Exclusive - Hattie Hayridge

Hattie Hayridge, photographer Steve Ullathorne

Hattie Hayridge exploded onto the stand-up scene with her dry style of comedy back in 1987. It wasn’t long before established comedians and TV executives took notice. Less than a year later her career took off after with appearances on Friday Night Live and then a planned one episode guest appearance in Red Dwarf as Hilly, spaceship computers Holly’s alter ego from a parallel universe. But Hattie was so popular that she ended up playing computer Holly- after the character’s sex change, - for three seasons. Since then she has continued to do stand-up as well as television roles including Lizzie Gillespie in Jonathan Creek. Hattie takes time out of her busy schedule preparing for the Mecca of the comedy scene, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to talk to Open about comedy audiences around the world, sci-fi conventions and the thrill of being back up in Scotland.

You’re back at Edinburgh after a gap -  why now and how come the long break?
"I do love doing Edinburgh. I haven’t done if for a few years, for a mixture of geographical, inspirational and time management reasons.
You need to have the inspiration, not to mention the finances about you to do the show.
Also I’ve been writing a film script and trying to get that off the ground, which has taken far longer than it needed to. There’s not a part for me in it, so it’s not even a vanity project.
“This year I happened to bump into a promoter and a venue manager I knew while they were having a meeting, and they just said ‘why don’t you do Edinburgh this year?’ and I said OK. So that was the easy bit."

How does writing a show for Edinburgh differ from writing a normal stand-up show?
"You always feel an Edinburgh show needs to have either a theme or a circular feel about it, or a kind of summing up that brings everything together. Also it can be a whole new thing, it gives you more space to try out something different. A normal circuit stand-up show  tends to evolve as you go."

What is the best and worst thing about doing the fringe?
"Doing it is like a month of New Year’s Eves with all the expectations and disappointments they can bring. There’s a real unknown as to what Edinburgh can bring which is a real buzz. 
I like doing the show every night intensively. I’ll record it each time and see what worked and what didn’t and change or re-arrange it and think up things for the next night and try them out.
It’s also great that you can walk down the street and bump into loads of people you know, all the time. It’s great socially.
The worst thing would be if you hated your show and couldn’t do anything about it."

How did you come up with the theme for this year’s show?
“I went through quite a few ideas, the first was about how we live in a tick-box type of world, but I soon found that my own life isn’t like that, so I didn’t really know about it from personal experience. The next idea was based on a Bush quote when he said ‘Even I don’t agree with my own opinions’ which I thought would be a good theme, but it’s neither of these! I finally decided on ‘why can’t we all be nice to each other’ and working out why we can’t.”

Before becoming a comedienne, you worked as secretary. What made you take the leap of faith into the unpredictable world of stand-up?
“I was a secretary for a good few years, then went to university to get out of being a secretary. I did International Relations and really fancied being a foreign correspondent, but somehow became a secretary again, only with a degree. 
“The short answer is one night I went to a comedy club in North London, they said that if anyone wanted to get up and do something after the interval they could, so on the spur of the moment, I got up and started moaning about being a secretary. From there someone gave me a open spot booking.
That gig scared the life out of me because I had time to think about it. But I just carried on. I hate to think how long ago that was, over 20 years, though I still feel quite new - I suppose like how you always feel 18.”

You have written for the likes of Rory Bremner and Jasper Carrott, is there someone out there that you would love to write for but haven’t yet?
“I’d like to write with a team on something, a topical show, I think. I wouldn’t want one where they want you to just write something and send it in. Bantering around the table type of writing is the best.”

Your time in Red Dwarf catapulted you into the crazy world of Sci-Fi and conventions. Do you still go to them and how do you find them?
“I go to couple a year. There are two main types of Convention. One is like a trade fair in a huge arena and the cast from various shows sit at tables and sign their photos. Then there are more involved fan conventions, ones where you’d give talks, have autograph and photo sessions with the fans, judge the fancy dress and go to the Saturday night disco. This is what the Red Dwarf fan club convention is like.
It’s best to do a mixture of the two. Red Dwarf fans are great. Because it’s a comedy show, they don’t get over involved in the sci-fi aspect, and most of them have got a lot more responsible jobs than I have.”

You have gigged around the world including Australia, Canada and the USA. How does the London comedy scene compare?
“Luckily the London scene is still thriving and growing, it attracts comics from Australia and the US now, maybe because the distances between clubs is shorter!”

Where is your favourite place to perform?
“The Hackney Empire was my first favourite. It was the reason I entered their New Act of the Year competition way back when. I love walking out on the stage of beautiful old theatres, that is such a thrill, and I find less nerve-racking than a small club.
“Your favourite place is going to be the one where you (touch wood) always go well.  My favourite at the moment is a Club in Soho called Comedy Camp, where the audience are always whoopy, camp and great.”

Who do you like to go and see stand up?
“I like to go to see unpredictable, controversial edgy, oh and funny, comics.  I don’t want to list people because these things stay on the net forever.”

Why do you think it’s harder for female comics on the stand-up scene than for men?
“That’s another thing that stays on the net forever, and you sound like some whinger. It’s probably like most other jobs, in that there’s a disadvantage. An audience will be more wary when a woman walks on stage, they don’t assume that she’s going to be funny.
“With promoters and agents I think they assume a female comedian will not be as long lasting, and they also assume she’ll mostly appeal to a female audience which cuts down the number of tickets sold. It’s not all one-sided, female comics can also get noticed more, because there’s less of them.”

HATTIE HAYRIDGE performs at the Edinburgh Festival every evening at 7.55pm from 5th August to 26th August at The Underbelly. For tickets go to www.edfringe.com

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