She “absolutely bonked” performing her first comedy gig.
But Keswick’s Steph Bradshaw did not let the lack of laughter from an unenthusiastic audience leave her down-in-the-mouth.
Instead she found the whole experience intoxicating and it helped kick-start a potentially promising career in the brutal world of comedy.
Her first open mic night was above the Fell Bar in Kendal and Steph’s disastrous 10-minute routine was about priority boarding at airports.
“I went by myself and absolutely bonked and I remember thinking: ‘That was awful,’ recalled 29-year-old Steph, a former pupil at Cockermouth School. “But I was so desperate to do it again and thought, ‘There is something in this if I am still buzzing to put myself through that all over again’.”
And Steph, who works at the newly-opened Lake District Wine shop in Keswick’s Packhorse Court, has not looked back and is currently appearing in an outrageous comedy reality show featuring more established and experienced comics from across the country.
The show pits comedians against one another for a huge £100,000 prize – the biggest ever for a UK comedy competition. Its judges are Mae Martin, Jamali Maddix, London Hughes and Danish comedian Sofie Hagen who are all well-known on the stand-up circuit.
Hosted by Jack Guinness, the show runs for four episodes – the first was shown on Monday – and is available to watch for free on the streaming platform www.of.tv.
A spokesperson for The Only Fans Comedy Edition said the show pulls together some of the best up-and-coming comedic talent in the UK and Ireland and puts them through a number of tasks.
The funniest person, as judged by UK comedy stars Mae Martin, Jamali Maddix and London Hughes, will walk away with the top prize. Two runners-up will each receive £25,000.
Viewers will see first-hand the highs and lows of trying to make it as a comedian, as the finalists are asked to create a viral comedy video, write for another contestant, and write a five-minute set on sex and relationships which they later discover is for a group of pensioners enjoying a buffet lunch.
In its third iteration since launching in 2021, OnlyFans’ Creative Fund has become a launchpad for up-and-coming talent in different creator categories.
Steph is sworn to secrecy about how she gets on but said: “It was amazing. It sounds really cheesy but I was really so happy to be there. I was the least experienced comedian in the last 10, but considering how many people applied I felt extremely proud to be among that line up of people who have been going much longer than me.”
“There are some brilliant people on that show,” added Steph, who says that her comedy is observational.
“I also write a lot of stuff about being quite anxious and being an over thinker and how it makes my brain see the world. I also write about being someone who seeks the limelight but has spent her life living in small towns.”
Steph, who has recently completed an MA in drama at the Rose Bruford College in Wigan, will be compèring a scratch night at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake on Saturday February 18.
