Edinburgh Fringe Q&A – Alexandra Haddow: ‘Macaroni pies should be available on the NHS’

Stand-up comedian Alexandra Haddow makes her hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut with an hour of jokes, revelations and speculation about all the wrong ways to do ‘being a woman’.

Not My Finest Hour sees her detailing everything she’s ever done wrong – from having an affair to sexual politics, feminism, abortion, skincare regimes – even dancing.

In a world where so many are obsessed with being publicly seen as ‘good’, Alexandra doesn’t think real life is quite that clear-cut. The show promises to delve into the grey area and discover whether the ambiguous might actually be a lot more fun.

How are you feeling ahead of your debut hour at the Fringe?

Nervous and excited! And poor.

What is your show about, and what inspired it?

It’s about something bad I did in my twenties, and something that happened to me as a result of it. As well as my hometown, losing my virginity, and celebrity notes app apologies.

It’s called Not My Finest Hour – what was your finest hour?

Oooooo good question, either volunteering for a homeless charity a couple of Christmasses ago (I didn’t even post it on social media, can you believe it? This is an exclusive!) or when I remember to buy someone a birthday present on time to give it to them for their actual birthday.

You also run Indie Amnesty – how much are you looking forward to bringing that to the festival?

I can’t wait! It’s gonna be a great night and a big blow out for everyone on the 24th August at Dropkick Murphys, and we have some special guests doing a DJ set! Make sure you sign up for a free ticket because it gets you a free shot. Yes, it is 2008.

You grew up in Corby, aka Little Scotland, how at home do you feel north of the border?

Very! I love it. Macaroni pies should be available on the NHS. Growing up in Corby means a lot of what is normal and everyday in Scottish culture was the same for me growing up, I didn’t realise that not every town in England has a Celtic and Rangers Supporters club. That makes it sound like one place, which would be a terrible idea.

Have you been to the festival before? What are your favourite memories from it?

Yes I came up to watch before I did comedy, then up for some spots, and then a two hander with Rich Spalding in 2019 and a 45 minute show called Woman In Progress last year. My favourite memories are flyering with Rich (so much easier when it’s not just for yourself) and asking audiences ever night if they thought we should sleep together. The show was called Sex Question Mark.

If you were put in charge of the Fringe, what changes would you make?

I’d make it illegal to charge over a certain amount for accommodation. I’d also split the festival into two halves, so that people don’t have to be away for a month and run themselves into financial ruin.

How would you describe how you feel when your walk on music hits and you take a step out onto the stage?

I feel excited and sometimes nervous but in a great way. This is the best job in the world. I can say that with confidence after doing a lot of s**t ones.

Who else are you looking forward to seeing at the Fringe?

So many people! Jamie Allerton, Jamie Finn, Adam Flood, Paddy Young, Darran Griffiths, Lorna Rose Treen, Liz Guterbock, Helen Bauer, Josh Pugh…there’s too many to name!

What’s your favourite one-liner?

Arthur Smith – ‘And now… a word about drugs. Nice!’

Who’d be your dream…

Podcast co-host / guest

My best pal Nat, we might do one!

Karaoke duetter

Lloyd Griffith

Wrestling tag team partner

Olga Koch

Comedian to split an hour with

Micky Flanagan, he probably wants a rest from hours.

Alexandra Haddow – Not My Finest Hour, 6:55pm, 2nd -25th August at the Pleasance Courtyard, tickets here.