Funny woman, Aisling Bea, is of good stock

Aisling Bea is a performer in the old vaudeville tradition, a Lucille Ball for modern times — she writes, she acts and she does stand-up.

She won the prestigious ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’ award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012. But there are pros and cons to spreading her talent.

“I suppose there is just a constant feeling of not being able to give each one enough time — when you are doing all three at once, or the fear that you’d get pigeon-holed for one thing. But, then, being able to work in all forms is actually a more traditional performer route. Most actors, up until the 1980s, were required to sing, tap and act. Strings to the bow. It’s a tough business, so you just want to stay in work and have other things to pay the bills, when nobody wants to look at your face anymore.”