Comedian Ellie Taylor chats to the Adver ahead of her show in Swindon

Q: In autumn you completed a hugely successful 20 date tour of ‘This Guy’, are you looking forward to taking your show out on the road again?

A: Yes! I love being on tour and heading out and about. Every show is different and it’s really fun seeing where the night goes. Knowing people have specifically bought a ticket to see me is so lovely.

Question: Where there any particularly memorable shows from the autumn leg of the tour?

Answer: It’s the audience members that I remember, for example the couple who’d been secretly married for 10 years and had a fake wedding a week before coming to my show. None of their friends and family knew including the bride’s dad who walked her down the aisle. Beautiful liars. And I’ll never forget the bloke in the front row at one show who had his foot bandaged up because he’d managed to plunge his foot into a deep fat fryer. Incredible.

Question: You debuted ‘This Guy’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and it sold out! How do you feel it went?

Answer: Great thanks! It was my first time performing at the prestigious Pleasance venue which has been an ambition of mine since I started comedy. Playing there and selling out the whole run was absolutely dreamy. My audiences were so lovely and I really enjoyed getting to do my show every day for a month. The Fringe is sort of like a comedy boot camp- you leave exhausted and in need of a holiday but you’re in definitely better shape than when you went in.

Question: Was it a good warm up in preparation for your UK tours?

Answer: Absolutely. The Fringe drums your show into your head and you really get to refine every joke which is part of the process I really enjoy. Trimming all the fat so all that’s left is comedy sinew. Mmmmm, sinew.

Q: You’ve spent a lot of time on tour since the summer, do you enjoy life on the road?

A: It’s good fun! I always have a support act so there’s plenty of car trips listening to awful music (mine) or worthy podcasts (theirs), and more Welcome Break stops than you can shake an overpriced Ginsters at. I do miss my other half quite a bit, but I make the effort to try and build in quality time when I’m at home so he doesn’t divorce me because I can’t afford the mortgage by myself.

Question: What is the inspiration behind your show ‘This Guy’?

Answer: My shows have so far tended to be about what stage I’m at in life. I did one about wanting to get married, then one about being married and wishing I’d slept with more people (husband was delighted) and this one is about the supposed next step: the pressure to have a baby. Problem is, I have the maternal instinct of a pitta bread. And now all of my friends are shooting out kids. It’s like the domino effect, if the dominos were all infant humans who love Peppa Pig and soil themselves.

Q: What can people expect at an Ellie Taylor show?

A: An evening out of the house where a tall lady who looks a bit like Steve Tyler from Aerosmith will be a moron for your entertainment. Plus a special guest appearance by Mr Harry Styles. (This bit is not strictly true but I’m trying to get it #trending.)

Q: Have you had any memorable on stage experiences, for the right or wrong reason?

A: My most memorable gig would be doing BBC’s Live At The Apollo at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2016. What a venue. Whatever happens going forward, even if I end up back being the world’s worst PA, I am so proud that I got to walk on that incredible stage and that my parents were in the audience to see me do it. One of the best days of my life. It’s up there with the day Jedward started following me on Twitter.

Q: The Mash Report on BBC 2 proved a huge success. Will we be seeing you on our screens again soon?

A: I’m proud to be a part of the The Mash Report. It’s such an exciting show featuring so many excellent comics who I really admire. It’s back for a new series on BBC2. I’m also in the new series of Plebs on ITV2, due to air in the spring.

This Guy is at the Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon on February 3. Tickets are £16.50 from 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk