UK TV Channel Dave have teamed up with The Campain Against Living Miserably (CALM), and have come up with a whole series of podcasts, cleverl;y named Conversations Against Living Miserably, in which co-hosts Aaron Gillies and Lauren Pattison chat each week with a different comedian / comedienne, in a light-hearted way about mental health, friendship, and their coping strategies, in order to help anyone struggling with anxiety issues or other unseen mental health issues, and to highlight that they are most certainly not alone, and both laughter and talking to people about it, are the best medicines.
This particular podcast featured Sarah Keyworth, who is an award-winning stand-up comedienne who performs live regularly across the UK. She has performed stand-up on The Now Show (BBC Radio 4) and has featured on the BBC, Comedy Central and has done tour support for incredible acts such as Stewart Francis, Dane Baptiste, Kerry Godliman, Jan Ravens and Abandoman. In 2018 she performed her debut hour, Dark Horse, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival drawing much critical acclaim, including a Herald Angel Award, a Pleasance Theatre award and a nomination for Best Newcomer in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Chatty, bright, and openly gay (her girlfriend being also a comedienne, Catherine Bohart), she was bombared at the start of the podcast with the first question that is asked to every guest, "When was the last time you felt calm?" It took a little explaining and deciding on what being calm actually meant, since, as she explained, calm means different things for different people; but for her, the last time she had a truly extented period of feeling unstressed and relaxed was when she was living with her parents some ten years' ago. Her adult life has been a bit of a rollercoaster. First was university, when she tried to change herself in order to fit into the pigeonholes and expectations of 'norm' and what was expected. And now, as a stand-up with a partner, her life is so busy that she rarely if ever manages to 'switch off'. Her brain is constantly whirring, and although she is very happy and content she is rarely if ever truly calm.
Keyworth talked about her grandma dying when she was 14, her 'coming-out', her experiences on reality TV, and weirdly, the fact that in order for her to get to sleep at night she has to think about death and dying. (apparently more common than one would imagine!).
The one thing we took away from the chat more than anything was Keyworth's insistence that we should be who we want to be, and not give in to social norms or mores. Don't let other people influence who you are. Her advice to her younger self would be to take the dress off, wear the trousers, keep the hair short, and don't date just for the sake of it!
The podcasts are kept quite light despite the material being perhaps sometimes dark and maudlin. And if you still have any anxieties or concerns then there is always the free CALM helpline. More details of which can be found at www.thecalmzone.net
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 27/12/19
No comments:
Post a Comment