Sara Pascoe: The Boadicea Chariot of Young Female Comics, The Wednesday Hospice Pickpocket Club, Getting Called Trevor, and a £185k Diamond

The Harry Hill Show

In this episode of The Harry Hill Show, comedian Sarah Pascoe joins Harry to reminisce about the 'Young Female Comics' era and discuss her b

Key takeaways

• Sarah Pascoe discusses her podcast 'The Weirdos Book Club' hosted with Cariad Lloyd.
• An AI bot reads a biography of Sarah Pascoe, revealing details about her past bankruptcy and her father Derek Pascoe's career in Flintlock.

Main topics

• Young Female Comics (YFCs)
• AI and technology fears

Notable quotes

I'm an incel, aren't I, Daddy?

Conclusion

A surreal mix of biographical comedy and informative industry insights

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:01) Last time on The Harry Hill Show. Hello there. I'm Harry Hill and this is my show. Speaker 6 (0:11) It's The Harry Speaker 2 (0:12) Hill Show. Speaker 5 (0:15) Oh, hi there. Yeah, my nan died. Speaker 5 (0:19) Yeah, my nan died again, and I've just been going through some of her belongings. Most of it was destroyed when a caravan went into the firework factory, but her handbag was thrown free, and I've just got it back from the... Speaker 5 (0:45) coroner and I just thought I'd go through it because I'm just kind of curious. I'll just throw that over there. What's... what did Nan have in there? Well there's... I was wondering where that got to. Speaker 5 (1:04) What we've got we've got to Pritz. Oh, yeah, Pritz thing she used to get this mix up with the chapstick I Remember saying I remember her saying to me Speaker 6 (1:14) Knitting Speaker 5 (1:20) needles Because I remember she got her hair caught up in the knitting and ended up missing yourself a balaclava. She she can't take off Oh, that's that book she was reading Speaker 5 (1:35) This oh, this is can I borrow that after? Yeah, yeah Thanks, Speaker 3 (1:41) sir You're Speaker 5 (1:43) not really here yet, but turn It it's a conceit that we just but you're welcome to chip in um That's that record. Yes, the weird thing about my nan was that she used to record every trip to the dentist. She'd record the audio and have them printed onto 45s. And actually, that's how her body was recognized at the end, because she was so badly burned. They actually recognized it from her dental records. And what's this? Oh, it's the locket. It's that locket she had. Speaker 5 (2:25) Now, she had this locket and she said there was a photo in it of a special memory, but she'd never let me see what was in the locket, Sarah. So I'm just going to have a look now for the first time. Oh, that's disgusting. The Speaker 6 (2:45) guest is here, Daddy. Speaker 5 (2:46) What? What's that, Speaker 6 (2:47) Gary? The guest is here. Speaker 5 (2:49) Oh, in that case, we better welcome our guest. Sarah Pascoe. Hello, Sarah. Speaker 3 (3:01) Hi, hello. Speaker 5 (3:03) Long-timeness. Oh. Speaker 3 (3:06) Thank you. Hi, Mr. Licky. You Speaker 5 (3:13) know Licky, do you? What a Speaker 3 (3:14) horrible tongue you've got. Speaker 5 (3:16) Oh, God. Yeah, I'm sorry. Speaker 3 (3:19) It's not nice. It's even Speaker 5 (3:20) creepier when it's a lady guest. When it's a lady guest. Speaker 3 (3:26) Wow, this book worked even better than I thought it was going to. We had real chemistry. They do Speaker 5 (3:33) say it has magic properties, that book. Sarah, we were saying I haven't seen you for a long time. A long Speaker 3 (3:39) time, yeah. Because Speaker 5 (3:41) we used to bump into each other all the time, didn't we? We Speaker 3 (3:44) used to gig more. We Speaker 5 (3:44) used to gig more because you were... In the vanguard of what I'd say was the, I've christened the YFCs, the Young Female Comics. Speaker 3 (3:53) All right. I don't know what that says about you, that you need to sort of give us, that we were a gang. Yeah. Well, Speaker 5 (4:01) I'm trying to develop this. It's like the YBAs. You remember the young British? Yes. Damien Hirst. So you're the equivalent of Damien, or perhaps Tracy Emin. Yes. Because when I was around earlier. There weren't many lady comics. Just the Jo Brand, Jenny Eclair, pretty much. Speaker 3 (4:21) Yeah. There were others working on the circuit. Yes. But the men didn't pay them much attention, clearly. Speaker 5 (4:28) No, there were others. There were lots of them. There was Brenda, Gil Hooley. But Speaker 3 (4:32) the YBAs, I think, is a great sort of... It's Speaker 5 (4:36) the YFCs. Yeah, I Speaker 3 (4:37) know. But they weren't really respected as artists. Everyone was like, what they're doing isn't proper art. It's just a dead fish in a barrel. Speaker 5 (4:44) Well, they were conceptual artists. Yeah. Speaker 3 (4:46) But Speaker 5 (4:47) you rode in, you were like Bodicea. Speaker 3 (4:52) Right. Burning down people's houses. You Speaker 5 (4:54) had the revolving knives on your chariot, cutting through the legs of the young male comics. Speaker 3 (5:02) I still do. Still do. Too many out there. Speaker 5 (5:06) And on that chariot, it was you, it was Roisin. Yeah. Speaker 3 (5:10) Catherine, Aisling. Speaker 5 (5:11) Bridget Christie. Bridget Speaker 3 (5:12) Christie, yeah. She was the horse with the flowing mane that we all shackled ourselves to. Josie and Josie Long, Bridget Christie, the forerunners, I think, maybe. And then Roisin, actually, as well. Speaker 5 (5:25) Okay. And Speaker 3 (5:26) then the rest of us sort of snuck in through the open door once they'd done all the hard work. Speaker 5 (5:30) So you're now accepting this analogy? Speaker 3 (5:32) I love it. And as soon as you brought Bodicea in, and as soon as I started thinking of male comedians with cut up legs, I was in. Speaker 5 (5:39) And then you see, and we used to bump into each other. And then, of course, you got successful. And that's what happens. Speaker 3 (5:45) No, not successful. You're successful. Speaker 5 (5:48) No, we both got success. Just to be clear, we both got Speaker 3 (5:50) success. Sorry. Speaker 5 (5:52) I just took that as an assumption. Speaker 3 (5:57) Yes. Speaker 5 (5:58) And that's what happens is the sad thing is that, you know, everyone's like on the circuit bumping into each other in clubs and stuff. You get sort of hived off and it's a bit more lonely, isn't it? Speaker 3 (6:09) Touring by yourself can be lonely. Also, I think sometimes maybe they keep us off, you know, we can't both be headlining. Maybe it's that. Maybe I need to go back and go, if Harry's on, I'll do the middle spot. Speaker 5 (6:18) Yeah, I can't follow you and you can't follow me. Speaker 3 (6:21) I'm here though, Daddy, aren't I? I'm here. Speaker 5 (6:23) It's Gary's here, of course. Oh, Speaker 3 (6:25) it's Gary. Hi, Gary. Hello. Hello, Sarah. It's lovely to see you again. There's something about Gary's eyes in person. They're beautiful in a really unsettling way. Like he's lived many lives, isn't he? Speaker 5 (6:40) He's... Look, he can... Is he... Speaker 3 (6:43) Winking, kind of. Yeah. Kind of a wink. It's kind of the worst wink that's ever happened. I'm an incel, aren't I, Daddy? Oh, OK. He's only 12. He's Speaker 5 (6:56) only 12. I think he technically can be. Now, Sarah, what are you up to? You have this podcast, I believe. I've Speaker 3 (7:03) got a book podcast, yes, with Cariad Lloyd called The Weirdos Book Club, where we read books and talk about them. Sometimes we have authors on. You should come on. They sent me your book. As Speaker 5 (7:12) an Speaker 3 (7:12) author? Speaker 5 (7:13) Yes, Speaker 3 (7:13) as an author. Well, I loved your book, Death... Speaker 5 (7:16) Flight from Death Row. I Speaker 3 (7:18) loved your book, Flight from Death Row. With the withered Alan Titchmarsh. I'd love to talk about that on our book podcast. I remember so much about that book so clearly. Really? Yeah. I never Speaker 5 (7:27) met anyone that read it before. Speaker 3 (7:30) I don't think I Speaker 5 (7:31) did. Speaker 3 (7:31) All of the vegetables in the Chinese shop and Princess Diana. Also, I've always wanted a withered twin because I sort of had this fantasy about being a conjoined twin or one of those people who absorbed their twin in the womb and that's why I'm so powerful. Speaker 5 (7:49) Elvis, I think Elvis absorbed his twin. Speaker 3 (7:51) Powerful people always have. It's like they're then one human and a baby. Speaker 5 (7:57) How would I know if I'd absorbed a twin? Speaker 3 (8:00) Maybe you wouldn't until one day you go for a scan and they go, there's a hairball in there and some teeth. That's what's exciting about it. Speaker 5 (8:06) I don't think a hairball with some teeth is the same. That's a teratoma. Speaker 3 (8:11) That's what they call it, yeah. I see what you mean, but you sort of start off conjoined, but you sort of eat and the other one, teratoma. They look a bit like Gary. No, they don't look like Gary. Speaker 5 (8:21) He's very sensitive about his appearance. Oh, Speaker 3 (8:24) sorry, I didn't realise. Speaker 5 (8:25) He's crying now. You made him cry. I Speaker 3 (8:34) was crying. Speaker 5 (8:35) So you do the podcast and, of course, you do your... What else do you do? Speaker 3 (8:40) Normal stuff. I walk the dog. I've just done a show, actually. Me, Rod Gilbert and Harriet Kemsley and some other people, we've been doing dog training. Speaker 5 (8:49) What, a TV show? A Speaker 3 (8:51) TV show of comedians training their dogs, Harry. Speaker 5 (8:53) Yeah. Okay, well, yeah, is that a gap in the market? I think it's the end Speaker 3 (8:59) of days, television-wise. So it's just, we've got 40 quid left in the budget. Should we get some dogs in? Speaker 5 (9:07) Okay, Sarah Pascoe, where's she got them? They're like dogs. You walk them around. We had dude. We have Amanda lamb. She did a program that was where she was trained to be a sheep Shepherd a Speaker 3 (9:23) shepherd Right and her name's lamb and Speaker 5 (9:27) her name's lamb Speaker 3 (9:27) Wow, okay. Hmm. And is she good at shepherding now that Speaker 5 (9:32) confused the sheepdog no end. Of Speaker 3 (9:34) course it confused me I'm a human being. So Speaker 5 (9:38) when's that coming out? I Speaker 3 (9:39) don't know when's this coming out? Speaker 5 (9:41) It's not no Speaker 3 (9:42) great Speaker 3 (9:44) It's just for us. Speaker 5 (9:45) It's just for us, yeah. Now, Sarah, may I ask how you feel about AI? Speaker 3 (9:50) Oh, yes. Yeah? Anti it. Oh, you are? I think we should switch the whole internet off at this point. Yeah. Do you remember? Is this a serious question? Are you just going to do a bit in a minute where you throw a sausage at me? Just before I get too into my answer. Speaker 5 (10:12) Does that answer your question? No, that's not AI, that's natural hearing. Great. What do you mean? Speaker 3 (10:20) Look, I remember in 2014 and U2 downloaded their album onto everyone's phones and everyone went absolutely ballistic. Yeah, funny that, wasn't Speaker 5 (10:28) it? Speaker 3 (10:28) Yeah, it was great. But people were really affronted and they fought back and they had no tools in technology to remove the album. They had to invent one. It took three days. So it was three days of everyone going. bananas about it and still sometimes people when they upgrade their iphone the album's back and they have to go through the internet looking for that link to get rid of it again lovely stuff but now they uh they don't ask us anymore and there is no we've got no ai to me feels like every day i'm being blasted by you to music i didn't want to hear yeah and there's no way to switch it off and there's no way to opt out other than just going very Luddite and just not having any technology in my life at all. Speaker 5 (11:06) Yeah, well, I mean, it was funny that everyone... actually got more angry about you two downloading their album onto their iPhones, which essentially was a gift. It was supposed to Speaker 3 (11:17) be a free gift, but it's like if Tesco's were giving you free cheese, but they broke into your house and left it in your fridge. You just found it in the morning like, this is creepy. Give me a choice. Give me a free upload. But Speaker 5 (11:29) there was more fuss about that than say, for instance, I don't know, Donald Trump bombing Iran. It's funny what triggers this. Speaker 3 (11:37) It is in terms of that. And I'm really glad you brought it up because you don't bring up Iran enough on this program. No, Speaker 5 (11:42) I know. Yeah. Let's talk about the Middle East. Speaker 3 (11:45) Okay, let's. Speaker 5 (11:46) How Speaker 3 (11:47) are you coping? Speaker 5 (11:49) Well, the sad thing is that I actually have a houseboat on the Strait of Hormuz. Speaker 3 (11:56) I Speaker 5 (11:56) can't go there now. I can't go there to water the plants on Speaker 3 (12:02) the Speaker 5 (12:02) deck, the top deck. Speaker 3 (12:03) People don't talk about how this war has affected you, do they? No, it's just Speaker 5 (12:08) like the Iraq war. I've got a timeshare in Tikrit. Speaker 3 (12:11) Did you do that? Speaker 3 (12:16) The festival they did in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh. Did you go to the Riyadh festival? Well, Speaker 5 (12:20) I'm Speaker 3 (12:20) glad Speaker 5 (12:20) they didn't ask me. Speaker 3 (12:21) Oh, they didn't ask you? Speaker 5 (12:22) No. I'm glad they didn't because it would have been a tricky one. Now, I turned down, and I want this on the record, I actually turned down Dubai. Speaker 3 (12:30) Yeah. Speaker 3 (12:32) Yeah, good. Yeah. It's good to have those things on the record. Yeah. I Speaker 5 (12:36) turned down a gig in Dubai, even though we'd had a lovely holiday there about a year before. You turned down. Did they ask you? No, Speaker 3 (12:46) I didn't get asked. No. Speaker 5 (12:47) It's that crazy money. And you can't. Speaker 3 (12:49) But I think it's good to have lines where you go, I won't do that. I won't cross that. I do think it's important as a human being. Speaker 5 (12:56) Yeah. Speaker 3 (12:56) Even if they don't ask you to go. If they did, I'd say no. Speaker 5 (12:59) Yeah, sure. I mean, I would. If they wanted to sponsor this podcast, however, they'd be more than welcome. What's his name? Alan Bin Salman. Call me. Is it Alden? No. Anyway, him. Now, anyway, just to cut a long story short, we have got an AI bot. Oh, Speaker 3 (13:19) right. Who's Speaker 5 (13:20) going to come out and tell us about you, if that's okay. Yes, Sarah. Yes. Sarah, come Speaker 3 (13:25) on out. Oh, sorry. It's the other Sarah. No, it's too Sarah. Sorry. Speaker 5 (13:27) It's going to be very confusing. This is what Speaker 3 (13:28) AI is, confusing. This is the thing. It Speaker 5 (13:31) started already. Speaker 3 (13:32) Oh, wow. There she is. Speaker 5 (13:33) There we are. Okay, so Speaker 3 (13:34) she's got an H on her name. That's how I'll tell the difference between us. She's got lovely arms. Oh, fork arms. Speaker 5 (13:40) Yeah, they look like forks. I don't think they are forks. Speaker 3 (13:44) That would Speaker 5 (13:45) be sort of, I don't Speaker 3 (13:46) know, Speaker 5 (13:46) cheap. Speaker 3 (13:47) Oh, they're her hands. Yeah. I mean, Speaker 5 (13:49) they're very similar to the four she'd get from Prism or Jane. I grant you. Now, Sarah, say hello to Sarah. Speaker 3 (13:55) Hi. Not Speaker 5 (13:56) you. Oh. Speaker 3 (13:57) Hey, Speaker 5 (13:58) Sarah. Speaker 2 (13:58) Wow. I'm a fool. I'm a Speaker 3 (14:00) fool. Speaker 2 (14:02) Exterminate. Exterminate. Oh, no. Only one Sarah can survive. Sorry, gonna call you Trevor from now on. Okay. It Speaker 3 (14:08) reminds me of when I met Sarah Millican for the first time. Speaker 3 (14:13) She also calls me Trevor now. Speaker 5 (14:15) Yeah. You're okay with Trevor. I Speaker 3 (14:17) love Trevor. That's lovely. Thank you. Speaker 5 (14:19) Now, Sarah's going to tell us a bit about you. Sarah, do tell us about Sarah Pascoe. Speaker 2 (14:26) Here goes. Speaker 5 (14:28) There is a snag. Trevor Speaker 2 (14:29) is an English comedian, actress, presenter and writer. Early life. Trevor was born to Gail and Derek Pascoe, a singer and musician. Love Derek Pascoe. Cool. Yeah. One sexy guy. The vocalist and saxophonist in Flintlock in the TV show You Must Be Joking Dart. He appeared in a two-part episode of the children's science fiction program The Tomorrow People. The Heart of Sogat in 1977. In which the band's music was used to revive an ancient demon. Pascoe is the father of writer, stand-up comedian and actress Sarah Pascoe. Trevor's great-grandmother was Rosa Newmarch, a poet and writer on music. No, that doesn't ring any bells here. Trevor grew up in nearby Romford. Her parents divorced when she was seven and she was raised by her mother. She attended Eastbury Comprehensive School in Barking. Trevor studied English at the University of Sussex. where she befriended Carrie Adloid bit creepy. You befriended Speaker 5 (15:25) her? Speaker 2 (15:26) After Speaker 5 (15:26) graduation, Speaker 2 (15:26) she worked as an actor and supplemented her income with temporary work, but found work hard to come by and declared herself bankrupt. Oh, dear. Speaker 5 (15:35) That's not right. I didn't know that. I didn't know that about you. That sort of blindsided me. Speaker 3 (15:42) Whoa! It's just like, wow. And this is all available on the internet for people to find out about me. Yeah. Speaker 5 (15:49) Yeah. Well, we'll get... We'll get to that. What Speaker 3 (15:52) a dark Speaker 5 (15:55) turn. Yes. Derek, of course. See, for my generation, we've talked about this at length before, but, you know, Flintlock were fantastic. So anyone, you know, younger than about 60 won't remember, but there was this kids' programme, You Must Be Joking, which was like kids doing a sketch show. Speaker 3 (16:14) Oh, was it? Speaker 5 (16:15) I think. Speaker 3 (16:16) I never knew what it was. Didn't Speaker 5 (16:17) you? Speaker 3 (16:17) I knew the theme tune. You must Speaker 5 (16:19) be