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Who did you admire when you were starting out?
I loved Lee Evans because of how he ran around on stage. I want to be more like him but I just physically can’t. I try to sometimes; I’ll move my arms. Now I understand why he was so sweaty!

Best heckle?
I was doing a gig and this woman was quite drunk and talking really loudly. I said, “Hello, what’s going on here?” And she went, “Don’t worry about me, love. You’re losing them as it is.” And I was like, OK. Well, that’s brilliant.

Can you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?
It was a hotel in a motorway service station. And it was on a flat disco stage in a hall, like a wedding reception floor. They had round tables … If you ever walk into a gig and it’s got round tables, leave, because the audience isn’t facing you. I was only doing five minutes. The DJ was setting up behind me during it. The lights in the room were on because they were serving dinner, which was hot chicken and chips. All I could see was the back of people’s heads, rustling paper, people sucking on chicken. I thought, “Is this comedy?” And it turns out, 80% of it is, yes.

What can audiences expect from your new show, It Was Like That When I Got Here?
The context of it is: I haven’t changed. I’m never gonna change. These are the problems that I have. And the problems that I have are my own, because I’ve caused them. I’m the issue. I mean, between me and you, Liam, it’s just me talking about fannies, arseholes and willies. But you can’t put that in the Guardian. Well, you can if you want. Knock yourself out!

Your nan once said you should ‘give up comedy now and do hairdressing’. As you return to the Edinburgh fringe, has that opinion changed?
No. My nan follows me on Instagram and she’s in her 90s. I’ve hidden her from a lot of stories, but I can’t hide her from my posts. But then I’ve realised she’s probably as bad as the rest of us. When I did The Weakest Link I thought she’d love that. But I did so badly on it that I was ashamed. She says stuff like, “Oh, you’ve made your point now.”

Your last show in 2023 got nominated for best Edinburgh newcomer and won NextUp’s biggest award in comedy. Is the pressure on?
The last time, I was up for the whole run but still working my day job remotely. I was there with my child and my husband and there was so much going on, I couldn’t think. So when I got nominated I thought: this is mad. As for this year … You know when you replay a computer game and suddenly you know where all the hidden bits are? That’s kind of how I feel. I’m doing a short run, I’ll get through it quicker and then beat the boss. I mean, you can say that to yourself as much as you want, but the pressure’s still like you have to be the prize pig at the fringe.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
I like to have a banana. I also like to do a few squats, because I move around a bit on stage. I’ve realised that I actually have to warm up. But what I’ve started doing recently is giving people in the room context to what I’m doing, because I was just squatting on the floor and people were like, “Are you OK?”

Any bugbears from the world of comedy?
When you’ve had a bad gig (everyone does sometimes), someone will come up to you afterwards and go, “Oh, that was great.” I’m like, “Are you unwell? Were you in the same room as me? I died.” I guess it’s people blowing smoke up your arse. But if it’s bad, just say it’s bad.

What’s been one of your all-time favourite gigs?
The gig itself was pretty bad. It was in a social club in Redditch. Other than Andrew Bird, I can’t remember who else was on, but there was no green room. We were just kind of blocked off by tables that had been put around one side. I thought: this is going to be bad, but let’s just enjoy ourselves. And then the venue gave us a silver platter of sausages, white bread and butter. There was more food there than anyone could ever eat. Birdie’s a vegan, so I sat there for the whole show and ate sausage, bread and chips. And that was my favourite gig I’ve ever done because each one of us died on our arse … and it was wonderful. But I will do anything for carbs and meat.