At a socially distanced Funny Women Awards final at The Comedy Store, London our panel of industry judges (both present and via Zoom) were won over by deadpan comic Izzy Askwith and her anti-social struggles! They picked Izzy from among eight talented finalists as the winner of this year’s prestigious stage award. We caught up with Izzy to talk about the Awards and if she will ever be able to put into words how it feels to be a winner!
Funny Women: How does it feel to win the Funny Women Awards?
Izzy Askwith: I’m still in shock and might never recover – I couldn’t put it into words on the night, and I still can’t! It’s definitely the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me. To be on the same lineup as all the other finalists was amazing, all the acts I’d seen perform before I had already guessed would make the final ever since I saw their names on the list for the virtual heats, so to see my name with theirs is very cool for me.
FW: To say this year has been a little different is an understatement, up until the final the Funny Women Stage Award took place online. What are your thoughts on online gigs?
IA: The semi-final was actually the first online gig I’d done, and now I’m not sure why I avoided them. It’s never going to be the same as a live show, but with a great MC, and a willing audience, I think it can still be a really fun experience.
FW: How would you describe your comedy?
IA: Very low energy, deadpan, awkward, quite weird… But I hope that it’s also relatable, at least sometimes! I think it’s essentially observational material, because a lot of it is about trying to fit in and understanding human behaviour, and I think everyone thinks about that occasionally.
FW: What’s next for Izzy Askwith?
IA: Lots of gigs hopefully – it’s been so nice getting back onstage, I don’t want to have to stop again. I want to do as much writing as possible and work towards doing my first hour long show, and in the long term, I’d love to write a sitcom.
FW: Who are your favourite funny women?
IA: There are so many, but to narrow it down – I love Sara Pascoe and everything she does, I think she can talk about anything and make it funny. I idolised Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling growing up and would love to achieve even a fraction of what they have.
Keep up to date with Izzy Askwith on Twitter, here!
