‘Laughter is even more important in difficult times’
Actor and writer Andi Osho had her big break as a stand-up comic – and humour remains a driving force in her career.
Although I feel at home when I’m performing, I haven’t always felt like that. I’m 48 now and I didn’t realise I could make a career as an entertainer until I was nearly 30. My upbringing was challenging; my dad left when I was young, so my mum raised my brothers and me by herself. It could be strict at home, so I was playful around my friends. When I finished school, I studied TV programme-making and embarked on a career in production.
In 2001, I was working on the soap Night And Day and the cast became friends. Something must have rubbed off from them on to me, because it ignited something in me. I realised I wanted to perform and I’d never acknowledged it. I’d lacked confidence, but I thought, ‘Maybe I can do it.’ So, I completed a one-year part-time drama course. I was still working in production, but doing both was taking its toll, so I waved goodbye to my job and worked in bars and became a receptionist to make ends meet while I went to auditions.
In the years that followed, I had small appearances in shows such as Eastenders and Casualty, but I was frustrated by my progress. I looked into the career journeys of actors I admired and they had done stand-up comedy. I thought, ‘Obviously I’m not doing that.’ But soon after, I watched a friend in a comedy competition, and it was electric. I wanted that fizz of being on stage and connecting with the audience. So, I started a course in stand-up. You can’t teach someone to be funny, but I learned the mechanics of comedy.
I was so scared before my first show that I wasn’t able to speak. I thought, ‘If you’re going to render yourself mute by doing this, it’s not worth it. Either do it and enjoy it, or don’t do it.’ I went on stage and loved every second! The audience was so warm that I wanted to go back for more. I travelled the country doing gigs; sometimes I did shows where there were more comedians than audience members. Most of the time, though, it was magical.
By 2010, I was a full-time comedian. The tipping point was going on Mock The Week, as other shows started taking me seriously. My favourite experiences were when there was rolling laughter; when everything I’d say would set the audience off and I was almost surfing on their laughs.
It could be tough being a Black woman in a white-male dominated industry. Once, a writer went out of his way to criticise me. A producer told me it was because he thought I’d got the job because I’m a Black woman. But diversity is important for comedy, as it expands people’s horizons to hear humour from different types of people. Having more representation benefits everyone.
A few years ago, I started to feel burned-out from stand-up. I reassessed what I wanted and reunited with my love of acting. I’m proud of the roles I’ve had since, including a supporting role in I May Destroy You opposite Michaela Coel, and acting in superhero movie Shazam! and Sky’s Curfew.
I couldn’t tell all the stories I wanted through stand-up, so I’ve been writing scripts, too. This year, I published my first novel, Asking For A Friend. Comedy will always be a part of me; I love communicating humour in everything I do.
Laughter is even more important in difficult times. Comedy helps us make sense of the world and lightens the burden of it. I’ve been in serious situations, then someone’s said something funny and everyone’s in tears laughing. It’s probably because we needed to release the tension. What would life be without laughter?
Asking For A Friend (HQ) by
Andi Osho is out now