Rachel Parris

I’ve always read the papers but didn’t feel I knew enough in the past. But doing the research and looking at newspapers and online websites gives you a 360-degree view of the news.

I mean, the number one goal is to make people laugh, that’s definitely the first aim; but aside from that, when we discuss which topics to talk about, the second goal is to try and make a point about it."

People like to be moved, that’s why they’re here listening to you instead of sitting at home with the Shipping Forecast."

There is almost no topic that can’t benefit from being talked about in a humorous way.

I’m lucky to have depression less severely than a lot of people. I know some find it useful to talk about it and people are definitely doing that more. It’s becoming less stigmatised.

Much like Tim Minchin, I’d love to write and appear in a West End Musical. That’s the dream."

You gig and gig and wonder what your first Edinburgh show will be like, if people will like it, and when they do, it just feels like it validates the last few years of your life, and that you're on the right track.

There’s a very delicate but important contract that a Royal has with the British public and it’s this: Most people don’t mind paying for the Royals as long as those Royals live a miserable, thwarted existence full of horrible compromise."

No-one wants to hear a crude joke at the expense of the Principal, or the Bridegroom, or the head of the company. Well, they do, but wait ‘til you’re offstage then WhatsApp it to everyone instead."

I've been a musician and a songwriter for years, since I was a teenager, and made my living doing that on and off for a long time, so when it came to writing comedy material, it was the thing that came easiest to me, the most natural way of writing.

I started doing improv comedy in 2007, and I think it was that that gave me the confidence to try doing stand-up!

I thought there would be a lot of , you know, transferable skills, from acting and comedy, but there weren't that many!