The standup and 2016 Edinburgh best newcomer nominee on what makes her laugh the most, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to YouTubers
John Sizzle. He’s a drag queen I gig with and he owns a pub called The Glory in Dalston. He’s more than a drag queen. He’s a comedian, but like one who is undercover. He’s also on Netflix in a movie about east London drag queens called Dressed As A Girl.
Continue ReadingHer jokes can be uncomfortable, but then they come from uncomfortable situations
Do you remember that TV channel, Trouble? In the late 90s/early 00s, it was a colourful graveyard for American teen and young adult shows of the recent past, repackaged for young British eyes. It brought me TV shows no other channels would have thought to – and is how I came to watch The Parkers, and fall for the comedian and actor Mo’Nique.
The Parkers, a sitcom about a mother and daughter attending college together, was a nice break for Mo’Nique, now 48, but it was hardly her first outing in the business. She was doing stand-up before the siren call of TV, and if you haven’t watched her (filthy, hilarious, repeat: filthy) sets, particularly her turn on The Queens Of Comedy, I urge you to. Her jokes can be uncomfortable, but then they come from uncomfortable situations, and I appreciate that edge; her riff on “skinny bitches” will always make me laugh. Her raspy voice is like a shot of something strong and oaky, and her laugh is contagious, even when you’re semi-scandalised at the joke.
Related: Why I love… actor Andrew Lincoln
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