Stand Up for Freedom (Amnesty International): Assembly Hall on the Mound, Edinburgh, 2008
Sarah Millican: Typical Woman: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2009
Sarah Millican: Chatterbox: The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 2010
BBC Comedy Presents: Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, 2010
BBC Comedy Presents: BBC @ Potterow, Edinburgh, 2011
Best of the Fest: Assembly on the Mound, Edinburgh, 2011
The Big Comedy Gala in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support: Venue 150 @ EICC, Edinburgh, 2011
Sarah Millican: Thoroughly Modern Millican: Assembly on the Mound, Edinburgh, 2011
Sarah Millican: Homebird: The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 2013
Rob Deering’s Beat This (guest): Assembly George Square, Edinburgh, 2013
Sarah Millican: Control Enthusiast: The Sands Centre, Carlisle, 2018
I have most seen Geordie comedian Sarah Millican perform mostly at the Edinburgh Fringe. When I first saw her performing as a guest at a Stand Up for Freedom benefit, her trademark warm-hearted motherly delivery (even although she is not as yet a mum) shone through as she barraged the audience with a roster of filth and smutty tales.
At her one woman shows (the material cut to an hour for her Edinburgh Festival performances but went on to become mammoth tours), Typical Woman in 2009 saw her tackle the theme of male and female traits. Stories about shopping, porn, cakes, DIY, books about adding spice to relationships all featured and were as ordinary as the likeable open Northern comic herself.
A year later in 2010, she returned with Chatterbox which confirmed her popularity by letting the audience believe that they were chatting to their best friend so she could say almost anything to them. The warmth of the delivery ensured that what might be considered filth in some comics’ hands is simply naughty.
The likeable charm and carefree attitude continued with Thoroughly Modern Millican in 2011 and Home Bird in 2013 where a solid hour of charming anecdotes, easily identifiable situations, and the odd pun, was all accompanied with a saucy self-deprecation.
Millican’s big new tour for 2018 was stopping off at Carlisle on the eve of my 51st birthday in August 2018. As I was staying in my home city for the summer, I decided to go along.
If like me you like a bit of smut with your comedy (and let’s face it, who doesn’t) I was looking forward to seeing the popular South Shields comedian again as her innocence in telling smutty, filthy stories of everyday life always made me laugh out loud. She did not disappoint. Her new show Control Enthusiast examined exactly that – the fact that she was not so much a control freak more of a control enthusiast. From the word go mentioning her sanitary towel to the packed audience, she launched into stories to name a few about body parts, what can happen at bra fittings, tips on how to talk to shop assistants, her new dog, marriage, and the unfortunate fact that she has Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It was all delivered in her cheery, unabashed, innocent, honesty so that even the filthiest description in a story can be got away with by Millican telling it. It is a device she has perfected over the years I have seen her.
I was reading Millican’s current book How To Be Champion and I took it along to the gig in the hope of it getting signed. I was told that even although the book was on sale this was not going to happen which was a shame because I would have loved to have met her. Nevertheless on the way out, I was determined to collect my free badge which said ‘I’m Champion!’ as this was how I’d felt after seeing the very funny woman perform her great show. It was a terrific birthday present.
Millican is an exceptionally funny and likeable comedian who has deservedly found success and is one of Britain’s most popular comedians.