Magazine

Runner up Katherine Bennett on fulfilling dreams

Katherine Bennett was a close runner up to the overall Funny Women Award. Here she recounts her experience of being in this year's final.

"My experience of being part of the Funny Women Awards is an entirely positive one. I have wanted to be a comic for as long as I can remember but having left university with a degree in Theology my wise (now dead; and not so wise) mum recommended that I train to be a teacher 'just in case'. Just in case became a career, and dreams of being a comic were shelved, then transferred to the loft when I had my children. If it wasn’t for Funny Women, with whom I did my first gig in 2008, I suspect that’s where they would have stayed.

"This year I reached not only the final, but second place in the Final, which, given the standard, was no great surprise....(that is, of course, a joke)....the other women taking part were funny, that’s a given, but more than that they were such supportive and interesting people, each of whom I would love to see perform again.

"Suzy Bennett did a fabulous job hosting and the audience were great. As for Lara (damn her) she has a tremendous stage presence and her observational comedy really had the audience in stitches.

"Last year's winners, Thankless Child, were so very funny that a friend of mine in the audience who only laughs on the inside, laughed on the outside. The charity raffle was a success. Kerry Gilbert and I bought lots of raffle tickets, then watched backstage as we didn’t win anything. For me, I can’t speak for Kerry (last seen trying to get her money back) it was only ever about donating to Cancer Research UK.

"Lynne Parker and her team work almost as hard as I do raising my quads. There are sometimes explicit costs associated with fulfilling one’s dreams and sometimes hidden costs. Lynne Parker's track record suggests that I should trust her judgement, and I do."

Katherine Bennett