Interview: Suzi Ruffell and Tom Allen

Comedians Suzi Ruffell and Tom Allen, who are heading off round the country this autumn for their Hit The Road tour, first bonded after a particularly difficult charity gig (read on for more) – and now record their own weekly podcast, Like Minded Friends.

The eloquent, fastidious Allen has been performing comedy for over a decade, recently supporting Sarah Millican on tour across the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Ruffell, meanwhile, has been in the stand-up game since 2009 and has warmed up for the likes of Kevin Bridges, Alan Carr and Josh Widdicombe.

Ahead of their Bristol date next month (Comedy Box, Oct 7), here are the duo on friendship, controversy and the pleasures of the open road.

So, what are you both talking about in your new shows?
Suzi: Common is about me being from a very working-class family, how I feel about that and how I’ve changed. I ask the audience at the start who thinks that they’re working class. People will say that they come from a working-class background or area, but are you still working class if you’ve been to university? In the writing of it, I realised that I’m actually middle class. I live in north London with my partner and we have a pedigree cat, both work in the arts and sometimes cook quinoa.
Tom: Indeed is partly about escape and feeling like you want to be different and elsewhere, and always feeling that you’re destined for bigger things and not quite getting there. That’s the essence of the show. I also talk about a pseudo-sexual experience on a water-slide. It’s got something for everybody, I hope.

Do you enjoy being on tour or can it be something of a grind?
Tom: I enjoy going to different places, even if I am quite disdainful about them on stage. Different towns have different quirks: Stockport has a hat museum and Hull has a thriving gay scene, which I really had no idea about. The world is full of surprises. And I spend a lot of time on trains which luckily I enjoy, travelling around in pastel colours just like Michael Portillo.
Suzi: Touring is still a bit of a novelty to me and I love it. And to know that people are booking to see us in advance is going to make my autumn very exciting: I can’t wait. The novelty certainly hasn’t worn off for me.

What has touring with household names taught you about stand-up?
Tom: I’ve been friends with Sarah Millican for about 11 years and it’s been great to open up for her on tour. She’s been very generous to me and given me the most wonderful opportunity to get better in front of larger crowds. There was a point when I was nervous performing in front of two or three thousand people – but now I can have a nice relaxed time in front of people who, essentially, are not there to see you.
Suzi: You start noticing that each comic is good about talking about a specific thing. With Josh Widdicombe it’s all about observation, with Alan Carr it’s personal storytelling and camp comedy, with Romesh Ranganathan he’s just angry about everything. What I’ve discovered about myself is that it will start rocking when I’m talking about family stuff, which is why I’ve written this show. 

In this era of tabloid and social media outrage over the things that comedians say, do you ever worry that something you say gets taken out of context and used against you?
Suzi: I have a few rude bits in my show that I particularly enjoy doing because I’m not very rude. I love stand-up because we’re not censored, and I like to choose what I talk about. I’m not massively into nasty comedy or picking on people, but when people come to see me, I want it to be a fun hour where you laugh and there’s silliness and maybe you think about things differently for a bit.
Tom: We’re in quite an age of outrage, aren’t we? We look back at the Victorian era and think, “oh, aren’t they prudish?” but I don’t think we’re any less prudish now. People like to feel sanctimonious and moralistic, and are desperate to direct some anger and ire towards something. My stance has often been to be snobby and disdainful of people around me, and I’m sure that some people would not enjoy that. But in this earnest age, I think it’s quite nice to offer an alternative point of view.

How did the podcast come about?
Tom: We met during a gig for a gay charity that will remain nameless: they were awful, dreadful people and we had a miserable time. They didn’t seem very grateful that we had given up our time for free. Suzi had the same experience and we bonded over that and kept in touch. In the last nine months we decided we’d do a podcast together; it offers something on the queer spectrum of things and, largely, we discuss a topic from our point of view and go off on tangents. We’ve had a lot of hits and people seem to enjoy it.
Suzi: I remember the audience for that gig was very hostile, too. There was a drag act and then me, and another drag act then Tom, and the audience was standing rather than seated. They were encouraged to chat to us: it was all very bizarre. With the podcast, I didn’t really know if I wanted to do one as there are so many podcasts about stand-up comedy out there now and people have got it nailed. But we realised that there isn’t a British gay podcast, and we wanted to offer something different.

What do you like about each other – as people and as comedians?
Suzi: Tom is the person I would ring if things have gone horribly wrong with my day or if I’ve made a bad mistake. He’s very calming because he’s really affirmative about everything being OK. He has a very reassuring and measured voice whereas I’m a bit of a loose cannon. We’re still and sparkling. As a stand-up, I just think he’s so funny and I love the subjects he takes on and the way he uses language. And I love how he uses silence and quiet moments.
Tom: I enjoy a lot of things about her as a person but I’d say that I really do enjoy her laugh. And her comedy is quite punky; it’s sometimes angry, sometimes not. There are explosions of anger which become reduced down and she has a great mettle as a stand-up. I enjoy going off on tangents and talking about marmalade, and she seems to enjoy taking an issue apart. We’re a good contrast.

Tom Allen and Suzi Ruffell play the Comedy Box, Bristol on Friday, October 7. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.thecomedybox.co.uk/site/301.asp?catID=1390&ct=date