Hatty Ashdown is at the Fringe with her show The Worry Drawer, a show that addresses her mum Pat’s death and how we deal with grief and worry. We spoke to Hatty about her show, coping at the Fringe and whether her mum had the answers all along…
Funny Women:
Hatty Ashdown: It’s about my mum Pat’s Worry Drawer, and how that made her the heart of her working-class community. Following my mum’s death, I went on a search for The Worry Drawer, and here started my fascination into how we deal with worry. From Ancient Greeks to life coaches, is there a single way to handle all worry? Can you deal with grief and the frustration of emptying the dishwasher in the same way? Did the worry drawer even exist? And did Pat Ashdown have the answers to a worry-free life this whole time?
FW: How does it feel to be returning to a ‘back to normal’ Edinburgh Fringe?
HA: Like zombies rising from the apocalypse.
FW: Have you got any tips for comedians going up to the festival for the first time?
HA: Don’t judge yourself by what anyone else is doing, stay in your own lane, remember it’s just a festival, this isn’t the world, though it can feel like it! Get early nights.
FW: Who are the funny women are you hoping to see in Edinburgh this year?
HA: Jessica Fostekew, Josie Long, Sian Davies, Rachel Fairburn, Alison Spittle, and just any new women I’ve not heard of before
Hatty Ashdown: The Worry Drawer is at The Voodoo Rooms at 14:00 until 28th August, for tickets visit edfringe.com
