The character comic on gigging with chickens, harnessing the power of embarrassment and her spoof Radio 4 current affairs show
What first drew you to character comedy?
As a kid I loved television, especially whatever my parents watched. Dad liked the anarchic 80s stuff like The Young Ones. Mum liked the 90s situational stuff like The Vicar of Dibley and The Royle Family. My taste was an amalgamation of theirs, plus The Simpsons. For a weird kid, it was glorious to see huge, strange characters being laughed at and celebrated for their stupidity, eccentricity and energy. When I started gigging, it was a no-brainer to do character comedy. Standups create a persona anyway, so I thought: why not make a persona who is much more fun to play than me?
How did you get into comedy?
For ages, wanting to do comedy was a secret I was too scared to admit. As a teen I came up with the most roundabout ways that I could to end up “accidentally” doing comedy. One plan was to get a job presenting BBC Breakfast with Charlie and Susanna. Then the BBC would ask me on Let’s Dance for Sport Relief. I’d say, “Ohh scary hehehe,” and I’d end up being hilarious and everyone would laugh at me. Eventually a confident pal took me to a workshop run by a university improv troupe, who ended up scouting me for their show. Officially funny and cool people telling me I was funny was the boost I needed to admit I wanted to try it properly.
Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon is at Soho theatre, London, 3-6 July. Time of the Week will air on BBC Radio 4 in the spring
