Interview with Harriet Braine
CB: How long have you been gigging in comedy?
C&P: About 4 years… this will be our fourth Edinburgh Fringe.
CB: How would you describe your comedy?
C&P: We like writing about the embarrassing, messy and weird bits of everyday life… and making them funny (in sketch form).
CB: Which comedians influence your comedy?
C&P: We both grew up loving The Fast Show, League of Gentleman, French and Saunders, Victoria Wood, and Steve Coogan. And we are big fans of Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Woody Allen… we are easily influenced.
CB: Did you always want to go into comedy?
C&P: Yes. Although we did get waylaid by grand plans to become Shakespearean actresses along the way – luckily for the RSC, this never happened.
CB: How do you go about writing your material?
C&P: Sometimes we experience or hear about something that makes us laugh and get inspired to create something similar but sillier. Other times we dream stuff up together that makes us laugh… and hope it’ll make other people laugh as well. We share the typing and drink a lot of tea and coffee.
CB: Do you gig as a comedy performer full time or is it more of a part-time hobby? If so, do you find that your main job influences your material?
C&P: We write and gig part-time around day jobs, but we take ourselves very seriously so comedy feels like a main job to us.
CB: What do you find the most enjoyable and frustrating parts of the comedy circuit?
C&P: We love it when people take a chance on us and come to our gigs. We get frustrated when they don’t come home with us after.
CB: What’s your favourite type of audience to perform to?
C&P: One that fills the room is always nice.
CB: Have you been heckled a lot since you’ve started gigging? Do you enjoy being heckled? What’s the best heckle you’ve had?
C&P: Because we do sketch, we don’t really tend to get heckled in the same way stand-ups do. But there’s a first time for everything – bring it on, Edinburgh! (No, actually, please don’t. Hannah would probably cry).
CB: What advice would you give to new acts thinking of starting out in comedy?
C&P: Jump in the deep end and have a bash, preferably in front of a roomful of strangers. That’s the only way to find out if an idea is funny to anyone other than you and your overly supportive friends
Croft & Pearce: Give and Take is at the Gilded Balloon (Venue 14) from 1st – 24th August (except 11th) at 17:45. Tickets
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