British Comedy Guide

Fern Brady

I recently watched "Fern Brady live at the BBC".

She is by no means the worst stand-up comedian I've ever seen on TV and I certainly wouldn't advise her to keep the day job - as her stand-up career seems to be going reasonably well.

Having said that, watching her perform was a slightly uncomfortable experience as she seemed totally disconnected from the audience. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd think she'd been filmed performing to an empty room, reading from an autocue, and that the audience had somehow been Photoshopped in at a later date, along with a little canned laughter.

She's an attractive young woman which is always a plus in a predominantly visual medium, like television. She also talks at length about her sex life and about her previous career as a lap dancer: two topics which can hardly fail to get an audience's attention, particularly when the raconteur is an attractive young woman. In fairness to Fern, however, I have to say that she never once descended into crudity.

On paper, much of her material was funny but far too much of it was in serious need of a rewrite in order to make it something like funny.

The problem, however, was not the quality of her material: it was the complete disconnect between her and her audience. She appeared, for all the world, to be reciting her act in the way an actor, when alone, might recite lines from a forthcoming production just to convince himself that he has learned them properly. She certainly wasn't interacting with her audience. She wasn't even talking 'at' the audience. She was simply spouting her lines into space as if the audience did not exist.

She looks and sounds rather like Aisling Bea but, while Aisling is a top-class stand-up operating at the top of her game, Fern Brady is, as yet, just a reasonably decent stand-up with considerable room for improvement.

I can see why you would say that, she has muted emotions, not unlike a dead pan comedian. Paul Merton doesn't really connect well with the audience, yet he's done OK.

If you want a female comedian that connects well, try Luisa Omielan. She is something special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2MskQOinwE&t=16s

I expect she will rise higher than Fern, but if you're dead inside you may prefer Fern.

Quote: Firkin @ 20th July 2018, 5:33 PM

try Luisa Omielan. She is something special.

Luisa Omielan is indeed something special.

I'd rank her among the top stand-up comedians in the world.

Luckily for Fern Brady, a comedian doesn't have to be anywhere near as good as Luisa in order to make a decent living as a stand-up, as well as appearing on TV as a guest on comedy panel shows.

I think Fern might do okay in the business - if she decides to stick at it.

Being familiar with Fern's work, but not having watched this particular episode yet, I can understand your comments about the apparent emotional disconnect in her performance.

But there is a rather patronising tone to some of the other comments that I must flag up. Fern's an accomplished, experienced performer with a large number of credits under her belt and a successful stand-up career. She's by no means some newly-found beginner who needs to "stick at it".

Quote: Aaron @ 22nd July 2018, 12:35 PM

She's by no means some newly-found beginner who needs to "stick at it".

I agree.

I never suggested she was newly found, or that she was a beginner or that she needs to "stick at it".

In the final paragraph of my second post, I say "I think Fern might do okay in the business - if she decides to stick at it." I make no suggestion whatever that she needs to stick at it. I'm saying she's doing okay at the moment and I think she might have a decent long-term career in the stand-up comedy business as long as she doesn't abandon stand-up in favour of something which, for whatever reason, she prefers to do.

Why do I say that? It's just that I have a feeling she might be happier doing something other than stand-up.

I'm not knocking the woman, She's a decent stand-up performer. I do however believe that there is considerable room for improvement.

Share this page