuck Off & Leave Me Alone’ is at the Pleasance Dome – Jack Dome @ 7.00pm for tickets go to www.edfringe.com 

What is the last thing you do before you go onstage (apart from check your flies and/or check your knickers aren't sticking out of your skirt and check for spinach between your teeth)  

I sing a song, always the same one, and ask what/whoever is in charge to help me remember my show and then I subdue the need to wee.  

What irritates you?  

I find people doing subtle boasting really irritating because you can’t call it out as it is too subtle and sometimes even esoteric. I have a friend who told me they knew the best plumber in Brazil. How can you respond to that? I have coined the phrase competitive boasting, which, if it is clever enough can leave the person being boasted to feeling very sad about themselves and their lives.  I suppose that most of social media is competitive boasting.  One of my favourite things that has ever been said to me is that my life looks so much shitter on social media than it is in real life. 

What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done?  

The most dangerous thing I have ever done is give birth - eat your heart out Bear Grylls!!! And also see below. 

What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?  

I emailed the governor of a prison where my ex-boyfriend was and told them not to let him be transferred (I had found out he was being visited by his ‘ex’ girlfriend). I emailed him back the next day and told him to ignore me as I had had a wine o'clock the night before. The Ex Boyfriend got his transfer btw. 

What has surprised you the most during your career in comedy? 

The thing that has surprised me the most during my career in comedy is that, like a good old friend, comedy will wait for you to get other stuff out of your system, it definitely isn’t just a young person’s game, because as you get older, boy do you need a laugh. I am so happily surprised how welcomed I feel by the comedy world. 

interview continues here