Jo Caulfield Live
artsdepot
Nether Street, North Finchley
Saturday, February 18, 8pm A child of parents in the Navy, comedian Jo Caulfield spent much of her childhood travelling and even after ten years of living in Finchley her longest stint anywhere she laughs at the thought that she may have finally found a permanent base.

"I don't know if I have settled," she says. "I find it hard to think of it like that, but I do really like Finchley. I like the neighbourhood feel there is to the place. It's one of the few places where people chat to each other. I really like the parks, as well as the atmosphere."

Her knowledge of the area means that her one night at the artsdepot will be a special one.

"I do a piece called Angry and Annoyed in my shows and it's going to be fun to do that with local people, chat about what's happening in the area," says Caulfield. "It's a really interactive show and there's always a bit at the end when the audience have the chance to have a say."

The blonde comic began her career ten years ago when she drunkenly took to the stage at the Comedy Cafe, having entered the weekly open mic competition as a dare.

The fact that she won suggested a natural talent for making people laugh, but she is adamant that being successful at the first attempt is not always a good thing.

"I thought about it for a long time but I didn't really know what stand-up was," she says. "That first time I was really terrified doing it, I didn't even think people would laugh.

"I did win but with no background, so then I was like, This is easy, I can do it anytime,' when really it involves a lot of work. I love it of course it is a very sociable job."

Her shows at the Edinburgh Festival have sold out and her BBC Radio 4 programme, It's That Jo Caulfield Again, has been critically acclaimed. She is renowned for her razor-sharp tongue and clever wit but comes across as friendly, if a little hectic, chatting about her career.

"There is a real buzz to being on stage and making people laugh," she says. "It is very rewarding. Sometimes my friends do come to the shows but for them it is a social evening and people can forget that I am working, that it is a job that involves a lot of organising."

She was head writer on So Graham Norton and has known the energetic funny man since the early days of both their careers.

"He is exactly as you see him on television," says Caulfield. "I was about to say, Except not as camp,' but he is just as camp!

"I really enjoy working with him and it is a good partnership. What I like about comedy is that comics tend to get on with each other very well."

She has appeared on a host of television shows in her career: Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Bring Me The Head Of Light Entertainment and The Jack Docherty Show among others.

She has also written for Anne Robinson and was surprised by her experience working with the sarcastic presenter.

"I thought I would really dislike her," she says. "She is very direct and she can be quite rude, but she is honest. I like that as it's good when you are writing a show.

"She was very respectful in the sense that she has been a writer herself, so that was nice."

The touring aspect of her job can be a tiring challenge but it's also often very amusing.

"New York audiences are very similar to London ones so a lot of the same comedy worked. Los Angeles though, that was bizarre," she laughs.

"They were an alien audience they were really weird. I would do my jokes and then look out at the audience and their expressions were just frozen. Their mouths would be making noises but no expression because of all the botox. It was just awful and really annoying as a comic, because you can't even tell if they are enjoying it. You want to see the audience enjoying themselves that's what gives you that buzz."

Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions) and can be booked by calling the box office on 020 8369 5454.