Comedian Joanne McNally has told of her excitement at bringing her tour to Belfast this year at her biggest venue in the city to date.
Having played five nights at The Limelight earlier this year, the Dubliner is returning to the city this October with 'The Prosecco Express' at the SSE Arena on October, 13 and 14.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Joanne who also hosts the incredibly popular podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me alongside pal Vogue Williams says she is looking forward to getting back to the Belfast crowds.
Read more: Comedian and Derry Girls star Tommy Tiernan coming to Belfast this year
"I can't wait to come back, Belfast women, they just get it, they like having a good time, they like having a drink, they're just on board, I love it!"
"I always have a really good time when I'm there, it's just good craic," she said.
Admitting she was lucky to be "pushed into" her comedy career, the 39-year-old says she had to take a gamble on herself but with the success of her tour which is going worldwide, there's no denying her gamble paid off.
"My mum is a nurse, theatre or performance wasn't in my family at all. I always had a touch of it, I've always had a bit of a show pony in me but what happened was basically I was cast in a play as myself, it was like a play where real people talk about their love lives.
"I knew the Director and I had just been dumped by a bald man and I was fuming, and I was telling the story and she was like, 'that's funny'. Then a comic came and saw the show and he got in touch and said I think you could do stand-up and that's how it started.
"At the start, it seemed like a mad idea but I thought as I got into it, I can do this, and it beat going back to my nine to five office job so I kind of just took the plunge, so it was a complete accident!"
"I was very lucky to kind of been pushed into it, I wouldn't have done it myself, I wouldn't have had the confidence but I was lucky to be pushed into it. It was a hard graft, when I came to the UK I hadn't a penny to my name and I took a bet on myself really and luckily so far it has worked out."
With a whole new army of fans gained from the podcast with Vogue, Joanne admits it's easy to forget it's recorded as they divulge some juicy personal secrets.
"There isn't a huge difference between my stand-up and me on the Podcast, imagine people came [to the show] and I was doing a movement to music or something or doing a spoken word piece on stage. No!", she laughed.
"I just like having a good time. But you do genuinely forget that it's being recorded sometimes, this week I talked about something on the podcast and then I was getting messages and it dawned on me then I'd told a deeply personal story and it's out there now in the world! We don't have a lot of boundaries. I'll tell you this, a lot of the stuff gets cut, there's a heavy edit on that podcast, Joe has his work cut out for him in the edits!"
Opening up about her tour preparations, Joanne admits her style and how she prepares for show has changed as her life has got busier.
"I have no process, it's kind of a bit chaotic, I used to sit down and write more but I don't at the minute because I am on tour, but I do change bits of the show, mostly because I get bored and if I'm bored of it, it's not going to be funny. I'm kind of going around the world with this one Singapore, New Zealand, New York, Dubai so the show can't be word for word or I'd lose my mind.
"I wish I was the kind of person to get up in the morning, do some yoga and write for four hours but I'm not, but then you have to take it into clubs and test it because something you think is funny could end up with people sitting looking at you like, 'Are you well?'. Then other times you think some things aren't that funny and people love it."
With Joanne and Vogue taking the MTGM podcast on the road for live shows at the Gaiety in Dublin, she says there is potential to bring it to Belfast.
She added: "Definitely I'd say! It's just very difficult with me and Vogue being busy women, she's got three kids so it's just hard to organise but it won't just be Dublin."
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