Interview: Best of So You Think You're Funny?

Jack Skipper, a carpet fitter from south London, was all set for his first comedy booking when he had a wrench thrown into his plans.

Jack: I had my first gig booked and everything. And then the pandemic happened. I turned to online comedy – TikTok and Instagram. I had to wait, obviously with lockdown, to get started.

Pravanya Pillay was a student at Bristol University with an unusual medical dilemma.

Pravanya: I was going be a doctor – but I became obsessed with The Daily Show. I'd watch reruns from about 2001 – I knew so much about Iraq! I realised that I wanted to do comedy about two years into my medical degree. This went down really well with my family. They were like, ‘Wow, that's great, what a great turn!’… OK, no. They were like: ‘What’s going on?’!

After taking on a new job, Joshua Bethania found he needed comedy to improve his people skills.

Joshua: At the end of lockdown I was so socially deprived of human contact that I signed up for a comedy course. My intention was to get better at speaking to a group. I had a new role at work which made me one of those people who have to drive meetings.

Jack Skipper, photo by Steve Ullathorne

Jack: I always knew So You Think You're Funny? was one of the biggest UK competitions. I'd looked at all the previous winners and runners up. It was a no-brainer. I was definitely going to give it a go… But for us the qualifying heats (to get to Edinburgh) were all on Zoom! I was staying round my mate's house before we went to Ibiza and I'd never done a Zoom gig – the first one I did was for the competition.

Joshua: I had the privacy of my flat, but that was my first ever online gig too.

Pravanya: I had to babysit my boss's daughter that night – so she was in the room with me!

The trio found the switch from Zoom qualifiers to performing live in the Edinburgh semi-final and grand final gave them each a unique set of challenges.

Jack: It was my first ever time in Edinburgh. I wouldn't have gone through to the final but the judges chose me as their 'Wild Card' choice.

Joshua Bethania, photo by Steve Ullathorne 

Joshua: It was a stressful time at work for me. I took the train in the morning and came back the next day and then did the same thing again with the final. I had this weird stomach pain – but in a way it worked out because I never thought about the competition, just the pain in my stomach!

Pravanya: I have a bad sense of direction and I got lost. I ran around trying to find the venue and arrived late. Then I was on first!

Jack: The final was nice because of the camaraderie backstage. Everyone getting to know each other, it put me at ease. There was no competitiveness or anything like that. And you had Zoe Lyons compèring and Mickey Flanagan judging.

Joshua: I agree, everyone was nice. It was weird shaking hands with Mickey Flanagan. You see the 'Who's Who' of comedy surround you. It was a lot to take in, but at the same time I still had that pain in my stomach!

Pravanya Pillay, photo by Steve Ullathorne 

Pravanya: I agree on the camaraderie. I was on first, so I got it out the way – it felt like a rollercoaster.

As they return for the Best of So You Think You're Funny showcase, the comedians feel the competition helped them both in practical and personal ways.

Joshua: I didn't realise how valued SYTYF was in comedy, like when you say you're part of SYTYF you get a good response. It's definitely changed the trajectory that I was on.

Pravanya: If you are doubting whether you're good enough – or if you feel that plastic tinge of imposter syndrome – doing well in the competition helps you remember: 'Oh yeah – someone somewhere thinks I'm good!'

Jack: You look at all the other finalists and all the people that have placed over the years. It's nice to see others doing well from the competition. People refer to Edinburgh as a comedy boot camp. And now we'll be going through that together, helping each other and supporting each other.