COMEDIAN Kiri Pritchard-Mclean already has a rainbow array of feathers in her comedy cap, having hosted Live at the Apollo, starting a comedy school, and fronting shows on BBC Radio 4.
Now, however, there’s a new plume to show off as she embarks on her latest solo stand-up tour, Peacock.
“I had to pick the name before I knew what show I was doing,” she explains, “ so I went for a flamboyant creature that seems to like showing off.
“Whatever I talk about, I thought that would be fairly consistent in the show.”
The new show comes hot on the heels of not only a month of shows at Edinburgh Fringe with sketch group Tarot, but also preview shows of her own at the event.
“I was in and out of the Fringe, but the reception to the show was lovely– five-star reviews– so I wish I’d taken the solo show for the whole month.”
Despite the show’s name, Kiri described the it as: “Quite stripped down– but I do have a beautiful banner and a beautiful outfit which fits the peacock theme.
“I want it to look fantastic, but I also have to hawk the stuff around with me, so it’s not a huge or elaborate set or anything.
“But it’s part of the whole package; a lot of the boys I knew in comedy performed in creased t-shirts and jeans, but I think you’ve got to show your audience that you respect them.
“Especially when they’ve paid the best part of a hundred quid for babysitters, tickets, and parking for the night.
“If I turn up in fabulous make-up and big hair, I think it’s a joyous way of giving that shorthand that I’m meeting the audience half-way.”
Speaking of the show, she says: “I’ve always talked about personal stuff, that’s just how I write, but this one is almost about a secret identity, in a way.
“I’ve been working as a local authority foster carer for the last few years, and I’ve written about what that process is like.
“It’s not about fostering, necessarily– that’s not really my story to tell– but what it’s like to go through that process, people are curious.
“Families look and work differently for everyone– I’m a big champion of that.”
Kiri also hosts the Who Are You Wearing podcast, where she gets to explore her love of all things sartorial.
“I love fashion; I like to run clothes swaps, I’ve always loved charity shops and second-hand bits– that’s not changed since I was a teenager.
“It permeates through; sequins have become a bit of a uniform for me, and now I look out into audiences and see people twinkling away.
“It’s great for people to get the chance to use something they bought perhaps for a festival; clothes are the quickest way to give someone an insight into who we are, what we think, and what we love.”
“But I’m also aware of the impact that it has on the planet.”
Kiri’s comedy is conscientious, and her attitude to her work is no different: “My last three tours I’ve been collecting for charities, because the people who come to see me care about the world, and that’s often part of what I talk about in my shows.”
Through her work, Kiri has supported Welsh Women’s Aid, who help those in abusive relationships; Pwrpas, which supports men’s mental health in Wales, and Pens for Kids UK, for whom she helps collect writing materials to help children in Ukraine study.
“It’s a reminder when I talk about it that we live in a world privileged enough to not realise that those are issues.”
Kiri has also worked with Little Wander, the company behind the Machynlleth Comedy Festival.
“They also do the comedy tent at Green Man Festival, and they’re an amazing Welsh operation that has in the last 10 years expanded into TV and radio.
“They understand the country and really champion the talent, so I love working with them.”
It was also one of the companies which help Kiri get to where she is today: “Henry, the owner, asked me after I’d done an unpaid 10 minutes in Swansea whether I wanted to perform at Machynlleth.
“It was all I wanted to do; it was my dream, and I never thought I’d be asked, but he took a punt on me.
“They’ve been behind me ever since, and that’s why I’ve started this tour at Machynlleth.
“Whether its a charity or a company, I like to work with the good guys who work really hard– it can be a frustrating industry, but that truth will out.
“Working with good people and trying to make good stuff, you can’t go wrong.”
Kiri Pritchard-Mclean’s Peacock begins touring on Sunday, September 1, with a date in Reading’s Concert Hall on Saturday, November 9.
Full tour details available via: kiripritchardmclean.co.uk
Tickets available via: whatsonreading.com
