GETTING TO KNOW BRIDGET CHRISTIE

Bridget Christie is one of the country’s most exciting comedians, with consistently strange and brilliant shows that are as topical as they are surreal (our newswriter is a big fan – can you tell)? Her current show, WAR DONKEY, is playing Soho Upstairs until Saturday 8 December.

She talks to us about the new wave of politically aware comedy, what inspires her, and how she could so nearly have become a private detective…

Your shows are renowned for being very experimental and a mix of stand
up, performance art and character comedy. How do you come up with such imaginative
material?
I used to do much more experimental stuff when I first started, but none of my shows generated any work for me, so I started adding bits of stand up in to them in an attempt to get paid work.
Now my shows are mainly stand up, with a theme, and little indulgent flourishes at the beginning and end. Since I’ve used that approach, I have been getting much more paid work.
My material is usually inspired by something I’ve seen, read or heard and then I take it from there. I like to mix serious things with very silly things.

Do you think you’ll ever write and perform an hour of straight observational
comedy?
I don’t know. I like to talk about things that interest me.

In your show you talk about feminism and politics – do you think there’s
a new wave of comedians today presenting these ideas in new interesting and exciting
ways?
Yes. Josie Long and Chris Coltrane spring to mind. It’s thrilling to see.

Are you a regular comedy-goer yourself? Who makes you laugh?
I’m working a lot and I have two small kids, but I try and see as much as I can.

Loads of people make me laugh, especially the ones who take risks that don’t always work.
Everyone who performs at the ACMS basically.

If you weren’t a comedian, what do you think you’d be doing?

I’d definitely be a private detective.

Do you have any advice for budding comedians and comedy writers?

Do as many gigs as you can. Write a lot.
Try to find your own voice. It’s a fine line between flattery and theft. Good luck!