if.comedy

There must have been something in the air in 1981. Alternative comedy burst forth at the Comic Strip, Bill Burdett-Coutts founded Assembly Rooms at the Fringe and the Edinburgh Comedy Awards were born in the guise of the Perrier Award.

And me? I was playing Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream on tour with the company from the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. In 1982 - wanting to do my own work - I brought my own adaptation of HE Bates' Dulcina to the Celtic Lodge on the Royal Mile with my friend Colin Watkeys. Colin directed, designed the set and lights, did the press and I did everything else and had a whopping part. Everything, including the set, had to fit in to my ford Escort or it didn't come. We sank our life savings into it and learned how to produce.

We got a terrific review in The Scotsman, sold out the run, were offered some touring dates and a run at the Finborough Arms, a pub theatre in London.

While at the Finborough, we started doing late-night comedy on Fridays and Saturdays. We had fantastic performers doing open slots - Jeremy Hardy, Paul Merton, Rory Bremner - while I compered because we couldn’t afford to pay anyone.