When Sara Pascoe returned to England after her first appearance at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival nearly a decade ago, she did a web chat for a UK newspaper. Asked “How was New Zealand?” she replied, “It’s too far away. It took 36 hours to come back and I still resent New Zealand for that.
“It was obviously very beautiful but the comedy scene is parochial. It’s a great place to be if you like being a big fish in a small pond. The comedy festival’s got nothing on Edinburgh.”
Well, no, it hasn’t. Still, distance and pond depth haven’t stopped Pascoe returning as possibly the biggest drawcard at next month’s festival and for a guest spot on . It may seem apt that she is returning with a show entitled “Success Story”. Its first half looks back at the now 41-year-old’s teenage ambition to be on television and her celebrity-adjacent experiences as she got there. Such as when she did stand-up at Hugh Grant’s birthday party after she was booked by his
