Critically-acclaimed stand-up and star of Taskmaster (Dave), 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4), and Hypothetical (Dave) Lou Sanders is currently on a UK tour of her brand-new solo show Say Hello To Your New Step-Mummy. Delving into topics from relationships to spirituality to mental health, the show promises a characteristically frank and confessional hour of stand-up which many viewers will be familiar with from her much lauded 2018 show Shame Pig.

Kerenza: What inspired the title for your new show?
Lou: YOUR DAD!!! I guess I mean 'Your Dad' jokes in general. Also my agent and producer said no to the title I really wanted and for really good reasons too - thanks guys!

Kerenza: Are there any topics that you think are under-represented in comedy?
Lou: I think we lack a real honesty about how we operate, feel and who we really are - grime and all. That’s just because no one examines themselves very hard, especially / traditionally men God love them. Not their fault - it's just the way it's been. Also people are scared to be honest because we generally want to be liked and we live in a culture of fear and shame at the moment.  Also (and probably the reason I don’t do more of it) is it’s bloody hard to write the deep stuff.

Kerenza: Tell us a bit about your experience on Taskmaster. Was it what you expected? Was there a genuine sense of competition between yourself and your fellow contestants?
Lou: It was the dream of dreams and I loved it with all my heart. Any job that’s creative and involves no prep is just a dream on toast for me. Learning lines is dull. Everyone on the show was so nice, the acts and the crew and the hosts.  The show is perfect as it allows everyone to be themselves and be celebrated for all that brings up, the eccentricities, the confusion and the humour. I would say Iain and I were competitive and the others were a bit more cool about stuff so that’s slightly embarrassing to think about. But I wanted to come back and do Champion’s Champion so what can you do but get very very very in to the game.

Kerenza: You've recently appeared in Aisling Bea's new series 'This Way Up'. Do you have any ideas for a sitcom of your own?
Lou: Yes, I've got a couple in development that I’m quite excited about. That's the next thing for me hopefully.

Kerenza: What were your comedy influences growing up?
Lou: My brother.

Kerenza: What's the most memorable gig you've ever done?
Lou: I can’t remember! Isn’t that dumb.

Kerenza: As a comedian, do you feel a social responsibility to talk about current events and politics? Or do you see comedy as an antidote and escape from the daily horror show that is 'The News’?
Lou: Thank God I do not. I’ll let Nish talk about that stuff because he’s probably read a newspaper in the past two weeks. I stay well out of it. I vote, obviously - I’m not a moron and I do know who Jacob Rees Mob is (thank you), but I don’t feel like me chipping in on this on stage is going to get too much done.  Leave it for someone with that passion and I will talk about pelvitones, shame and your dad.  Although my stuff is socially political in a way and I do enjoy that I am saying SOMETHING SOMETIMES.

Kerenza: What would you be doing if you hadn't gone into comedy? 
Lou: Asking you why you’re asking me all these questions; I’d be like whaaaat - this doesn’t make sense.

Lou Sanders performs Say Hello To You New Step-Mummy at Soho Theatre from 28th October – 9th November. Tickets can be found at sohotheatre.com