Jenny Bede: AAA

Jenny Bede's pilot goes out on BBC Three on Friday. We caught up with her to find out more...

Hi Jenny. Could we start off by asking you to talk about how you first got into comedy?

HELLO! Well, I sort of got into comedy by accident really. I studied Musical Theatre initially and kept getting cast as the comic roles (bar the occasionally heroin riddled prostitute). I eventually did a run in NewsRevue, the long-running topical sketch show at the Canal Café Theatre, which is where I first started writing.

I got so much more of a kick from performing comedy and found that it actually came far more naturally than anything I'd done before. After the run finished I continued to write and created a series of music parody videos for YouTube.

When you were making those YouTube videos, was the aim always to use it as a platform to get into television acting?

Yes, absolutely. There is a bit of a catch 22 in which people won't see you for things until they've seen what you can do, so for a newcomer it can be pretty frustrating.

I wanted to make something that I could show to potential agents and casting directors. The fact that the videos were as popular as they were was a total bonus and a huge surprise.

One downside of getting these TV jobs is that you've presumably not found time to make anything new for your YouTube subscribers?

That's true, I haven't done one for ages. When I started out, they were just me, a tripod, a £9 wig and an iTunes-bought backing track. As soon as I realised people were actually watching them, each video became more adventurous, more expensive and more and more time consuming. Also, as much as I loved parodying existing songs, I wanted to start writing my own music, which is what I've done in AAA.

So 'Jenny Bede: Access All Areas'... what can people expect when they tune in?

For fans of pop music, it will hopefully be a fun 15 minutes with a bunch of recognisable characters and music. But for those who aren't, it will effectively be me dicking around in various disguises. It's directed by the brilliant Al Campbell, and features Max & Ivan as half of Mumford & Sons.

The show runs for a touch under 20 minutes. Was it frustrating not to be able to get all your ideas in it?

Only a little bit. While I did have things that we couldn't fit in to the filming schedule and time frame, it was also a bit of a relief; the show was only commissioned a couple of months before filming, so it took some pressure off. As its set in such a silly world, it was quite easy to get carried away. My producer Richard Webb was amazing at encouraging me to write what I ideally wanted, then slowly talking me through the sheer ballache of filming with goats/babies/giant paddling pools whilst helping make it into a more doable version.

Did you enjoy the dressing up aspect? Any particular favourite?

The whole thing was so much fun; the Hair & Make up and Wardrobe department were phenomenal, so it's hard to pick a favourite. Definitely not Miley Cyrus though. While our Costume Designer, Jacqueline White, did an incredible job of getting me almost an exact replica of Miley's VMA outfit made by the same designers, I defy anyone to not feel self-conscious in a nude PVC bikini. The crew did offer to wear them too to make me feel better, but sadly our budget didn't stretch that far.

I think Peter Andre is the one that made me laugh the most - Jacqueline got all this ridiculous jewellery and a little pair of Cuban heels that really set the outfit off. And I don't know what it says about me, but I really liked the facial hair.

Ha ha. Although it's a spoof of these kind of people, your introductions would actually make you an ideal candidate for a T4 yoof type presenter...

Ha! I actually did some presenting for E4 when I did Mad On Chelsea, the sidekick show to Made In Chelsea, which was HUGE fun but pretty challenging. Until then, I hadn't realised how hard presenting can be... finding things to do with my hands was one of my biggest struggles; I tried sitting on them eventually, but apparently that looks creepy.

Social media is playing an increasing importance in marketing comedy. Some comedy actresses get trolled on Twitter though. Have you had any problems in this area?

Yes, and it sucks. You can't do anything without getting a barrage of opinions that you didn't ask for. I've been used to it ever since the YouTube videos, but I've never had quite so much hate as when I tweeted my disgust at a product River Island was selling - the 'anti-nag gag'. People got behind it, and it got removed from the shops but I got some pretty horrific abuse as a result... even from a fellow comic at one point. Trolls are weird; it's never about you, it's about them - but it's still incredibly difficult not to take personally.

I'm conscious that people will have something to say about AAA when it goes out on Friday but I'm going to try not to look. My plan is to lock myself in a room with no internet access, a litre of rum and some kettle chips and wait it out.

You won Best Newcomer at the Musical Comedy Awards last year... after just four gigs! Was that scary heading on to the big stage to perform?

Hugely. While I did a lot of live performing when I was in theatre, I still haven't got used to live comedy. It's the fear of bombing directly in front of people. When you create a sketch you can keep doing it and keep doing it until you're happy with it, but only having one shot in such an immediate environment is daunting. I'm getting more used to it, but if I don't gig for a while I'm as nervous as my first time.

What's up next for you?

More live stuff hopefully. I'm aiming to get an Edinburgh show together for 2015. That was the plan for this year, but Mad On Chelsea and AAA took so much time I didn't get around to writing anything. I'll be popping up as little parts in some more TV here and there and am continuing to develop both a sitcom and a sketch show.

'Jenny Bede: AAA' is on BBC Three on Friday 24th October 2014 at 11pm, or catch it anytime on BBC iPlayer