Kate-Lois Elliott

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Tuesday 4th March 2025

One random comedian, eight random questions; it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate. This week we're joined by Kate-Lois Elliott, who knows a bit about joining stuff. That's the subject of her debut tour show, this spring.

"It's called How to Belong Without Joining a Cult," Elliott explains, "and it draws on how, when I was in my early twenties, I found out that the Christian sect my mum left as a teenager was actually a pretty well-known, pretty terrifying cult. I don't remember my mum ever telling me it wasn't a cult, but I think a lot of the time when kids are told stories, they assume they're normal.

"After that, I developed an obsession with cults and all things cult-like. I just couldn't understand how my family had managed to join one, and for several generations as well! But when you look at the way communities operate, how people are so desperate for something that makes sense, you spot little cults everywhere: friendship groups, wellness trends, live 'podcast recording' rallies.

"That's what the show is about: how cults are everywhere. Also, the audience gets to invent their own cult, and at the end, we decide if we want to join... I've learnt a lot about people's kinks that way."

And after the shows - any notable encounters?

"I've had an unexpected number of cult survivors tell me my show meant something to them and to share their stories, and I'm so grateful for that. I've learnt a lot. I've had women congratulate me for talking about the tricky dynamics of female groups, which I was so relieved about, as it's a scary subject to come at from a feminist lens.

"A professor from the US once stayed behind to tell me he thought my show was a thesis on human evolution, which wasn't the reaction I was expecting. I mean, I thought it was just a series of my inner ramblings, but now I'm gonna self-nominate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Special mention, though, goes to Mark, a cycling enthusiast who I met in a community sauna during Edinburgh Fringe. He told me (and everyone else in the sauna) about a girl he'd briefly dated when he was a roadie, who kidnapped him and took him to an island off the coast of Scotland, where they made him speak in tongues all weekend and offered him a chance to 'move in'. He said it was a good date but ultimately not worth joining a cult for."

The joy of sects. Kate-Lois Elliott, your Random 8 await.

Who is - or was - your most interesting relative?

Aside from my mum and whichever one of my ancestors decided to join up?

My stepdad is pretty cool. He met my mum, they fell in love, and later discovered they'd both been brought up in cults. My stepdad left Scientology (!) when he was a teenager, moved to Australia and lived in the outback with a shaman for something like nine years. He's a little bit magic now. He knows about the stars, and I swear he can make the wind change direction. He also makes his own mead and can whittle anything out of anything.

Also, I have loads of cousins - my mum was one of five - but only a few of them have seen the show. My family don't shy away from winding each other up at really inappropriate times; it's almost a sport. My cousin George (the legend) turned up at my show unannounced, and halfway through, I asked who wanted to hear more about my family's cult. George stood up, whooping, and then heckled me. I told everyone it was my cousin, but naturally, they all thought I was doing a bit.

Which film would you love to have been in, and which part?

I just want to be the one person in Les Mis who gets to wave the flag, and I would sell my own grandma to do it if she was still with us. What can I say? I like big chorus numbers, and I'm a sucker for a revolution.

What's the weirdest thing in your wardrobe?

A mouse costume made out of bin bags and a mottled blonde wig that looks exactly like my own hair. I'm relieved you didn't ask for an explanation.

Which place you've visited was the biggest anti-climax?

I was gigging in LA and went on a road trip to Joshua Tree, which is an utterly stunning national park in the desert. It really was amazing, but the marketing material is incredibly misleading.

You drive around the park and stop at all these spots of interest on the map. They're all called things like 'Hall of Mirrors', 'Magical Oasis' and 'The Lost Horse Mine'. But when you get there, it's just a bunch of rocks. Every single place we stopped at was rocks.

Ever met a particularly great - or awful - famous person?

I'm not sure if this counts, but I messaged Sara Pascoe before my Edinburgh debut last year after listening to her How To Fail episode, where she talks about what it's like to do the Fringe. I said that her honesty saved me from having a meltdown. She told me to rest assured that I would definitely still have a meltdown, but that's OK. It was the best advice she could have given me.

What's your favourite fact?

They had to cease and desist from building a highway across Iceland because the locals signed a petition to protect the indigenous elf population.

Ever walked out of a film (before the end)?

Unexpected given what industry I work in, but honestly, the worse the film, the more likely I am to enjoy it; the lower the Rotten Tomatoes score, the more glee I seem to get. I think it's the same as when a chef finishes work and all they want is a greasy kebab.

I once sat through a nine-minute montage of a bunch of strangers playing croquet in a Christmas B-movie, which, on reflection, I deeply regret.

What's the very best thing you've ever seen?

I saw an actual real-life town cryer read out a poem (in rhyming couplets) that he'd written for my brother-in-law to congratulate him on completing a marathon, which he'd done alone in the torrential rain, dressed as a minion. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen. I don't think I'll ever see anything as great as that, and I've seen the Northern Lights.

Kate-Lois Elliott: How To Belong Without Joining A Cult is on tour from March to June. Tickets