Review: Lauren Pattison: Big Girl Pants

Having recently turned 30, the diffident Pattison is belatedly trying to quell her constant anxiety, adopting a more devil-may-care attitude and getting her first tattoo, while standing up for herself when she encounters a rowdy stag-do at another show. Her exemplar is her best friend, “Shirley”, a rock of steadiness and sound advice who finds the comic a patient driving instructor, one who's necessarily been in far worse situations than behind the wheel with the nervy stand-up. Overhauling Pattison's personality can't be accomplished overnight however, and there are a few bumps in the road. Not least as the people-pleasing Geordie recalls an audience member who accused her of flirting with her boyfriend, with the comic having to accept a degree of responsibility for the misunderstanding. Gradually though, cracks start to emerge in the edifice of Pattison's support network and she really needs to step up. The beats of the hour are predictable even if their exact nature is less so. But one can still really admire the assured, Big Girl skill with which Pattison ekes the humour out of her setbacks.