Jo is upfront about comedy

It’s an unusual way to start an interview, but comedian Jo Caulfield is on her way to Crete when we grab 15 minutes with her ahead of the Upfront Comedy show coming to Northampton on Sunday, June 12.

The comedian who has made regular appearances on Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You appears alongside fellow comics Justin Moorhouse and Nina Benjamin for the show at the Royal & Derngate.

Speaking about the show, Jo said: “It is a comedy show and there is a very good billing, lots of very different comics.

“If you don’t like one person then there will be another along in a moment.

“I am currently in preparation for the new show at the Edinburgh Fringe and I will be trying out some of the new material but not all of it. I save some of the brand new material which I have never performed before when I am in small clubs and try it out on certain people.”

As a woman, Jo has frequently faced the argument that women aren’t as funny as men, but it’s a point that doesn’t bother her.

She said: “I think for people who come up and say I don’t normally find women funny but they really like me. I don’t think I find it as insulting as some people.

“They are quite often not in the business and probably don’t see that much live comedy, so they just don’t see that many women.

“I don’t think they are trying to be offensive, I think they are trying to pay a compliment. And that way you are changing people’s perception.

“There are a lot of good up and coming female comics coming through.”

And the chance to do Upfront Comedy appeals to Jo as someone who likes the live reaction.

She said: “I realise that you have to go and do some television appearances in order to sell tickets for the tour.

“I love doing smaller clubs and smaller venues because you go there. I like wandering around the town before hand and finding some observations about the town because it makes that gig very personal. That gig won’t be the same.”

There is a lot of anger in the type of comedy Jo serves up and she hopes that the audience will find the anger as reassuring as she does.

“I think people coming along will probably find it quite cathartic,” she said. “And if you don’t then you’ll probably get angrier about a whole load of things you didn’t think about.

“It is kind of reassuring that people find the same things annoy them as they do me.

“It’s makes me think I’m glad it’s not just me.”

The show starts at 8pm. Tickets cost £13.50 and can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or by visiting www.royalandderngate.co.uk.