ISY Suttie has come a long way since the not-so-distant days of skinny dipping in sub-zero waters, sambuca-addled booty calls and other frantic attempts to put off growing up, she so candidly describes in her memoir, The Actual One. Or so it would seem.

After some to and fro to arrange a chat with the award-winning comedian ahead of her appearance at the Festival of Literature, her people inform me she can squeeze me in anytime “during her baby’s nap.” Her what now?

A quick search soon confirms that, since the trials and tribulations chronicled in The Actual One, in which she recounts with searing hindsight meandering through her late 20s from disastrous dates to doomed relationships, she has met Mr Right - aka fellow comic Elis James - and given birth to their daughter Beti, now 18 months.

“I’ve definitely found someone amazing,” laughs the 37-year-old, who is best known for her role as Dobby in Peep Show. “It’s funny I said I would never go out with a comedian or an actor but he's not like an actor really; to me, he’s just a man from Wales. And my life has changed a lot with a baby. I suppose now I’m supposed to feel grown-up but I still don’t,” she hastens to add. “The conclusion I’ve come to is that you don’t ever feel really grown-up.”

The book's title stems from her friend Amy’s theory that every woman has to find The One - a nice but ultimately incompatible plug gap - before the Actual One, the real Prince Charming, finally comes trotting along on his faithful steed to sweep her off her feet.

Brutally honest and delightful self-deprecating, this anti coming-of-age story regales us with the hilarious catalogue of Isy’s failed relationships. It starts off with Sam, whose lukewarm reception of her gift of a hand-made penguin cobbled from chicken wire and papier mache makes her realise they are not meant to be. Then there is Ben, her Aussie friend with benefits, not to mention a flurry of non-starters. In a particularly cringe-worthy chapter Isy describes an ill-fated date with a pseudo poet in a novelty restaurant where diners eat in complete darkness and pay handsomely for the privilege.

If things weren’t bad enough, her mum suddenly decides to sign her up to a dating site and threatens to set her up with someone if she does not find a suitor within a month.

“When my mum got involved I saw it as a challenge,” she chuckles. “At the time I was saying I was happy to be single but I wasn’t admitting to myself that I was looking for a boyfriend. She means well, she’s one of these people who always want to help and solve problems. But I think sometimes things have to be left alone and you just have to see what happens.”

By the time she hunkered down to write the book, things were looking up for Isy. She had met Elis at a show in Devon and was in a serious relationship at long last. When she handed in her first draft she was eight months pregnant.  Of course she could easily have changed course, glossing over her hapless attempts to find a partner and rush straight to the happy ending. But Isy is not one to renege on her chequered past just because she’s made it to the other side.

“It was a bit strange writing it when I was pregnant and looking back on that time when I was single and feeling like I wasn’t growing up when all my mates were,” she admits. “But it was also really nice. There were a lot of mixed emotions. I’m going to write another book about the next stage, growing up and where I am now but I don’t want it to be boring or say, ‘I’ve found the perfect guy’. I don’t think it would be very interesting to read. It’s more exciting to write about a time when you weren’t happy.”

Surprisingly she keeps her budding career entirely out of the book. Except for a humiliating story about the time she was offered £20 by a heckler to make herself scarce halfway through a set at the Edinburgh Festival. She took the money and dissolved into tears backstage.

“Those things are sent to test you but overall it was probably a good thing to happen although it didn’t feel like it at the time,” says Isy, who is currently filming the next season of Man Down, alongside Greg Davies. “At least I got paid. Maybe I’m crazy, I should have given up then.”

When it comes to herself, Isy is not afraid to hit where it hurts. She has nothing to hide, she reasons. And, on a professional note, she’s more than happy to throw herself under the bus for comedy.

“Some people say, 'You're brave', but that’s the way me and my friends grew up; we were very open,” she says matter-of-fact. “There aren’t many things I wouldn’t say. If it’s funny it’s going in.”

Isy Suttie will appear at the Swindon Festival of Literature on Thursday, May 5. For tickets go to swindontheatres.co.uk.