MOCK the Week star Ellie Taylor brings her controversially-titled show, ‘Infidelity’ to Artrix this Saturday (October 1). We caught pp with her for a chat ahead of her performance.
Q. What got you into comedy?
A. I was a bit fed up, working full-time in corporate events and was desperate to prove there was more to me than being average at ordering biros. I wanted a creative outlet and comedy was something I knew I could do straight away just by doing an open mic night. So I did. And here we are!
Q. What three words would you use to describe you?
A. Silly, big teeth
Q. Favourite joke?
A. Anything by the incredible Victoria Wood.
Q. Toughest crowd?
A. Oh gosh – my worst stage death ever was in London on a Saturday in front of 300 people who were 98 per cent made up of absolutely wasted stags and hens. They hated me. I hated them. I did my 20 minute set in about seven minutes and then had the biggest vodka of my life.
Q. Most embarrassing moment?
A. Meeting Paula Radcliffe at the London Marathon after I’d just run it a few years ago. I was a bit overwhelmed by what I’d just done and who was standing in front me. I had a total mind blank of what to say to this incredible athlete so ended up mumbling ‘Marathon’s are long aren’t they?’ Such insight.
Q. If you could be any super hero, who would you be and why?
A. Super Girl. Always wanted a cape.
Q. If you could have any mystical power, what would it be?
A. Does having excellent hair the whole time count as a mystical power? (It does to me.) Or teleporting would be great as my in-laws live in Australia so it would be bonza to pop over for a barbie. As long as it didn’t mess up my great hair.
Q. Best time of the day for you to write comedy?
A. Anytime where I’m in a focused frame of mind which can take quite a long time to reach. It’s like I have a ritual I have to go through where I give myself enough time to mess around watching Undercover Boss, do all the admin that has suddenly become incredibly urgent, make a cup of tea, colour code the cook books, try on a dress I’d forgotten about, Google whatever happened to Abi Titmuss and then maybe I can finally sit down down and actually write. Preferably with my phone annexed in another room so I can’t be distracted.
Q. What do you do when you hit writer’s block / creative flow gets all stuck and stuff?
A, Continually hammer at a brick wall for a few hours and then give up and watch Loose Women.
Q. Infidelity – top subject – controversial even – and a brave one to broach. What led you to explore this particular subject?
A. It’s all about being married and wishing I’d slept with more people. Husband’s delighted naturally. As a newly-wed, monogamy is a pertinent issue for me, and inevitably as a comic you drill down on ideas more than most people because you’re always looking for fresh angles on your experience.
Q. Have men responded differently to women? Offend anyone yet? Notice any discomfort amongst possibly-guilty audience members?
A. Haven’t noticed a split in response from genders, as I think the themes largely transcend sex. And so far I don’t think anyone has got divorced as a direct result of my show, but you never know, there’s still time.
Q. Comedy is a powerful tool for communicating an underlying message. What is yours?
A. There’s lots of different little messages scattered throughout the show that mean a lot to me, so hopefully people pick up on the ones that mean something to them too. But overall it’s just a very silly, very funny, pretty rude show I am ever so proud of. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written and I am so pleased to be able to take it to lovely places like *checks name of newspaper* Bromsgrove.
Doors open at 8pm and tickets cost £12 (£10). Visit www.artrix.co.uk to book or call 01527 577 330.
