“What The Frock! has become the UK's most significant nurturer of female talent, and has meant Bristol now gives female comedians a bigger slice of the action” – The Naked Guide To Bristol, 2015
ELF LYONS
WTF! INTERVIEWS ELF
What sparked your interest in comedy?
I've always played the fool ever since I was little, and was heavily involved in theatre and comedy when I was at Benenden School. When I was 15, I discovered that rather than saying I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, I got a far more interesting reaction when I told teachers that I wanted to be a comedian. Their reactions encouraged me to adventure into the industry – it seemed like a challenge.
Which comedians inspire you?
Dave Allen, Tommy Cooper, French & Saunders and the stars of the Carry On films were my gods when I was little. Emo Phillips is my all time hero. At the moment, I love watching acts such as Lou Sanders, Rachel Stubbings, Joey Page and Doc Brown perform: their energy and eccentricities blow my mind.
What’s been your strangest performance to date?
I performed stand-up naked once as a part of the eccentric show called The Naked Brunch at the Edinburgh festival in 2010. That was probably the oddest moment of my comedy career so far. Myself and several others had to perform our sets in the nude to a nude audience. I made a good friend from it, Alexus Dubus, so overall it was a worthwhile experience.
What kind of responses do you get from audiences?
They’re always supportive and in most cases they laugh, which is the best. Normally the audiences want to be there and they want to see you do well, so overall the response I get is always positive. I tend to ignore the dismal melancholic crowds and just push on through.
