By Tyler Ody
ANGELA BARNES
HOT MESS
UK Tour 2023
“A gloriously down-to-earth, straight-talking and extremely funny comic” – GUARDIAN
“A natural born storyteller… Hot Mess is hilarious” – VOICE MAG ★★★★★
Angela Barnes (Mock The Week, Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
and former chair of BBC Radio 4s The News Quiz) has good intentions but trying to live
your best life, as it turns out, is really bloody hard. Stand-up, stories and jokes from one of
the UK’s finest comedians.Angela Barnes swapped a career in health and social care for stand-up in 2010 and hasnt looked back. Within just a couple of years she had won the BBC New Comedy Award, and has now gone on to UK tours and starring as a regular on BBC’s Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo, and Hypothetical on Dave. She is a firm favourite on BBC Radio 4, having featured on The Now Show and The News Quiz – including a recent stint as the host – and she has also hosted BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack. Besides this, Angela co- hosts the popular podcast We Are History with John O’Farrell (Acast).
ONE4REVIEW ★★★★★
”thoroughly entertaining… well written, well balanced, quality”
BROADWAY BABY ★★★★
“Well thought-out, quick-fire one-liners are delivered by a down-to-earth and likeable stage persona”
EDINBURGH FESTIVALS MAGAZINE ★★★★
“Great punchlines galore”
TOUR DATES
Saturday, 11 February 2023 Barton upon Humber The Ropewalk
Saturday, 18 February Maidstone Hazlitt
Tuesday, 21 February Newcastle Stand
Wednesday, 22 February Edinburgh Stand
Thursday, 23 February Glasgow Stand
Friday, 3 March Oxford North Wall Arts Centre
Saturday, 4 March Bakewell Town Hall
Friday, 10 March Bordon Phoenix
Thursday, 16 March Burton upon Trent The Brewhouse
Friday, 17 March Chorley Theatre
Thursday, 6 April Loughborough Town Hall Main Hall
Wednesday, 12 April London Leicester Square Theatre
Friday, 14 April Ivybridge Watermark
Saturday, 15 April Penzance The Acorn
Sunday, 16 April Lynton Town Hall 7.30pm
Saturday, 22 April Chipping Norton Theatre 7.30pm
Tuesday, 25 April Brighton Komedia
Thursday, 27 April Bracknell South Hill Park Arts Centre
Wednesday, 3 May Cardiff Glee
Thursday, 4 May Winchester Arc
Friday, 5 May Tiverton TCAT
Saturday, 6 May Bath Theatre Royal (Ustinov Studio)
Friday, 12 May Worcester Huntingdon Hall
Saturday, 13 May Radlett Centre
Sunday, 14 May Colchester Arts Centre
Friday, 26 May Fareham Ashcroft Arts Centre
Saturday, 27 May Aldershot West End Centre
Angela Barnes
UK Tour 2023
Syndicated interview
By Bruce Dessau
You will know Angela Barnes from Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
and as a regular panellist on Mock The Week. She is a fabulous, flame-haired comedian,
never short of a snappy quip, positively bursting with stories and jokes.
In her new show, Hot Mess, Barnes reflects on marriage, ADHD (Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder) and the pandemic. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. I spoke to
Barnes about all of this, plus her love of bunkers - not the golfing variety – and more.
Angela Barnes Hot Mess tour starts on 11 February in Barton Upon Humber. For all dates
and tickets go to: www.angelabarnescomedy.co.uk
Tell us about Hot Mess.
It was originally about ADHD, but, ironically, I got distracted. The title of the show was
conceived before the diagnosis. Ive always been ditzy and forgetful, someone that people
roll their eyes at all the time. So the show started off being about trying to get things right and often failing, but then so much happened it ended up being about something quite different, about friendship and
loss. Your boyfriend Matt proposed when lockdown started…
He tried to propose earlier. Wed gone on holiday to Norfolk. He ordered the ring online
and they sent the wrong one. It was like a tiny childs ring so he didnt do it. Then my
brother announced that hed got engaged so it was like we cant do it now, it looks like Im
just doing it because hes done it. Then we were supposed to be going to Islay in Scotland
in March 2020. So Matt thought hell do it there. And of course that got cancelled because
of Covid. My diary just emptied and I was really miserable, so he just thought ill do it now'.
Were you able to have a proper wedding? We married in September 2021. It was just after the restrictions were lifted on weddings. We had our reception in a field so people felt safe. And it was great because it was the first party anyone had been to for a year and a half so the atmosphere was brilliant. Everyone
was ready for a party. Thats my wedding tip – have a wedding at the end of a global
pandemic. People are really up for it.
Lots of comedians have ADHD – Aisling Bea, Shaparak Khorsandi, Simon Brodkin,
you. It can't be a coincidence can it?
I think theres a reason we get drawn into this life. Were constantly looking for that
dopamine hit. What better way than stand in front of a room of strangers? Its not normal to
drive to Cardiff for no money to do ten minutes then drive back. Also, I think were quite
socially awkward. Ive never been good in social situations with people I dont know. Im
more comfortable onstage in front of a crowd in the dark. Im more surprised by stand ups
that dont have ADHD. Why are they doing it? Mock The Week ended this year after 17 years. How was it for you? I did 38 episodes, the most for any woman and seventh on the list overall. I did my first one in 2014 and thought &what am I doing here? but by the end I felt I belonged. I owe a lot to it. If it wasnt for Mock The Week I wouldn't be doing a tour of this size. Its nice to not have to write jokes about the news for a bit though. I looked at my notes from my first episode recently and the top story then was that David Cameron had gone on holiday to Cornwall and couldnt get phone reception. It was a glorious time by comparison.
Was it a good showcase for female acts? It took a while to realise that woman wasnt a genre of comedy. I think they worried that women were doing the same subject matter. But my material is more similar to male observational comics than it is to, say, Sara Pascoe. Once they got their head around that I think it changed the show. And once they started having more than one woman on you could tell the difference in energy. I think it started as comedy as combat, having to get your elbows out and get in and became an ensemble piece. You started stand-up after training as a nurse and working in social care? I was in my early 30s, I think you realise that comedy doesnt really matter that much when you;ve come from doing a job where peoples lives matter. During the pandemic we found out who was essential and comedians werent essential. Nurses and doctors were. So were sort of a luxury item. But comedy can be good for peoples mental health? Sometimes people write to you after shows and say I;ve just been through this terrible thing and I was able to forget about it for an hour. It does have the power to do that. But I think we can take ourselves too seriously. I think were entertainers primarily, were the
court jesters poking fun. How do you relax? I heard your hobby is visiting nuclear bunkers I had my hen do in a nuclear bunker in Dundee. Im fascinated by them. I visit them when I can. If I had my way, every episode of our We Are History podcast (which Barnes co-hosts with comedy writer John OFarrell) would be about the Cold War, but we try to cover other periods as well. At the start of the pandemic I bought a sewing machine, boxing gloves and roller boots and went a bit mad. But I do like sewing and learnt how to crochet. Your tour stretches from Glasgow to Penzance – do you like life on the road? I love it. Theres just something about live comedy. People have bought a ticket to see you and thats a really nice feeling. Im always amazed as well that people come. Im just like, why are they here? I'm glad you have but why?
You were the first person to win five consecutive episodes on Richard Osmans House of Games. Are you competitive? I am with certain things. Weirdly not in my career particularly, but I definitely am with board games. My family wont even play with me now. I dont like it when people dont take it seriously. What would you like audiences to take away from Hot Mess? The bottom line is, it jokes, its a funny show. But it;s got a bit of heart as well.