Comedy interview: Lucy Porter at Komedia Bath

The last time I met Lucy Porter we found we had a lot in common, both of us being five foot tall (or short) incessant worriers.

“The worrying remains,” laughs Lucy when we catch up again, “but the five foot bit has changed! I got measured on The One Show and it turns out I’m 4 foot 11. I think it was a bad day though. I was slouching – stooped with the worries of the world on my shoulders.”

In reality, the bubbly stand-up has little to worry about. Her new show, Fool’s Gold has been acclaimed by critics and punters alike; she is fast becoming a household name as a regular guest star on Mock The Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and 8 Out Of 10 Cats; and she finally tied the knot with her long-term boyfriend at Christmas.

The latter, however, caused a bit of a problem for her new show, Fools Gold, whose promotional material claimed she would be discussing her acute allergy to wedding rings.

“My aversion to gold in the shape of a wedding ring was in the original press release – however I have lived to regret that seeing as I got married in December!

“Actually, it’s quite funny and it has changed the show in quite a good way because I talk about my fear of commitment and taming that fear.”

Fool’s Gold takes a lighthearted look at our infatuation with the precious metal.

In these times of recession, gold is prized more highly than ever, as other forms of currency grow worthless. What’s so special about gold, and why is it that human beings have long been obsessed with the yellow, shiny stuff?

Lucy delves into the history of gold, looking at those who love it – rappers, Mr T. and Jimmy Saville – and those who have reason to hate it.

“I started thinking about the show a year-and-a-half ago when those peculiar ‘We Want Your Gold’ adverts were appearing on the telly. Who has got gold lying around that they’re not using and why would you send it in an envelope to someone you’ve never met?

“It’s mainly a stand-up show, but I like to mix it up a bit with a quiz, a big gold thing and a few surprises that I don’t want to give away.”

The London-based comic has been a familiar face on the stand-up circuit for more than a decade, but despite many years of experience and success, Lucy admits she still feels sick with nerves and worry before every performance.

So how on earth does someone of that disposition appear on the mud-slinging Mock The Week and take to the stage at the 3,000-seater Hammersmith Apollo?

“I worry about that a lot, obviously. Mock The Week is a bit of a competition and much more rough and tumble than some of the other stuff I do.

“But I’m a bit of an adrenalin junkie and almost crave the feeling of panic – the dry mouth and the clenched buttocks.

“It’s the same with playing the Hammersmith Apollo – I need that fire in my belly.”

So now that Lucy is a fully-fledged TV star playing to huge spaces up and down the country, has life become a lot more glamorous for the affable comic?

“I suppose it is a little bit more glamorous than when I started out playing the working men’s clubs and places like that, but you still have to get changed in the toilets. It’s just that the toilets are a bit nicer now.”