Sharon Wanjohi

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 19th July 2024

It was the first of times, it was the worst of times. And this time we welcome Sharon Wanjohi, who on Sunday will be comedy gardening. Pruning her material, cultivating a blooming good set, really hoping the crowd digs it, etc etc. She'll be appearing at the Cambridge Comedy Garden, in a big tent in a big park full of good food and craft beer, and on an absolutely corking bill.

Dylan Moran, Nina Conti, Chloe Petts and Helen Bauer are also on board. So is Sharon able to sit back and enjoy other comics' sets, at a big-name bash like this?

"I'll be completely honest and say at first nooooo!" she admits. "I was honestly in shock that I was even ALLOWED to share a stage with people who inspired me to start comedy. It still feels like I'm dreaming."

But now? "When I'm not running for a train, I will stick around and watch an insanely stacked line-up crush it."

Her career is blossoming - but where did it begin?

First gig?

An abandoned warehouse in pre-gentrified Hoxton. I used to want to be a slam poet, so a friend booked me to recite one of my genuinely dire pieces. The comic dropped out of the event on the day and so she asked me to step up and do a kind of mix between comedy and poetry.

I wish I could tell you what it was about - all I remember is about five minutes of nonsensical word vomit and pity chuckles from the crowd.

Favourite show, ever?

All the gigs where I've been on a line-up with people I watched growing up. I remember meeting Jack Dee for the first time and genuinely not being able to speak. It still feels surreal, I genuinely still feel like that 10 year-old who was sneaking downstairs way past her bedtime to sit on the stairs and listen to my parents laugh at Live At The Apollo or Little Miss Jocelyn or Mock The Week.

Worst gig?

It was in Kent, aka the seventh circle of hell. I bombed. Like a complete bomb, you-could-hear-a-pin-drop bomb, and afterwards a man came up to me and told me it's because they (as in the audience) didn't really like black people.

It's the way he said it too, as though I'd be like 'oh yeah mate totally understandable I won't ever come back my bad.'

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

I don't know if it's one person in particular but all the comics who are daring enough to do the things that make them laugh the most.

Also my mum, she's always laughing! She finds humour in everything which I appreciate now, not so much when I impulsively cut an uneven fringe after watching one too many YouTube videos the night before school. Love you mum xx.

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

I don't know if this counts but when people I haven't seen in years pop up and say 'hey OMG you're doing comedy now, coming to see you on Friday.' It's never malicious but it's so stressful. Doing comedy in front of people you don't know is one thing but to someone you haven't seen in 10 years who remembers you as the version of yourself where you meowed at people is another thing altogether.

Always appreciate the support though.

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

I have this one bit where I compare myself to a mouse and it almost never gets a laugh but it really really makes me giggle so I'm keeping it in. It's just so silly and I've really dedicated the rest of my 20s to being a complete silliam william.

Your most memorable outdoor-gig experience?

It has to be the Comedy Gardens. I've done a few outdoor gigs now and they're obviously not the same as doing a gig in a space where the ceilings are low and it's kind of dark and everyone's a little bit tipsy, but it really works. As in every single one I've done I've left feeling like I could be the next President of the United States. Also the food bangs.

Any reviews, heckles or post-gig reactions stick in the mind?

Someone offered to baptise me after a gig once. I wish I'd taken them up on it now. Oh and a dog heckled me? That was pretty cool, I told my dog about it and she said she'd do the same.

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

Really excited! I've met so many amazing people I imagine will remain in my life for a long time. And all the projects I'm working on at the moment are so fun and exciting. Definitely excited to see how things progress. I kind of hope it all culminates in me getting married to Ayo Edebiri but let me not get ahead of myself (already dedicated three pinterest boards to our wedding).