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Jo Enright

JO ENRIGHT compares being on stage to being on a first date.

So lets hope it's a case of love at first sight when she comes to Basildon tonight.

"You have to make it look like you're not afraid," explains the stand-up comedian.

It's very different on the inside to what's going on outside. On the outside you're saying it's so good to be here, desperately hoping another sentence will come out of your mouth, but inside your conscience is saying you're lying."

Despite over a decade in the industry, Jo admits to still getting the jitters before a performance.

"I did a stand-up set on a television show recently and I could barely breath," she recalls. "I couldn't believe how nervous I was. For three hours beforehand my brain was like mush and I was convinced I wouldn't be able to get a word out."

With the title of the best female circuit comic from the Chortle awards under her belt and a glowing endorsement from Peter Kay, that nervous energy must be a good thing.

You will be able to see for yourself this Friday when Jo appears at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon, in Comedy Shop on Tour, alongside fellow stand-ups Brendan Riley, Phil Walker and Manuel Martinez.

It was while doing similar gigs in Manchester back in the 90s that Jo first struck up a friendship with Peter Kay. It would lead to parts in his hit series That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights, where Jo played lead character Brian Potter's girlfriend.

"Pete used to compere the shows so our paths would cross a lot," says Jo. "We were drawing on similar types of background material, we were both working class and had Irish mothers, so we liked watching each other's stuff."

Peter is such a fan of Jo's, he described her as one of the most naturally gifted comic talents he'd ever seen, and that she was in the same league as Julie Walters.

"That was really lovely of him. If I have just a fraction of Julie Walter's career, that would be delightful. I'd gladly have Julie's leftovers. Anything she can't fit in, she can give me a call," she smiles.

Jo has done pretty well for herself without the need for Julie Walter's cast offs however.

Despite early ambitions to become a straight actress, Jo discovered a talent for stand-up while studying for her performing arts degree.

"We had to write five minutes of material and perform it in a local pub," explains Jo. "It ended up going really well and it was then I got really interested in stand up and the whole craft of it."

Although she says that first audience was pretty tame.

"A lot of them were my peers at college so they were really supportive. It was a bit like doing a nativity play in front of your parents. You could have been a donkey and they would have thought you were brilliant."

Her next audience were a little less biased. Jo tried the Comedy Store, London, and encouraged by the fact she wasn't booed off. She kept lining up the gigs.

"It's very exciting and becomes quite addictive," admits Jo.

After year long stints working in a supermarket and as a drama teacher, while she built up her reputation, Jo was able to go full time as a comedian in 1994 after landing a part in a sketch show for Sky.

At the time she was only one of a handful of female comics.

"There were a lot less women in comedy then. In some ways it was an advantage because you were a bit of a novelty, and something fresh for the audience and promoters. On the down side people were still getting used to the idea of women getting on stage and not putting men down, but doing observational comedy instead, she says.

"It was a case of having to break down barriers, and that still applies today."

Jo has successfully managed to combine live stand-up work with television appearances. Her latest television project Lab Rats, a comedy set in a science lab, is due to be aired on BBC 2 later this spring.

"I love doing the two," says Jo. "I'm glad to get back to one when I've not been doing it. It's a really nice balance."

4:34pm Friday 4th April 2008

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