Perfect Day with Jessica Knappett - EP 42: Laura Lexx

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

This week the fantastic writer and comedian Laura Lexx joins Jess to share her perfect day. Laura tells us all about contractually obligating her siblings to hang out with her and her love for the smell of hot hair. We also hear Laura’s passion for stand-up and the rituals of womanhood, in between a quick Grecian getaway and a few roller coaster rides! Like and subscribe for brand-new episodes every Thursday. Follow us on Instagram @perfectdaycast. And, why not get in touch? Email us at [e-mail] A Keep It Light Media ProductionSales and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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contact Connects Ontario 1866 531 2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. All right then. I think eye contact is the killer of a good conversation. Hello Perfect Dayers, I'm Jessica Knappett and you are a grown woman. You don't need a water bottle to tell you you got this. Welcome to Perfect Day. It is my pleasure to introduce an incredibly lovely funny lady. I was meeting her for the first time in this interview. It is the fantastic writer and comedian Laura Lex. And you'll be proud of me listeners. Today is a very, very well structured Perfect Day. Despite a healthy amount of tanges. Laura tells us all about contractually obligating her siblings to hang out with her and her love for the smell of hot hair.

We chat about the rituals of womanhood. She takes an eco-friendly plane ride. We didn't say perfect day couldn't be fantastical and we hear her love letter to stand-up comedy. Shall we get this perfect party started? Let's go! This is Laura Lex's Perfect Day. And where are the birds? What have they done with all the birds? Alright then. Oh, was that a seagull?

Yeah, I live in Brighton. Yeah, you do. Of course you do. Yeah. You've made the right choice there. How is Brighton. Yeah, you do. Of course you do. Yeah. You've made the right choice there. How is Brighton life? Oh yeah, I've been here 13 years now and you will have to pry me out of this town with an implement.

Yeah, but. Good for you. We are just hitting baby seagull season and they're not renowned for being reasonable or quiet. I love that. During lockdown lockdown I lived on a chicken farm and I used to have all my zooms with like massive cockerels in the background but they're actually incredibly like the idea of chickens is so much better than the reality of it because they are incredibly noisy and everyone did that didn't they in lockdown

and then I think I think people let the foxes in. Yeah. I think they left holes in the fence. There's somebody down the road from me that's got chickens. And the dog is always so interested. When we walk past the fence, you're like, what the hell is going on behind there? And you're like, nothing that we're gonna get involved with, babe.

We're just gonna keep moving. They're not for us. They're not for the likes of us, city folk. So, Laura, you're taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe this year? Yeah. First time in six years that I've been to the Fringe. Really? Six years? Wow. How are you feeling about it? Do you know, I'm quite excited actually, because I'm not doing the month. So I'm doing a like what we'd call a cheats Edinburgh, you know? Smart.

I'm doing 10 days, babe. That's all right, isn't it? That's the perfect way to do it. Cause the fringe is wonderful. It's just that for a performer, it's far too long. Yeah. And you go insane about 10 days in. Yeah. I, it's been so long since I've done it.

I did it when I was in a sketch group for a few years. And it was sort of all right then, because I was a sprightly hungry 20-something year old, but I can't imagine doing a month of the same show now as a 14 year old. No, I think that's the thing for me is I like, last time I did it, I lived in a terrible rented flat. So going to Edinburgh and staying in a terrible rented flat. So going to Edinburgh and staying in a terrible rented flat was fine. But I haven't been since I bought my house that I love living

in and got a dog and a kid and really enjoy my life. So the thought of like just throwing that in a blender for a month. And I know like a month it doesn't sound like much. But when you're doing it and you are like you know I usually do end up doing three to four gigs a day every day for 30 days you it sort of makes me understand reality TV you know when you're watching reality TV and you're thinking why are these people behaving so weirdly and I think Edinburgh does that it messes with your psyche doesn't it and you sort of like, I will never be normal again. So I'm hoping this year because the show's already done.

I toured it last year, so I'm not stressed all summer previewing new shows. Oh, this is ideal. I'm only doing 10 days, so that's easy, isn't it? Lovely. Are you writing more books because you're an author as well? So you're a comedian, you're an author, you're a podcaster. You're a poly mouth. Yeah, I am writing a new book. I'm sort of writing a new one with my sister. I like to get my siblings involved.

Yeah, because don't you have a podcast with your brother about sibling rivalry? Yeah, it's sort of about science. So my brother is really into science. and I'm 10 years older than my brother so I like left home when he was eight, nine and he's always had a really good interest in comedy because I started comedy at 21 or something. So from the time he's been like what 12 his older sister was a comedian so he's always been really into comedy and live comedy and I've always taken him to comedy. So then we really wanted to work together on something because basically he moved to Brussels,

and I was like, you're gonna move to Brussels and never talk to me again. I'm going to contractually tie you into a friendship. So I made him do a podcast with me. So what we thought we'd do is he'd teach me science so that I could get into his hobby, passion thing. So yeah, we do that. And then my sister lives in the wilds of Scotland. So I was like, right, okay, I need to have a project with you as well so that you have to talk to me. So I had an idea for a book

and I said, do you want to write it together? So we're sort of, we're really at the early stages of that. Oh wow, that's a great way to force a connection with your family members. Yeah, right. It's voiced work projects on them. But I know what you mean, because I can sometimes get in that head space

being like, I really know, I really like this person and I want to hang out with them more. So I'll just try and write them into something. Yeah. Yeah. Because do you get this like, so me and my husband have been married 10 years this year and we're having an anniversary. Did you invent a project? We actually are making a book together to be fair. I should really talk to a counsellor about why I turn all my relationships into work projects.

Did you invent a project before you married him so that you could get closer to him? Well we did meet through kind of through comedy. We met at the, well we didn't meet, we went to uni together but we got together at the Edinburgh Festival. So sort of, god, now I'm saying it all out loud like this is quite sad. Do you mind telling the story of how you got together? It's not romantic, Jess. It's not romantic. Brilliant. We were up at the Fringe. So my husband's in an improv group with, well, at the time

it was five of them that I'd gone to uni with, all of them. And I sent a message to all of them going, hey guys, I haven't seen you in a couple of months since we graduated. Do you fancy hanging out? Tom was the one that replied. So I married him. Did you like all of them? Oh, they're all my best friends. I love them to bits. So Tom Horton, who you've probably met, he's a stand up now. Like I've known them since I was 18. So we were at the University of Kent and they're called The Noise Next Door. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, have you ever worked with them? You've probably met them at corporates and stuff. I think we were, because I was in a sketch group called Lady Garden. And around that time, I definitely think we gigged with them. Yeah, probably. So this would be about 2008. I think they started. Yeah, yeah, same, same.

Yeah, oh yeah, you'll have done early fringes with them started. Yeah, yeah, same, same. Yeah, oh yeah, you'll have done early fringes with them then. Yeah, definitely. So I think my first fringe was 2009. So yeah, they still perform, they're still going. It's quite nice having a comedian partner because it's like having a colleague but you're not like together all the time.

Do you know what I mean? Like, it's not like you work together in the office all day and then go home together, but we know all the same people. So you can, and if you're trying to explain a gig, he knows what I mean by it. Yeah. You know, that's nice. Do you ever fight over jobs or does anything ever come up that's like, oh, I would have

liked that and it's gone to you or anything. I think that's where we're lucky that he's a bloke and improv. And then I'm a standup. He's never been interested in doing standup. So no, not too much. I kind of feel like it's a really good link. Because also, he doesn't write material for what he does. They come up with game premises and like the show concept. But he's a brilliant person to run material by because he knows the rhythm of it.

And because he's around stand up so much. So I can kind of test an idea without him also competing for trying to write jokes. And, you know, we're not mining the same world. It's not like something funny happens and we both go like, Dibs, I'm having that for my show. Yeah. You know, so it's kind of perfect. And improvisers are just the best kind of people really, aren't they?

Cause they're not about outdoing you on the whole. I think improvisers, because of the whole, the thing that underpins improv is that you build on whatever the other person's given you. They're like generally like good people I find. I think so. Yeah. And I think improv in this country is a bit like poo-pooed quite a lot. Yeah. We had Carrie Adloyde on the show and she talks about the hierarchy of comedy. She said that she believes that improv is like right on the bottom row.

Yeah, I think it is. And it's weird because in the States, they have a much more valued version of improv. But then I think the States obviously gets a lot wrong and let's not go too political. I think in their terms of developing comedy, I think they have a better ladder of developing, you can get into improv and then you can get into stand-up and then there's much more writer's room culture. So there's all of that development there. But this country really does seem to think of, I don't know if flyers at the Edinburgh Fringe form everybody's first opinion of improv groups and then they, that's my husband. He's so relaxed. He doesn't have that like Jack

Russell-y stand up needy nature that I've got, you know, that like, love me. Am I funny? Oh, I need to like be funny in every conversation. He's just, he just likes himself. It's really weird. Wow, that is weird. It's nice though, isn't it, when sort of living with a man and observing the way that they go about the world sometimes. Because I feel like that about my husband sometimes. I'm like, you don't really seem to feel guilty

about enjoying yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Just sort of like, if you feel like having some leisure time, you just have it. Yeah. Yeah. Just sort of like, if you feel like having some leisure time, you just have it. Yeah. You don't question it. You just enjoy yourself. You don't, you don't feel the need to earn it. Yeah. Tom's exactly like that. He'd get on really well with your husband. There's days he sort of has this like hyper-focused thing where I'll go out and do something and I'll

come back and he's still in exactly the same place and he'll look at me and I see this like panic in him going, I'm really hungry and you go, have you not eaten? I've been gone for 14 hours. He's like, I just forgot I was enjoying what I was doing and I sort of, I'm so jealous of that ability to just be enjoying what you're doing and therefore be completely absorbed by it Mmm, do you not ever have that? I don't have that at all Don't you? No

What about when you're writing? No You don't get absorbed by it. Are you talking about like being in what they call the flow state? I think the only time I've ever really experienced that is on stage. Oh right. I have it on stage but writing no is a constant like keep looking at the screen, keep thinking about what you're doing, don't get out of this chair. It's really like a scrap for me. Yeah are you saying that it's like it's a challenge to find those moments for you? Yes. I once had an interesting chat with my therapist about having an inability to relax,

like an almost diagnosed inability to just be content with being. And so like constantly needing to be distracted or like you were saying like you know like the lack of guilt thing is I think it's like it's that it's like what's this moment doing oh it's just making me happy what's the point of that then it's got to do something else you know like. Yeah I totally relate to that yeah. I think that's why my perfect day has ended up being quite sociable because I love being around people. I'm not good at being alone.

Okay. Would you describe yourself as an extrovert? Around people I'm really comfortable with, yes. But if you put me with people I don't know I would just leave immediately. Like it's that weird thing isn't it? Where I would perform to 3,000 people and then I would rather choke on my own vomit than meet any of them one to one afterwards. And that's no offence to the people. I just hate that one to one bit.

I'd rather perform and show off and dance about and blah, blah, blah, blah, and then go away and listen to a podcast alone. I don't like small talk with people, I don't know. Would you prefer it if I just went to get another 3,000 people and brought them into the street? I mean, I'm hoping some people will listen in my head. Is this your worst nightmare?

That like this one conversation is always a how do you genuinely how do you feel about this situation? Is it not the faith, the favorite? I don't mind because I suppose in my head this is like this is performing. OK, yeah. Is that terrible? No, no, no. Like it's got a purpose. It's not just it's not small talk because there's a purpose to it, because it's a podcast rather than just like having a chat after a show.

You're not going to say, aren't you brave? I don't know how you think of all those things. Well, you don't know. You don't know. I normally like female comedians. How do you juggle this with your daughter? You know, like those are the ones where I just think this is pointless. This is a waste of time. I've answered this question before, go away. And they don't know that. But that's the bit where I just find, and also I don't have to make eye contact

with you doing this. I think eye contact is the killer of a good conversation. Wow. Do you? So what do you, so where do you look then? Because we're talking to each other, well I'm in a studio, you're in your house, this is a remote record. If we were in the same room, would you not be making eye contact with me then? I'd prefer not to, like the dream would be. Love this. Like, have you never had the best conversation of your life on a long car journey? Because you're both just looking forward so you can... Do you know what? I think that's so true.

My husband really opens up on car journeys and I think that might be why. The other time I realized that I was having a great chat without eye contact was oddly at a party I went to in Los Angeles, this sounds very showbiz off me, but there was just a jigsaw out. There was a jigsaw puzzle out. That's amazing. And I made a really, really good friend that night, who like, it's been probably seven or eight years, and we're like such solid friends

that I'm going over to America to see her next week. We met making a jigsaw puzzle at a party. No eye contact whatsoever. But you're also building something together. It was a stroke of genius. And the woman who laid them out, she's a showrunner and she has jigsaws in her writer's room as like a place to break and then they go off and do jigsaw puzzles. Isn't that so cool? That's great. That makes me feel a lot better that a lot of the time when I'm so when I direct and I help other people with their comedy I'll tend to listen to or watch through their show a couple of times and

I like to play a puzzle game on my phone while I'm doing it. And I find that it helps me concentrate better. And I always feel guilty, like, Oh, I'm not paying attention, but actually I think I'm paying better attention by busying up one part of my brain to listen better. Yeah, I'm with you. you. What a great little intro. We just, we, this is what we do. We just have a chat about any old shit and then we talk about your perfect day with absolutely no segue whatsoever. That I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I just like having a general chat and then we go into it. Are you ready to tell us your perfect day? Yeah, I think so. Laura Lex, what's your perfect morning? Okay, it's rained overnight but now it's hot and blue skyy It's rained overnight, but now it's hot and blue sky and a good crisp morning, you know? I get it.

Yeah. I think my perfect morning is quite anticipatory and social. So I think my perfect morning, I want it to be the morning of someone's wedding, maybe mine, not sure. And I want one of those like hustly bustly mornings of everybody in and out the house getting ready for something. Oh, I love this. Yes, I do. Like that.

Have you ever seen a sitcom called The Royal Family? Yes. The very last episode of series one, they're getting ready for a wedding and it's fabulous. Yeah. It's like that. I love that. Like that feeling of, I love the smell of hot hair. I love the smell of hot hair in the morning. So people getting ready and champagne and mimosas and spilling it on the carpet and some sort of buffet brunch situation of croissants and, you know, somebody's got an annoying

dietary requirement that's pissed off one of your aunts and they're cross about that and you're trying to get that done and things are turning up and they're right and they're not right and that in and out, but you've got time. Do you know what I mean? There's no real stress. There's just mini stresses and excitement and that real event feeling. And I specifically love that morning getting readiness and kids running around in little dresses that look adorable because they're all fancy. So it is a collective getting ready for something. Yes.

And have you had this morning, did you say you're married? Yes. You are married. So when you were getting ready for your wedding day, was it, is this kind of a memory? Yeah, sort of like half mine, half my sisters. My older sister's wedding, we got ready at my parents' house. And I remember being little like and and if mum and dad were ever going out somewhere, like my mum, do you remember hot brushes?

It's like, yeah, yeah. That had like a little gas canister and a flame inside them. And then I love that smell of mum's perfume and hairspray and the hot hair getting ready and that feeling of like a fancy thing is going to happen or if they were having people over, like the vacuumed carpet and the smell of polish and then people arriving. So like a messy loads of shoes in the hall over a recently cleaned hall. And I think there's something so nice and like it's quite female, which is quite nice. And it's, it feels quite like cultural, like it's

so sociable and so family orientated, but because it's not the organized event bit, it's just people genuinely interacting with each other for a big event. And it's my favorite bit of any big event, you know, that. Yeah. Oh God, there's some, this is so poetic. I'm right there with you. I know, I know exactly what you mean. And I can imagine this, this like action and there's a, I you. I know exactly what you mean. And I can imagine this action.

I think it goes back to what you were saying earlier about purpose. It's obviously quite important to you. But there's a reason we're doing this. Yeah. But also, there's a good couple of hours where I'm sat there and someone's doing my makeup and my hair, you know? I love having my hair and makeup done. I love that like pamperingness. You know, maybe somebody's coming to do our nails. So there's like that busyness, but there's always, I think that's what's so great about this getting ready and especially like where you are having hair and makeup done where there's all this hustle and bustle done, but there's at least two or three people who are stuck in a chair who can't move, you know? Don't put that there. Who's left the door open? The dog's vanished. So there's somebody in a dressing gown and curlers chasing

a dog down the road and, oh, the baby's shut itself, but, oh, I can't deal with that. So somebody else and that like, oh, I love it. I love that feeling of the event isn't happening yet. And the event's gonna happen with all these same people. So why are we doing this? You've all just seen each other without makeup on. So why are we putting makeup on to be around the exact same people and do the event? But you need the ritual of it.

The ritual, yeah, it's so important. And this is a very feminine ritual. Yeah. The getting ready, there must be something slightly primal about And this is a very feminine ritual. Yeah. The getting ready, there must be something slightly primal about this, like a gathering of women. I think so. I think we're a similar age. When you grew up, I had a lot of my teenage years

through the 90s and noughties. I don't think I grew up with the best opinion of women and to what wearing a lot of makeup and being girly was. I remember rejecting girliness, like, oh, it's a bit girly. That was a big part of my childhood. So there's something really lovely about embracing that as an adult and just being okay with it. And there's something very nice about accepting ridiculous ritual, because actually ritual is important to humans. It's not frivolity. It's what the point of all of it is. I know exactly what you mean. And I sit in the middle of it sometimes as well. And I've definitely been through phases of rejecting

all of that girly stuff. And then come round to the realization that the fact that it's made trivial is a kind of in and of itself a kind of way of another way of sort of like oppressing women and making and belittling them. And you know, it's like it's not silly actually, because this is, this is how we express ourselves. And this is how we bond and connect. And it's a celebration of our femininity. But at the same time, it's also a huge distraction to be constantly thinking about your appearance. So like you sit in the middle of it sometimes, don't you? Yeah.

And especially as like a mother of daughters, I feel like, oh my God, because I can see my daughter getting excited about clothes and I'm like, yeah, express yourself. Isn't it fun? It's fun to feel good in your clothes, isn't it? But also very important, what's on the inside? Mate, I, 100% like, yes. I'm also, I've got a daughter, she's only three, but she's in

that bit where, you know, she chooses her own clothes. And I love makeup. I love it. I love getting ready for gigs. I love watching makeup tutorials. I find it really soothing. And so she likes watching me put makeup on and I am it really soothing and so she likes watching me put makeup on and and I am trying to be so careful with my language around it of going why are you wearing that mummy because I want to because it's fun there is no mention of because it makes me pretty or I feel uncomfortable without it or and I really like I don't wear makeup unless I'm gigging pretty much or going out to a, you know, something sociable.

So I make sure that like, oh, I don't have to have it on to leave the house, you know, and it's a tight rope, isn't it? Trying to. Oh God, it's a fucking minefield. But I also, like, I don't know, the other thing that I've been thinking about loads is like body image and like having muscle. Cause that's like, it's sort of like a similar area

where like it's just occurred to me that like it's good to have, I mean, I don't, but like it's good to work out and have like a good, strong body for the reasons other than appearance. Like genuinely, that is something that's only just occurred to me. But like it could be really good for your, like for your body generally and like it could help you sort of live longer and just be stronger. And like also you could, you could defend yourself or you could get out of a situation like you could run away like there is so that because I've always objected to being told how to look yeah it's never occurred to me that

I could look after my body just for you yeah I know what you mean. I do work out a lot. Do you? Are you muscular? I am. I'm an incredibly dense human being. I'm probably one of the heaviest people that you wouldn't expect to be as heavy as they are. When did this start for you? So I really struggled to fall pregnant and I didn't react very well. So I had, it sounds like a joke, but it's, I had postnatal depression without having a baby. So I got climate anxiety when I was trying for a baby, which is really common in new mums. I just got it without having had the baby. So around 2017, I was having this awful, awful breakdown where the climate anxiety was awful and we were really failing to fall pregnant. And I started working out then because I was so sick of being angry at my body. And I was really like, wanted something that I could control about my body because getting pregnant is awful

And it's so out of your hands really that I started working out in the December of 2017 and I had no goals other than to still be working out this time next year It was like I'm not aiming for a weight or like a lifting ability. I just want to make it a habit. And to this day, I still see the same PT. I still see her every week, still doing it. So it was like exactly what you were saying, like, this is not for anything other than exercising. Yeah. Sorry. When you say climate anxiety, do you mean climate change? Yeah, sorry, yeah, yeah, I'm not just scared of the wind. Actually I am scared of the wind,

but no, yes. I thought that was like a pregnancy, like the climate of the womb or something. I thought it was like a special term that I've never heard of. Oh, no, no, climate change anxiety or whatever it is, climate crisis really common in new mums. Lots and lots and lots and lots of people have their baby, then look at their tiny baby and go, what have I done? I've made a person and this person's got to be alive for like 80 years. Is there enough planet left? And obviously being active brain overthinker, I just had that before we'd even solve the having a baby problem. So you had prenatal depression, prenatal anxiety. Yeah maybe that's just depression. Wow it's so but it is so interesting isn't it because I also like with postnatal depression sort of I often think I mean

it sounds like that was situational I think with postal depression, it's so sort of pathologized. And actually a lot of the time it's just, it's not to say I'm not like undermining the existence of it, I just sometimes I think what happens to women is that they're just neglected by the system and by like, you know, the fact that they're so vulnerable in that moment. And lied to.

And it's just so hard. And then we pathologize it with this label of postnatal depression. It's like, actually, you've just been completely neglected. Do you know what I'm getting at? I definitely do. In the same sense, I think, like, presumably the anxiety around getting pregnant has a similar thing. It's like, there isn't that much out there about how difficult it is to get pregnant.

I don't think it's not like... No, and I think a lot of the stuff about how difficult it is to get pregnant is delivered either from people who have now done it and so it's like this was my journey and now I'm here and actually sometimes what you need is that content from people who are in that journey with you or who never got there. Because I remember at the time feeling like, oh, I don't want to buy pregnancy books and you know, all of the, I think a lot of the pre-pregnancy care is wrapped up in the next step.

And I certainly, I know for me me I felt excluded from that next step because I wasn't there yet and we tried for five years like it was a long time it was I felt like a lot of the support for sort of getting pregnant came with this like I don't know like inbuilt happy ending in the literature which I just sort of didn't want because I remember at the time sort of half trying to do a podcast about it But obviously don't try and turn your trauma into work while you're doing it. That's insanity So it never went anywhere, but it it's really hard and then you have the kid and you sort of go Brilliant, I've done it and and then I sort of feel like, God, they lied to me about this bit as well. I spent my whole teenage years being told I'd fall pregnant in a millisecond

if I looked at a penis that wasn't sheathed. Then I sort of spent my whole 20s worrying it would ruin my career. Then I started trying to get pregnant at like 31, so I was well within the 35 range before I became a crone, then that didn't work. Then I had the baby and you know was promised lululemon leggings in a nice buggy and then that was really hard and I felt like, I don't know, the whole thing man is really hard and I think what absolutely has changed is that financially now, who can afford to be a full-time parent? Like whichever gender of you does it, so few people earn enough now to allow one parent to have the time of. So most of us are trying to do this kid thing

with a job. And also at the same time, they've upped the level of parenting required. So now you can't go, shut up and go away. You have to go, darling, oh please, tell me more about this while I answer an email with my other hand, but make eye contact with you and brush my own hair. It's because self care is just as important.

Like they're piling more and more and more and more and more and more and more on all our plates and taking the money away. And it's just mad. I couldn't agree more. And do you know what episode I think you would love of this podcast? Joe Thomas'. Oh, okay. He goes on a similar rant. And I'm so with you. I'm with you all the way. It doesn't make any sense.

The system that we have now made sense when people could survive on a single income. And now it doesn't make any sense at all because nobody can do that. And it's too expensive. And that's, I guess, why nobody's having children anymore. And the population is about to dip below replacement. Good stuff! Yay! But our hair and makeup looks fantastic. Just in time for the sentient AI generation to come and take over the human race. Shall we move on to your perfect afternoon? Now, I really, in the notes when my agent sent this through, they said it doesn't have to be realistic and I really went with that in terms of the travel.

Yay. Also, I wrote all this and then my overthinking brain went, you haven't really spent any time with your child. So let's just assume I really love all the normal boring things I can always this and then my overthinking brain went, you haven't really spent any time with your child. So let's just assume I really love all the normal boring things I can always do and I've chosen not to do those because I do them every day. It goes without saying, it goes without saying,

every single parent comes on the podcast and goes, it goes without saying that I love my children, but I will be spending my perfect day without my children. Yeah, exactly, good. I'm so glad I'm understanding. It's not just you, it's not just you. My perfect afternoon, me and Tom have hopped on an eco-friendly flight to like a really hot old city.

Oh! I'm talking like an Istanbul. Maybe Crete, maybe, you know, a little Greek city or a big village and we're just gonna walk around and we're not gonna get sunburnt and I'm gonna buy lots of tat, probably resin poured olive wood things that look really good when I'm there and don't go anywhere in my house. No they don't and also you cannot put them in the dishwasher so don't try. No and then every now and again you'll rub them with oil because that will revitalize them and then there'll just be oily patches all

over everything. And we're going to eat just delicious food from, we're going to sit out in the street and eat and it's going to smell like flowers and just have that light quality that you get in the Mediterranean. Yes. Oh, God, I'm right there. Oh, that's so lovely. That's so lovely. So I thought when you said it was going to be unrealistic that you were going to go somewhere completely mad. But the only unrealistic thing you said is that you took an eco-friendly flight. Yeah. Yeah. No, I think, I mean, maybe I'm just craving it a little bit, but you know, kiddos three. So we're right in that bit where we both work full time doing gigs and, you know, they can't read yet.

So they can't go and sit over there and entertain themselves. Everything they do needs to be brought to you and showed to you. And then we put her to bed and one of us goes to a gig. So I think I'm craving a little bit that carefree. Oh my gosh. Yeah. When was the last time you had this carefree wonder around a Mediterranean town? Before she came along, I guess. We did go on a holiday the year before, We did go on a holiday the year before... One BC? Before child.

We did go back to Crete because we went to Crete for our honeymoon and sort of fell in love with it. So we did go back. So it probably was... Hang on, so it's your perfect day, your wedding day and then your honeymoon. Yeah, maybe. That's sickening. But no, I don't want to do the wedding again. I just want to do the getting ready.

And actually I think I'd prefer if it was someone else's wedding so that I'm not, I don't want to be the center of that attention. Maybe I'll be chief bridesmaid or something, you know? So I'm getting a good hairdresser. Yeah, you're important. Yeah, but I can also be drunk. Yeah.

So you're wandering about the town, buying some taxis. It's sort of a romantic vibe. Yeah, a little bit. But I also would really like it if there was a nearby roller coaster or waterpark. That would be really nice. Okay. I'd like I love a good thrill. So I think maybe just for an hour and a half or something,

we could go and do some coasters. I love a good thrill. So I think maybe just for an hour and a half or something, we could go and do some coasters. I love water parks. I just hate queuing. Maybe, maybe I'm such a big celebrity by this point that they've closed it just for me. I actually know of a celebrity who has done that. Do you? Yeah.

Were they at the puzzle party in Los Angeles? No, but I was like, God, how do I get there? Apparently they just like open it a bit early and you can just go in and do a round. So do they do all the rides alone then? Well with their family, yeah. Oh yeah, I guess so. Crazy. So what's your favourite, like what's your dream theme park? Have you done them all? So what's your favourite, like what's your dream theme park? Have you done them all? No, well I've done like the British ones, you know, your Thorpe Park and Alton Towers. I suppose my dream would be probably like Florida Disney or like, you know, one of the US Disney's because I love all of that ridiculous theming. I love that it's immaculate and where are the birds?

What have they done with all the birds? Why is there nothing out of place here? Yeah. You know? But also I want big rides. So I think the US parks would do that. I want to step out of my like souq market and then I'm going to drop my bag of spices

that I won't cook with when I get home because I don't know how to. souq market and then I'm gonna drop my bag of spices that I won't cook with when I get home because I don't know how to off at baggage and then and then have like that like the theming I like it to feel like a set you know I want to be walking down diagonally but then I want to get on a seven minute triple mega double roller coaster. a seven minute triple mega double roller coaster. Yes, this is great. Okay, is there anything else happening on your perfect afternoon or should we move straight onto the night? Yeah. Perfect night.

I'm worried the night is a bit of a letdown, but honestly, I thought and thought and thought about it and my perfect evening is gigging. I knew you were going to say that. I know it's pathetic isn't it? I don't think it is. You love it. Yeah. That's okay. What's the dream gig then? Well it starts at 7.30 not 8. That's important. So it's done by like 9.45 max. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. I don't know how people are working at night at this point. Well, I don't, yeah, I don't mind it once I get on with it, but so my husband does a

lot of cruise ships because of the improv stuff. And those weeks where I have child solo for like 10 days and I'm gigging at night and it's like, well, you know, you leave at 6.30, go and do a show, get in at one, she's up again at 6.30 and you're just, you know, 10 days on the trot's a bit much. That's why my perfect show, it's probably in Brighton. So let's say it's at the Dome or the Theatre Royal. I want that big stage, but not the Brighton Centre because I want it to have that like old

school vibiness of a big theatre. So 7.30 to 9.45 so that I can get home and play some video games with my sister. And then I think I'd quite like to be hosting it. Okay. And then Sarah Pascoe's opening and Richard Pryor's closing. Wow. And I would say I'd put the noise next door on, but then we'd have to pay for childcare. So I have left the group off the bill, but babysitters are really expensive. And I've organized this gig, so I don't even know how much I'm getting paid. I imagine Richard Pryor's asking a lot.

Are you bezzies with Sarah Pascoe, or is it just that she's your, like the comedian you admire the most currently on the? I really love her to a point where I think it's got in the way a little bit of my ability to be friends with her. Oh wow. I've met a loads of times and we're friends,

but I love her a bit too much to be, do you ever have somebody where you just, you can't be normal around them? Ron Meshwanger Nathan's another one. I love Ron and he lives up the road and we've met since, you know, we were like, he started really, I've known him for ages. But there's something about being around him

that makes me say the stupidest stuff. I just behave like an idiot. Yeah, I mean, people have that effect, don't they? Yeah. Like, of course we all have those people. And also sometimes I have it like, there are people that I know that I'm like, I love that person.

I know exactly what you mean. I love that person. I actually know that they like me too. And we've told each other that in a weird way. And then, but then in real life, it just doesn't, there's something like, there's an embarrassment there because we love each other too much. Yeah.

Ron probably loves you back. Sarah probably loves you back and it's just, it's awkward. It's too much, it's too many feelings. I think with Sarah, I think whenever I see her do stand up, she is talking about something that I just think, gosh, that's interesting and it's clever and it's funny. And then when I see her on panel shows, she's really herself or whatever her persona is,

whatever we're talking, she knows how to be her own persona in those environments, which is something I've always really struggled with of trying to fit into what I'm doing rather than taking who I am and putting it in the place I'm going. And then I think Animal was a really, just blew my mind that book.

Amazing book, amazing book, yeah. I loved it and I just thought, God, you're so clever and interesting. And she delivers really clever material without dumbing it down. I know, I don't know how. But also without being boring. Yeah.

Cause I think also like having been on panel shows and stuff, it's so easy to dumb down, like because you've got so little time to make people laugh. You know, when I used to do Mock the Week, the first couple of times I'd do so much prep for it. And then I'd look at the prep and go, this isn't really the sort of comedy you do. And so I'm always really admiring of people who, like Glenn Moore's a really good example, who goes into a topical show

like that but brings who he is to it. Whereas I think the first couple of times I'd do it, I'd sit down and go, I am Angela Barnes now. And I'm not, and I shouldn't have, and so I'm so impressed by people who can do that, who take their style. I saw Glenn Moore, I did a radio show recording last night and he was on the show before, and we all got there really early and he was,

it was unbelievable. Like he had an anecdote for everything, a one-liner for everything. Like anything that came up, he was just bang, bang, bang. It was like him, Sophie Duker and Russell Kane. And it was just like, it was such a lesson in like, don't watch the show before because it's so intimidating. And I was standing with Rhys Jones,

who we were about to go on with, and I just turned to him and went, I don't have enough bits. Yeah. I don't have enough bits. He was like, I don't have any bits because it's gonna be a very bit-free show. He was like, I don't have any bits because it's going to be a very bit free show. It was it was like incredibly intimidating.

But he's yeah, he's what a brain. But then I think that that's part of understanding who you are, isn't it? Yeah. And believing that there's something about you that people like. I did the news quiz the other day and it's the first time I'd ever done it. And Ian Smith was on and I kept falling into this trap that people like. I did the news quiz the other day and it's the first time I'd ever done it and Ian Smith was on and I kept falling into this trap of just watching Ian because I find him really funny and then going, Laurie you haven't said anything for about eight minutes because you've just been like enjoying being in the audience. But then when I would say something I'd think you know good as what Ian did but then it's that belief in yourself that you are

contributing something that Ian couldn't do. He's doing what he does and it's amazing. And what you're doing is just as valid and it's just different. And you're there to contribute something and you have to know what you've got that's unique. Yeah. But it sounds like what you admire is when someone is kind of authentic to themselves But you seem very you seem like a very real person to me I think so and I think that's something that I've learned in the literally in the last one or two years that is Something I just assumed everyone was doing that is actually one of my strengths is that I'm a very open, honest person in my comedy. And it's taken me a while to go, oh, that's my thing. I'm

quite hard on my sleeve. I'm quite, I'm a mess today. Like I've done previews before. I remember in lockdown once I've done a lot of material about, you know, my mental health and stuff. And then I was having a day where I was really broken and I had this like online preview booked in and I nearly cancelled it because I just couldn't stop crying and then I just turned up to the preview and I was like guys I'm crying I'm gonna do the show but I am a mess I'm fine but I'm not and and I sort of said in that preview I said like I talked so much about mental health and blah, blah, blah. And I think sometimes you've got a like show that is happening.

You can't sit there fine on a glossy day going, sometimes I cry all day in my pajamas. Like, and I was like, I need to do the show because if I don't do the show, I've done nothing today and I don't want that feeling. So like I'm going to show you what it's like in a way and B, all of these things at the same time. I am crying, but I am also still telling these jokes and I am having a nice time, but I'm also broken and like would do that in a one and I think accepting that that's part of my comedy too, that sometimes bits of it do fall flat because I have gone off on a tangent and it's whimsical and a bit too honest. Sorry, that's my child shouting downstairs about what socks she's going to wear to swimming.

You do need to pick your socks wisely for swimming. She's literally wearing three dresses and two t-shirts today because that's what she wants to wear and I've lost the will to argue. But like, it's like the podcast I do with my brother, like it's always being interrupted by the dog and the, you know, thing and there'll be bits in the middle where suddenly I'll have a sugar crash or something and go like, oh, I'm just in a bad mood. But I think that honesty, it took me quite a long time to work out that that's something people liked about what I was doing. And I mean, also what a privilege in a way to be able to, as a performer, not have to perform all the time.

It's kind of, because you, there's a sort of, I don't know, there's a bit of a paradox there isn't there, that actually the thing that people want the most is just the truth. Yeah it's nice it's like you know when you're like um you get notes back after a take and they're like um can you bring it bring it down. Way down. I get that there a lot. Way down. I think I think embracing like I had a real revelation at the end of last year where...

Do you get this? When you get call-outs for things, they're like, we're looking for comedians and actors with a passion for horses or scuba diving or baroque music. And whenever those call-outs come out for a comedian with a background in nursing or blah, blah, blah, I've always just gone, well, no, I'm a comedian with a background in nursing or blah blah blah. I've always just gone well no I'm a comedian with a background in being a comedian because I wanted to be a comedian so I became a comedian. Like I studied comedy at uni and it took me until the end of last year to go so why are you not leaning into that you fucking idiot. And I started with my online content like putting out my video clips but with an analysis of what's going on, like breaking down the joke types or going like, this is why as an MC, I'm having a go at them for talking.

Normally I'd let that go or blah, blah, blah. And I like actually analyzing the comedy that I'm doing and going, how's this never occurred to you before you? for you absolute silly sausage that your passion is comedy and that's not something to hide from and pretend you're not into it. Be a nerd openly about it and see if anybody else is into it. And I just sometimes I'm so stupid at not seeing the things that are right there in front of you, you know? Yeah, I know exactly. I do know exactly what you mean. That is like it's sort of life is just figuring out that like you're okay. You're okay as you are. And you don't have to pretend to be someone else.

Go be nerdy, mate. Yeah, that's why my perfect evening's a gig. Yeah, it's just. That's what you love. That's what you love. Yeah, I do. Yeah, and you worked hard to be here. Totally understandable.

And also like, it is quite common for standups to have a gig on their perfect night. Oh, is it? Yeah, I think because it's like the best job in the world, surely. Like it's an amazing feeling and it's no great surprise that like room full of people laughing at the jokes that you've written and the things you're saying. It's the perfect way to spend a night. And it's the vibe of, I love the buildings. I love the going in when it's light and coming out when it's dark. And I love like the way towns changed when you walk in and when you walk out of the

building. And I love that feeling for other people that I found this especially I finally toured last year. I'd never toured before because COVID screwed it up and then writing the books and kid and stuff. And I loved that like you'd get tweets for a couple of days or not tweets, whatever they are now, thread threads. You can't say threads, that's eyebrows in it. But you'd like get messages from people being like, you know, oh, this is on Friday and I'm looking forward to it. And I think like, oh, they've planned their babysitter and like the taxi and their dinner and I love that and it's what I've always loved about the circuit as well is going to like this town hall or whatever that you'd never see otherwise and it's this village's big thing and the posters that are up all through the village and just seeing like all these different evenings for different people. It's almost like a Richard Curtis film, but

you get to live it. You get to see all these different ways people do essentially the same thing but with these micro changes for different communities. And you get to just go and see it for an evening and there's broad strokes that are the same. There's always a village that that village doesn't get on with or has some sort of stupid rivalry with. And there's always a village that that village doesn't get on with or has some sort of stupid rivalry with and there's a bloke that's ex-character but it's it's all slightly different and it's all the same and it's you get to perpetually do the special evening and that's kind of magic. Oh Laura I could cry. I told you I was a nerd. I really love comedy. It's gorgeous. If anyone was listening to this and they were thinking,

I quite want to be a standup, with the way things are now, obviously things, you know, the industry's changed a lot. Would you still encourage people to go into standup? Oh, 100%. But go into standup because what you want to do is do stand up. Don't go into stand up to get on Taskmaster or to be a millionaire or to do anything else. Do stand up because being on the stage is amazing. And if you do your first gig and you like doing an open

mic night in front of three other performers, keep doing it. And if you don't like that, don't be miserable doing it in the hope that the next stage of it will make you happy. Do it because you liked stage one. So lovely to hear your passion for it. We have one last question. Laura, is there a piece of perfection that you'd recommend this week? Yeah, it's a book actually. It's called The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. I'm not Gramazio. I don't know how to pronounce her surname. Have you heard of it? I have heard of this because they're making a TV series of it. Are they?

Yeah. I'll probably never get around to watching it, but the book is amazing. What can you tell us about the book without completely spoiling it? So I think the back cover blurb is something like this woman whose name I've forgotten because none of the details stay with me, but she goes on a hen party for her friend. She comes home and she has a husband that she did not have when she went on that hen party and she has to get used to having a husband and that's all I'll spoil for you right now but I think it's one of the best books I've read I listen to it but I say

read read in ages that I thought was really well structured really interesting in being an easy read that also had so much to digest about the choices you've made in relationships or as a person and how much the person you're with changes who you are and was a really nice work of like, I guess it's fantasy fiction, but not dragon-y fantasy fiction. That was really grounded in some really interesting stuff and I just, you know one of those books where you're just like nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom like the dog was so tired from being walked because I was really enjoying this audio book so I was just like we're gonna do an extra long walk today and she's staring at me like now I'm exhausted. Laura thank you so much for sharing your perfect day and telling us about your life and sharing

like being so honest and funny. Oh thank you very much. I appreciate you coming on. Thank you for talking to me where we didn't have to make eye contact. Next time we'll meet in real life and there'll be a jigsaw on the table. What a beautiful perfect day. Thank you to Laura for being your gorgeous, incredibly honest self. That is my favourite kind of a perfect day. An honest perfect day. I appreciate Laura coming to chat with us. And as Laura mentioned, she'll be at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, but only for a limited run. So make sure to get out to see her if you can. So that brings us to the end of another perfect day but make sure you don't miss a thing

by liking, subscribing and reviewing. If you review it really helps us, it helps us get up the charts. I don't know why, it does and then that means we can keep bringing on more great guests because when we email their agent they say what position is it in the charts and even though it changes all the time it's good if the numbers small. Follow us at Perfect Day Cast for all your perfect day news A perfect day. I'm Max Rushton. I'm David O'Doherty. And we'd like to invite you to listen to our new podcast, What Did You Do Yesterday? It's a show that asks guests the big question, quite literally, what did you do

yesterday? That's it. That is it. Max, I'm still not sure. Where do we put the stress? Is it what did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? You know what I mean? What did you do yesterday? I'm really downplaying it. Like, what did you do yesterday? Like, I'm just I'm just a guy just asking a question But do you think I should go bigger? What did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? Every single word this time. I'm gonna try and make it like it is the killer word. What did you do? Yesterday, I think that's too much. Isn't it? That is that's over the top. What did you do yesterday? Available wherever you get your podcasts every Sunday.