ON THE COVER I Make My Children Cringe! Jo Brand
Comedian, autho or and cat rescuer Jo Bra and is unrepentant abou ut being embarrassing
Millions of viewers will be tuning in as Jo Brand returns with another fur-filled series of cute kittens and dramatic feline rescues.
Although the presenter’s two teenage daughters will be amongst them, she confesses that they aren’t exactly her most devoted fans.
“They watch me through their hands!” Jo jokes. “They’re 16 and 17 so they probably don’t watch me as much as they used to. Obviously we can’t tie them into a chair any more!
“They’ll watch things if they like the other people on it, so for example they love it when I’m on Would ILie To You, because they like Lee Mack, David Mitchell and Rob Br ydon. But me? No!
“They like comedy and I would say they both have feminist leanings, so I’m not way out of their comfort zone in terms of their outlook on the world, but on the other hand I am their mum, so I make them cringe on a daily basis!
“And if their friends have seen something I’ve done on television, that’s even worse.”
But even teenagers can’t fail to be moved by the touching stories of tabby rescues, bravery and kindness that are a regular feature of Channel 5’s Kitten Rescue. Across six episodes Jo follows RSPCA inspectors and emergency services in their tireless efforts to save the nation’s cats from harm.
We also see Jo don her nurse’s apron as she visits two of the country’s busiest animal hospitals.
But while Jo is a big cat lover herself, she admits she did have qualms when she was told filming would take place inside the operating theatre.
“I used to be squeamish about blood and they said, ‘Well, if you keep fainting we’ll put you outside!’” She smiles. “But actually I surprised myself.
“It was much easier than I thought and as yet, I haven’t had to leave the room. I haven’t embarrassed myself, which I quite like doing actually, so I’m rather upset that I haven’t fainted, because it would make good telly, wouldn’t it!”
More than 13 million people across the UK are cat owners and Jo (61) is one of them, sharing her London home with her husband, Bernie Bourke, daughters Maisie and Eliza and the family’s two cats, Dottie and 22-year-old Louie.
“I like the character of cats,” Jo explains. “They’re slightly more independent than most pets and also they’re snooty and they don’t do what they’re told. Do I identify with that? No, not at all!” she adds with a chuckle.
Jo has had a varied career, after switching to comedy following ten years as a psychiatric nurse. In 2009 she took part in Let’s Dance For Comic Relief, yet she is adammant that Strictly ComeDancing is not ono her bucket list.
“They’ve asked me tto do Strictly a few times and if I’d donne it 20 years ago I could have had a goodd go; I do like dancing and Lisa Riley showed you don’t need to be a stick to bee good at it.
“But I think at my agge, I would just be the comedy fat persson!” she says with a wr y grin. “I would either be fired out of a cannon or pulled across the floor by a gurning AntonA Du Beke!
“I don’t like all the clothesc that they wear either. Sorry,S Strictly, but I think all thatt glitter is hideous. Put mem in a black sack and I’m happy!
“And obviously my husband would be terrrified of the curse of Strictly. . Not! He’d be only too pleas ed if one of the dancers to ook me away!”
For now, however, Jo o has her hands full with the assorted cats and kitte ens who find themselves in nee ed of help.
But as adorable as thet animals are, she is det termined that her hands won’t li terally be full as she heads home e at the end of a day’s filming.
“Of course I’d like to o take a big basket of all of the m,” she says. “They’re lovely, butb you have to be straight-hea aded enough to think what it t will be like when they’re bigge er and how our own cats woul ld respond, so as yet I’ve e managed not to give in n to temptation.”
“They said, ‘Well, if you keep p fainting we’ll put you outside e’”