Angela Barnes is no stranger to the world of TV comedy panel shows. On the contrary, she’s at home on them. You might recognise the 48-year-old as a Mock The Week panelist perched between host Dara Ó Briain and Hugh Dennis, or perhaps ripping into the elderly on the mic. Classic. Maybe you remember her from Russell Howard’s Good News, or from the comedy circuit, which she’s zoomed around a fair few times.
Luckily for Angela, she found comedy later in life – in her 30s. Fortunate, because those panel shows were far less forgiving when she was quietly working in health and social care in her 20s. ‘By the time I was doing Mock The Week it was a very different show to the beginning,’ she says in a chat with Metro. ‘At the beginning – let’s be honest – it was all boys fighting to be heard. A lot of d**k swinging for want of a better phrase.
‘By the time I came to do it – and they would shock horror allow more than one woman on the show at a time – gradually the mood of it changed. ‘Dara speaks quite openly about this. He and Hugh were getting older – they couldn’t be bothered with the bun fight. So it just became more of an ensemble piece.’. Of course, there’s always going to be some elbow-shoving for limelight when on a show with seven other comedians, but when Angela stepped into the studio, Mock The Week was ‘a lot calmer’ than it’d previously been.
As a comedian, going on Mock The Week is like marmite. ‘People either love it or hate it as a performer. It either suits your style or it doesn’t,’ she says. ‘Mock the Week suits me, I like writing jokes, wordplay. For some people who are more whimsical and do long-form comedy, it can be quite difficult.’. While attempting to make 100s of people laugh on stage is most people’s idea of hell, Angela is at home. The stage is more comfortable than real life, in some respects.
‘I get anxious in social situations,’ she says. ‘If I walk into a party or room full of people I don’t know, that’s my nightmare. ‘So for me, being on a stage with a microphone in my hand – where I don’t have to make eye contact with anyone, and it is always my turn to talk – that’s my comfortable place.’. For someone with the confidence of a bull on stage, it’s hard to believe. Until Angela reveals she has ADHD – something she shares with many of her fellow comedians.
‘There’s a reason there is a tears of the clown trope. There’s a reason there’s a certain type of person that seems to be attracted to this job. There’s a reason we’ve all been diagnosed with ADHD,’ she says. ‘I know people roll their eyes, and go, “They’ve all got ADHD now!”, as if it’s a fashion statement. But the fact is, if you grew up with undiagnosed ADHD, comedy provides a world where you belong. That’s all it is.
‘So I feel lucky that I found this world before it was too late.’. But ADHD isn’t what Angela’s new show Angst is about. While she gives the appearance as a calm swan Angela’s paddles are going like the clappers underneath, and that’s her topic this time around. In short: she’s anxious. ‘Quite frankly, if you’re not anxious in the world right now, you’re a psychopath,’ she says. But don’t worry: Angela’s show isn’t too political. She wants people to leave her presence feeling lighter – and thankful they’re not her. Ouch.
If you’re going to see Angst, whatever you do: do not approach Angela. Or do, but don’t expect much. Please!. ‘People who know me know I’m riddled with insecurity,’ she says. ‘I like meeting the audience, but I worry that I’ll disappoint them. Because in real life, I’m not that confident person.’. What I Rent: We pay £2,060 for our Battersea studio flat — and yoga classes are included.
I finally got on the property ladder and it was the biggest mistake of my life. We bought a house together — and it's made our breakup even more complicated. I bought a house with my partner — but when we broke up, he refused to sell. Property experts reveal whether it’s actually worth buying a home when you’re young. Angela Barnes’ is touring her show Angst around the UK from February 13, 2025 and tickets are available here.
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