The comic on her standup heroes, using depression as an inspiration for laughter and stereotypes about northerners
How did you get into comedy?
I’d always wanted to do it but was way too self-conscious. Then when I was very depressed, staying on my friend’s couch, I asked if I could jump on the open mic she ran. It went well, likely because my friend made everyone we knew come down. Hearing a laugh of recognition, after saying something you felt so isolated and alone in thinking, made me want to continue performing. I started gigging around Manchester. It was early shows in places like XS Malarkey that made me think, maybe this could be more than a hobby.
Who did you admire when you were starting out?
I love acts who have their own voice – you can’t imagine anyone else telling their jokes. I really related to Dylan Moran and Rich Hall’s downbeat personas. I’m a crotchety old man trapped in the body of a little girl.
Hannah Platt: Defence Mechanism is at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 31 July-25 August
