“All my shows are kind of about asking if it’s okay for me, a middle aged mother of two, to be an idiot.”
WHO: Louise Leigh
WHAT: “An hour of mostly stand-up aiming to explore what I do or don’t have in common with the mighty Octopus. These may include: multitasking, sexually aggressive females, a vigilant mother, mating for life, the ability to squeeze through even the tiniest gaps, a brain of many parts, delicious (but chewy), ability to completely change appearance, squirting ink from a gland near the anus and popular with the Spanish. Probably. **** (Chortle.co.uk) **** (Entertainment-Focus.com). **** (TheWeeReview.com). ‘Rubs off onto everybody around her’ **** (FunnyWomen.com).”
WHERE: Slice 5 at Hoots @ Hilton (Bread Street) (Venue 31)
WHEN: 20:10 (55 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my 4th time coming up to Edinburgh with a solo hour but I have been coming to The Festival since I came with my granny as a small girl.
Both sets of grandparents, a variety of aunts, great-aunts and cousins were all Edinburgh-based and my experience growing up was that it was quite a “proper” place. My favourite thing about the Fringe is that it feels like discovering the bank manager has a side hustle as a drag artist. For a month, it’s madness. I also love the chance to connect with other women in comedy, who are better represented here than we are on the day-to-day comedy circuit.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I’ve learned not only that both my kids can live without me, but also that my husband and I can live without them (very happily, as it turns out). They’ve both gone off to uni, and – yes – it’s gratifying to see them coping well and living their magnificent lives, but I’m incredibly jealous. I keep thinking “next time I’m in my 20s, I’ll be just like them” and then realising that there isn’t a next time. I don’t know if I want to absorb that lesson, ever.
Tell us about your show.
Freed from the shackles of day-to-day motherhood, I’ve spent a lot of the last year on the road working the comedy club circuit, like one of those young guys who wears a shirt. It’s been great fun but doing all that driving doesn’t leave much space for having a life, and that makes generating new material quite tricky. So I’ve had to think laterally. I decided to investigate the octopus and see what I have in common with it, and what makes me different from it. All my shows are kind of about asking if it’s okay for me, a middle aged mother of two, to be an idiot. This show answers that question with a resounding “yes”.
I’ve been working it up at Bristol Comedy Festival, Leicester Comedy Festival, the Lancaster Comedy Festival, Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Exeter Comedy Festival and the Rik Mayall Festival. The latter was great fun. Rik’s home town of Droitwich was alive with people declaring their love of Rik in their merch, dress and how they spent the day. It’s great because loads of local businesses get involved. My venue was a knitting and tea shop, which felt apt due to the number of home made costumes I have. Where next? Who knows? I’ve got a couple of venues booked in for November, but here’s hoping I’ll get some more sorted.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
I’m excited about seeing Andrew White’s What A LIfe! and Pauline Eyre’s Anyone For Tennis is a great show returning for its second run – get tickets while you can. Also on my books: June Tuesday’s 00s Throwback Party, Paul Hilleard’s Grogg and Darryl Carrington’s Tennish will be great. Most of those guys live in Bristol (like me) and there’s such a wellspring of brilliant comedy there. It massively punches above its weight. Elsewhere, I met Roman Harris this year – he’s at the Pleasance Reserve and that’s always worth watching for future stars, as is the ever-brilliant Best In Class initiative.
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