MadMadMad about Sara Pascoe

This week I was finally able to book tickets to go and see one of my favourite stand up comedians, Sara Pascoe. To help explain how much I’m looking forward to seeing her live as part of her LadsLadsLads tour in November, I’ll be spending four months over the summer backpacking coast to coast across Canada, and still can’t wait.

Although hers will be the fourth live stand-up tour I will have been to after Ross Noble, Jon Richardson, and Jasper Carrott, I figured I’d put down in words why I’m looking forward to Sara Pascoe in particular.

(Left to right): male, male, male, male, female, male, male

Firstly, while she herself questions the notion of being labelled a “female comedian”, her gender is still relevant. The comedy circuit may not be unique in being a male dominated field, but with shows such as Mock the Week and Would I Lie To You often featuring a 6 to 1 male/female ratio, it is certainly one with a wider discrepancy than most.

Although Sara is not the only woman to have done so, the act of taking her place amongst the best in an arena which prioritizes men above women even more so than many others, to say nothing of the obstacles and even harassment that her male peers don’t face, shows what she has striven through, and is something that should be recognised (as it should for all women in male dominated industries).

As someone whose geographical location also limits the number of comedians I am able to go and see live, and who considers smashing the patriarchy from the inside as “fighting the good fight”, more than just being able to support a “female comedian” the fact I will be able to redress my own still otherwise skewed ratio is also something which gives this particular show an edge over the others.

In addition to this is the fact that as well as (perhaps in spite of) this, she has also strived to improve working conditions for up and coming comedians, and worked towards forming a union with the aim of helping those lower down the ladder of success for whom not being paid/unable to work through no fault of their own may have much greater consequences. A little known fact, but something which should give her more respect than she may otherwise receive.

As is perhaps unsurprising the content of her stand up routines themselves also played a large part in why I booked tickets for her latest tour. As a stand up comedian she has appeared in several TV shows including three stints on Live at the Apollo, and throughout these her routines have often made jokes that deal with gender, feminism, and ideas surrounding body image.

Her sets brim with satirical ideas that engage people well beyond just laughing at the funnies. Not only does this make her material more memorable, but also elevates it (at least according to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s definition) from entertainment into an art form which challenges people’s worldviews. She may not have been the first to discuss women’s magazines, but her ‘solution’ of having Page 3 adopt a jury duty style nomination system adds to conversations and debates surrounding the objectification of women which continues outside the comedy arena.

Although I have nothing against the observational comedy which sees the likes of Peter Kay making mass audiences laugh merely at everyday situations, to me it is those such as Pascoe who can add intelligence and more substance to their humour, and by doing so make the most of comedy’s potential, of which I am a particular fan.

More than just during her satirical routines however, she has also utilised this intelligence during her appearances on shows such as The Last Leg, and is something which is exemplified by her latest project, The Modern Monkey. A series of half-hour  routines/lectures, it examines how evolutionary psychology explains modern behaviour in terms of what was necessary for our simian ancestors’ survival. It is series such as these which live up to the founding principles of the BBC itself and are produced “to educate, inform and entertain”; in essence, the sole reason for paying a TV licence even though it was made for the radio.

With each episode she examines a different concept (murder, jealousy, territory, and charity) by explaining her obviously thorough research using examples from her own life. Something which continues on from her book, Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body, in which she not only makes hardcore science relatable, but which also includes the kind of searing honesty that makes it her most personal work.

Cannot recommend highly enough…

More than just being the work of a sole author than a member of a panel, Animal delves into Pascoe’s own experiences of topics covering a wide spectrum of sex and relationships, including evolution (both biological and psychological), body image, and consent. Again, Pascoe is far from the first to have done this, but Animal stands out above the others from the best ever answer to the question ‘What is normal?’ – “a concept formed by averages but it changes with education and tolerance” – to the controversial topic of abortion which she discusses unashamedly via her own pregnancy as a teenager.

Throughout her comedy, regardless of medium, she infuses her work with honesty I can’t help by envy, is knowledgable enough to examine ideas with authority yet modest enough to never be condescending, but above all is passionate in her beliefs that makes her audience not just hear, but really listen to what she has to say. The fact that many of these are opinions and ideas I either already agree with or am fascinated to learn more about is just the cherry on top.

As if it doesn’t need mentioning, this blog post is also just a summary of some of her work, and which doesn’t even touch on her acting career which includes the celebrated Twenty Twelve & W1A and the obscure The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, to her stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Words to live by.

In essence, Sara Pascoe represents the polar opposite of (and solution to) that which I most dislike about the current entertainment industry, so-called “reality” TV. As much as we all need entertaining when we relax/veg out, you can still do this while appreciating something that talented creators have crafted and laboured over, rather than an ever-increasing number of clone series idolising those who have achieved next to nothing in terms of earning their right to be famous, and/or talent competitions which exploit contestants solely for their own gain and spit them back out again when they’re no longer profitable.

Throughout her career, whether as a stand up comedian, author, actor, or even playwright, Sara Pascoe proves there are better ways that Essex girls can be than the only one modern entertainment presents us with.

Where’s My Minority Sports Report?

Whilst watching the wheelchair rugby final of the Invictus Games, it occurred to me that in this current media climate dominated by violent headlines of war and beheadings, it is the sport also known as “Murderball” that can be the most uplifting thing shown on TV. Allow me to explain:

Mention the 2014 World Cup, and for most it would be the men’s football championship that springs to mind. This is despite the fact that England spectacularly fulfilled everyone’s expectations of mediocrity, whereas the women’s national rugby team romped to glory in a 21-9 victory in the final. World Champions, and yet the media decided that the men who could only achieve one draw deserved more screen time. Consider that it is also the second time England have won the women’s rugby world cup, and 1966 somehow seems even more distant than it did before.

Nolli Waterman and the WRWC trophy.    © West Somerset Free Press

In fact I have to admit that this is something that I myself would have remained largely unaware of, were it not for the fact that we both grew up in the same town and shared several classes at school with England international Danielle “Nolli” Waterman.

Considering she and her team-mates were representing the entire nation, it is nothing but a shame that their accomplishments received more space on the front page of our local broadsheet, The West Somerset Free Press, than from a large portion, if not all, of the national newspapers.

Print media aside, coverage of the women’s rugby team fared much better on television. Not only has Nolli featured on the Clare Balding Show, but earlier today she also appeared with team-mates Maggie Alphonsi and Heather Fisher on Sky Sports’ Game Changers, a sporty Saturday morning kids show.

Great coverage they no doubt deserved, but that which again, I was only made aware of through Nolli’s own advertising on twitter. In addition these were also both on dedicated pay to view sports channels, of which BT Sport is still up and coming, and seems to advertise to non-subscribers predominantly through their coverage of, you guessed it, men’s football.

To be fair, it has to be said that sport isn’t my main passion, and not something I would normally seek out in terms of media coverage. Obviously there are those who do, and will no doubt have been made aware of the Rugby world cup long before myself and those others who rely only on more general media coverage. Whilst it can certainly be argued that the media is only a reflection of what the mainstream audience want to see, I would instead argue that it is in fact a vicious cycle: the mainstream audience often cannot want to see what it has not been made aware of by the media.

Just as London 2012 and the Women’s Rugby world cup has shown, there is nothing like getting behind athletes representing your nation at international events to get the adrenaline pumping, and interest growing.

Something which can also be said of disability sport. The BBC’s coverage of the 2008 Paralympics was limited to the red button, and four years later it was outbid by another broadcaster. Whilst it cannot be said that Channel 4’s coverage of the games at both London and Sochi were severely lacking in any way, it also cannot be said that their legacy goes much further than The Last Leg.

A Glasgow 2014 opening ceremony tent getting more air time than the games themselves.

A satirical news programme which, despite originating from the 2012 Paralympic Games, still concerns itself more with whether its twitter followers considered the 2014 Commonwealth Games to be either #notshit or #abitshit, than the fact that it is the only major competition in which able-bodied and disabled sports are competed side by side.

Whilst this fact was mentioned, even a show in which three presenters have only four legs between them still seems to cater to, rather than educate, a largely unaware audience. Meanwhile disability sport has continued to be played throughout the past two years as it always has done, even if it is still doing so in the background.

Not to say that male footballers aren’t skilled athletes, but the amount of coverage they receive also gives them an unfair advantage off, as well as on the pitch. Whilst players for the England women’s rugby team are only just now becoming paid professional athletes, sportsmen who have been receiving large paycheques for their entire careers somehow still feel the need to supplement these with advertising deals. Not to begrudge them these opportunities, but it makes you wonder if their World Cup experience would have turned out differently had the England goalkeeper, Joe Hart, not spent his run up to the competition appearing in no less than three separate television commercials.

The broadcasting of women’s and disability sport is far from adequate, and I would say that it is Wheelchair Rugby that can help bridge the gap that needs to be crossed.

GB’s Kylie Grimes in action.

Wheelchair Rugby is perhaps the only sport that has something for everyone. It is a full contact sport in terms of wheelchairs crashing into each other, and the fact that these chairs/battering rams act as a barrier between player contact means that the contact can often be more aggressive than its grass pitch counterpart.

Not only are there rules and classifications ensuring that those on the pitch are of mixed (dis)abilities, but while predominantly played by men, it is also a mixed sport in which both male and female players compete with and against each other, side by side.

In addition, like any disability sport, the athletes have already achieved so much before even entering the pitch. To me, sport is all about personal achievement; I enjoy archery because it is one of those sports where it doesn’t matter how many others are on the shooting line with me, I am always competing against myself. By overcoming obstacles many of us would have trouble imagining, pushing themselves to higher and higher standards is nothing new to those who participate in Murderball.

More than any this though, wheelchair rugby is generally just as thrilling as team sports get. Take a look for yourself, and see what even €100million can’t buy:

It’s now the 21st Century, and surely it’s time for decent coverage of sports that don’t deserve their description of “minority”. The advent of Sky Sports’ Sportswomen show last year was a great step forward, as is Game Changers introducing the younger generation to sports in all it forms, but one in which other broadcasters and newspapers need to not only follow, but also expand upon.

Thankfully things are also changing for the better in terms of disabled athletes. Last year at the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year awards, Hannah Cockroft became the first wheelchair athlete to be nominated outside of the Paralympics, a far cry from 2000 when Tanni Grey-Thompson was unable to accept her trophy due to the stage not having the most basic of disable access.

Surely it’s only deserving that the women’s England Rugby team be given the Team Of The Year award at this years ceremony in December, something which could, and indeed should, be the latest chapter of greater coverage of even greater sports.