Hatty Ashdown

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 10th February 2023

It was the first of times, it was the worst of times. But what about the worrying times?

That's the theme of Hatty Ashdown's latest show, The Worry Drawer, which goes a bit deeper than other drawer-related stand-up that may spring to mind. Ashdown is probably best known to many for her baby-comes-too club Screaming with Laughter and podcast, Funny Mummies, but this show has a different maternal spin. It comes full circle on February 19 at the Leicester Comedy Festival, where the show began its pre-Edinburgh life last year. What sparked that story?

"I knew I wanted to do another hour-long show back in 2019," Ashdown explains. "The original idea came to me as I was emptying the dishwasher for what felt like the millionth time and I wondered about humans digging deep to deal with life's problems - whether they're major milestones or the drudge of everyday frustrations.

"But, as I began to workshop ideas my mum and all her brilliance and ridiculousness kept creeping into the jokes. No matter how much I tried to fight it, the show became largely about her: getting through her death, the utter shit people say (or don't say) to you when someone dies, and her unique coping mechanism (and gift to the world), the Worry Drawer."

And this might just be its final airing. But now, let's head back to the early days.

First Gig?

My first ever gig was in Bethnal Green, The Mixer I think it was called. It was just an open spot night and I was up to do five minutes. There weren't many people there and I remember it was really foggy, like they had put on some showbiz mist so you couldn't see how empty it was.

I do remember a very distinctive loud laugh that kept me going (I later found out it was an act called Plant Pot the Comedy Poet, who I got to know well) but mainly I was enjoying myself, and I think I was so relieved to be doing it and it not going terrible, I didn't care it was empty. I instantly wanted to try more!

Favourite show, ever?

The one that always pops up is actually my first hour show in Edinburgh in 2011, it was a full room (well, it only fit 40 but still I'm taking it), lots of tech stuff went wrong but the audience were totally with me the whole way through. We all had such a good time, it was great. There was even a reviewer in who gave me four stars just for handling the tech problems well.

Worst gig?

There have been a few little spots here and there where stuff has fallen on deadly silence, but I think nothing is worse than when you know you have a full hour with an audience and they are not into you. My work in progress show in Edinburgh 2016 comes to mind - which didn't really start off as work in progress but when I got there the venue was so bad and clearly my show wasn't ready so it was a struggle.

It was the first time the venue - a small pub in Edinburgh - had put on comedy and it was clear they didn't really want to be part of the festival on day one: they didn't know what I was doing there on Day 1 of the fringe!

The very worst example was around the middle of the run where I had only 10 audience and someone from the bar came in with a trainee and started teaching them how to use the till at the back of the room whilst I was doing my show. These days I would just break from the show and bring them in and make till-training part of my set, but hindsight is a beautiful thing.

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

Gosh, it's hard to say one, can I have one and half? Reading Alan Carr's biography showed me that comedy was actually something you could do for a living, so I tried to get into the university he went to because they are the only university that do a stand-up module.

But really it lies with Josie Long. I met her when I was reporting for E4 and interviewed her. I was a fan anyway and she kinda took me under her wing for a bit. I learnt lots from her, that you don't have to be a tough, hard woman (ie trying to be like a man) on stage to get on in comedy; be your authentic self, have fun and people will thrive off that joy!

And who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

At this moment I really want to out a comedy promoter in Brighton who still hasn't paid me since May!

Over the years looking back there has been some awful sexiest shit that went on that I wish I'd stuck up for myself more. There was one guy who was a producer and would help put you up at Ed Fringe with free accommodation in return for working on his comedy magazine; sweet deal hey?

Well he would push people around a lot. Most of the time I didn't take a lot of his shit, but then I found out my 'accommodation' was sleeping in what was basically a cupboard. Then he said "My mum's coming to stay so you'll have to move out of the cupboard."

"What, for your mum?" I said. "No, for me. I'm staying in there and you're sharing with my mum."

Actually got on alright with his mum in the end. But, you know what they say, never trust a guy who's mean to his mum.

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

Generally I start to fall out of love with my material if the audience do! But I did have a routine I loved about getting my wedding ring sawn off after I got too fat over lockdown which only really got the love it deserved on Zoom gigs. I could never get it to work as well live.

Your favourite Screaming with Laughter moments, over the years?

These probably have to be doing the Southbank Festival Hall where we had Lucy Porter on who started the club, which was a really special moment. Plus having Michelle De Swarte on at the Bedford Balham who raised the roof at that gig, which is no easy feat to a room of tired and distracted mums!

And any particularly memorable baby responses?

The babies are usually pretty well behaved. In the early days when I took over the club my babies were young enough to come (they have to be under one year so they don't accidentally pick up rude words from the comics who are doing their normal adult material). It was a magical time seeing Hollyoaks heartthrob James Redmond rocking my baby to sleep with one hand, making stage notes with the other, while I was on stage!

How's 2023 shaping up for you, overall?

Looking forward to doing my last goodbye show of The Worry Drawer at the Leicester Comedy Festival. My podcast Funny Mummies has been growing in listenership and we've been getting some lovely reviews, so we hope to grow that even bigger and make some funding from it so we can get bigger guests and do live shows.

Screaming with Laughter is available for one-off, pop-up, boutique events and I'm building up more live gigs for me, especially at the Stanley Arts in Norwood. Lastly, I'm writing an exciting new scripted comedy which may be my first play... Oh and I'm aiming to get paid by that Brighton promoter.