Known for her wry stand-up and viral sketch parodies with over 40 million views online, Davina Bentley (Telegraph’s Five Young Sketch Comedians to Watch) brings her debut solo hour, Dancing While Old, to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Davina is lost, with no identity to speak of. At 42, she’s not a fresh young thing, but she’s not heading up board rooms like her school friends, designing skyscrapers that look uncannily like penises.
But there is hope. Davina discovers that Henry VIII was 44 when he started doing what he did best, executing his wives. So Davina has two years to discover exactly who she is.
Interlacing stand-up with sketches, Davina slaloms through being a woman in her early 40s and tackles modern womanhood. When you feel like you’re turning invisible, who are you? Is it time to book some hi-tech tweakments or is her legacy going to be a triumphant acceptance of the peri-menopause and wrinkles, becoming visible on her own terms (with just a touch of botox)?
As heard on Radio 1, Radio 4, Radio 4 Xtra, Dazed Online, Davina has written for Radio 4 shows including Dead Ringers, The News Quiz, DMs are Open, POV and Please Use Other Door. She is also one half of the cult podcast parody duo Binks and Hebrides Whine Time.
She is known for her online parodies of podcasts The News Agents, The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics and The Rest is Entertainment and Netflix's Emily in Paris as well as character sketches such as Kent Mum on Tube, with 1.7million likes online.
Davina Bentley: Dancing While Old runs at the Plesance Courtyard (Cellar) 5th - 30th August, tickets here
What is the last thing you do before you go onstage (apart from check your flies and/or check your knickers aren't sticking out of your skirt and check for spinach between your teeth)
I do a little "grounding myself" with both my feet and then make sure I don't rush onto the stage in time with the walk on music, I take my time to show the audience "I got this" (within reason, I don't do a slo-motion walk).
What irritates you?
Nearly everything in these hazy peri-menopausal days, but mostly people (1) talking loudly on tubes, (2) stopping at the top of escalators, (3) standing on the left of the tube escalator, (4) speaking on their phones without headphones and the phone held out horizontally in front like an Apprentice contestant. If these people somehow got murdered, no jury would convict.
What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done?
I've clapped back to angry-drunk-audience-men shouting at me on stage at comedy clubs with no security.
What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?
I have opened a drinks can then looked underneath the open can, spilling the liquid contents on myself. That has a loud undignified stupidity to it.
What has surprised you the most during your career in comedy?
That the people can be absolutely wonderful, and then sometimes the very same people can be not so wonderful. But that's okay because we all contain multitudes and all have bad days.
What do your parents/children (delete as applicable) think of your job?
My parent thinks this is a wonderful job and is a big fan of live comedy, she just doesn't want her daughter to be doing it. She adores Sindhu Vee though. She also fluctuates between love and hate of my online character "skinny ADHD Jewish mum".
What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?
The shlepping. You have to shlep to places like Peterborough, Bristol, Colchester. But then you do the gig and for the rest of your life you say "the people of Colchester are a good fine people with a wonderful water tower".
I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?
Either a piece of shit or the shit, very little in between. I do sometimes look at comedy videos I've done online (only at night when I'm lonely) and say "ha, that's funny" or "terrible execution Davina".
How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn?
I earn little from comedy and I would like to earn enough to live on comedy. It's a cliche but that's the dream. To not have to support the thing I love with other work. At the moment it's as though I am both the lawyer husband and the yoga wife.
How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks?
I don't think I believe in luck in this context. David Spade said in the SNL 50 show, I didn't have a big break, just a series of small ones. Also Dua Lipa's fit dad said "You have to work really, really hard, just to have a tiny bit of luck."
Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into third category?
I'd be devastated to find out I'm not a tortured artist. But that devastation would just fuel further tortured art, so it's probably for the best. (The third category is a crazy golfer I believe).
Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians?
I really love George Michael and think he should be canonized. I also love nearly every dog I come across, I know that's not a person but they are very human-like aren't they?
Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response).
Unspeakably neat. If you saw my sock drawer you'd think I was Patrick Bateman. But I'm not. It's just everything outside the drawers I struggle to keep tidy.
AND NOW THE OPTIONAL BONUS BALL QUESTION...I've asked you 13 questions, now you get to choose a question you can ask about yourself and then answer. It could be "Why do you comedy?" it could be "Do you have any pension advice?" Or it can be anything in between. Seriously. Anything at all. I look forward to all of your answers.
What's my favourite Simpson's episode?
Thank you for asking, that's a great question. It's probably a Treehouse of Horror, let's say the Shining one (Treehouse of Horror V). For regular episodes it's probably Lisa's Rival (because of the sugar theft B plot and Homer's mad speech).
Davina Bentley: Dancing While Old runs at the Plesance Courtyard (Cellar) 5th - 30th August, tickets her
Image credit, Rebecca Need-Menear
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