Louise Atkinson: ‘Billy Connolly could tell me a story about a mayonnaise jar for two hours’

Louise Atkinson: ‘Billy Connolly could tell me a story about a mayonnaise jar for two hours’

The comic on starting the career her ex was planning, how Jaffa Cakes help you judge people and why standups need Tupperware

How did you get into comedy?
I was dating a comedy nerd who wanted to try standup, so I researched comedy courses for them as a gift. The same day, I quit a job – which I hated – and my ex decided this was also a great time to break up with me. (It was always their empathy I admired.) Anyways, I got an email saying a space had become available on the course the following week and did it myself.

What inspired your show She’s Got the Look?
When I started out, I got into the last round of a competition and was told I “sound good but look a mess”. So the show is me trying to figure out which bit of me is the mess and why we make assumptions about people based on how they look – when we should really judge people based on whether they think a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit. That’ll tell me everything I need to know about you.
What is a wrong assumption people make about you?
When you’re a more curvy, voluptuous person, the thing most people tend to think is you don’t understand what healthy eating is. Let me be clear, I am fully aware of what healthy food is. I know what a carrot is – it transports dip into my face. Yes, I have my hand in the pick and mix, but it doesn’t mean I think aubergine is the name of Dior’s new fragrance.

Louise Atkinson: She’s Got the Look is at Gilded Balloon Patter House, Edinburgh, until 25 August

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