EMMA DUNN chats to comic who has plenty to moan about

THERE are many things in life that make Jo Caulfield angry.

Whether it’s automated customer service lines or short people asking her to get things from high shelves in the supermarket, the stand-up will be having a good rant when she comes to Swindon Arts Centre at 8pm on Friday, April 25.

“I have called it A Celebration of Anger because I thought if I just called it Jo Caulfield is Angry that doesn’t sound like fun,” she said.

“It’s like a huge therapy session where I rant about things.

“There are so many problems you can’t control, especially in this country. I get very annoyed by small things.

“It’s very petty things, like the other day I was walking behind a woman and just from behind I thought I don’t like that woman.

“I had to overtake her and as I overtook her I turned to look at her face. I judged this woman on no information at all.

“On another occasion, when I was shopping a short woman asked me to get something off the shelf for her because I’m tall. It was the way she asked me, it was like I was her servant.”

Nominated as Funniest Woman (LAFTA Awards) and Best Female Stand-Up (Chortle Awards), Jo is the star of Radio 4’s Jo Caulfield’s Speakeasy, and has appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, The Apprentice: You’re Fired and BBC1’s The Politics Show.

A Celebration of Anger sees Jo finding the funny side to some of the most annoying situations.

“I get annoyed with all sorts of things to do with customer service. Everybody hates it when you call up an automated number and you have to repeat information over and over,” she said. “I got a faulty ladder and I used Twitter to complain about it. The people in charge of the Twitter account actually behave like human beings, not like the customer service you often get.

“They delivered a new ladder within two hours. Whoever it was tweeting must have Googled me, saw I was a comedian, and then thought ‘so her interests are ladders and comedy’.

“Then, through Twitter, they kept sending me funny pictures of ladders – one was pandas on ladders.”

After 10 years of marriage, Jo also uses A Celebration of Anger to give her husband an appraisal.

She said the show has been going down well so far.

“At the end of the show I ask the audience and find out what is annoying them. If one says something then the whole thing develops. I am really enjoying it and it is good to get feedback from the audience afterwards,” she said.