Grace Campbell: ‘My stand-up is fun, even the dark stuff’
Grace Campbell. Picture: Eva Pentel
It’s been a busy few weeks for Grace Campbell.
She has just finished a spell at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, having honed her new stand-up show (which she will take on a 29-date tour across the UK and Ireland — but more on that later); she has also written, directed, and recorded a short film, (more on that later too); and in July she launched a new podcast, .
The latter project — you may have already guessed — discusses a topic she feels more than happy to talk about: Parties.
“I like gossip, and I like talking to people about what happens in their lives and their social lives,” she says.
“I wanted to have something that is just fun, because I feel like that’s a huge part of what I can offer — my stand-up is fun, even when I talk about dark stuff.”
A quick glance down through the episode list so far shows Katherine Ryan, Jameela Jamil, Christopher Hall, and Joanne McNally have already appeared in the series — an impressive lineup of guests for a podcast still just in its infancy.
And it’s only on the rise; with a trove of episodes due to be recorded over the coming weeks — set to be released during her tour — Campbell is fizzing with excitement for who is scheduled to appear on the microphone alongside her.
This podcasting journey is made all the more wholesome because it is one she is embarking on with her childhood friend, Tyler Hope Chambers.
“It’s been amazing because we grew up together, but we live on different sides of London now,” Campbell explains.
“Before this, we didn’t see each other as much as we now do. And she’s about to have a baby and it’s quite nice because it’s sort of brought us together.
“[The podcast] has done really well in its first month. It’s been made so much more pleasurable because I’m doing it with my friend.”
There is a saying not to mix business and friendship, but it’s working out for these two.
“She knows me very well; she’s actually one of the people who would be able to long-lastingly handle working with me. It’s been a dream,” she says, “and I hope it carries on for a long time.”
While the podcast is a project she says they are “just getting into the rhythm of”, it’s not a completely new world for Campbell to navigate either.
In 2019, she released a podcast with her father, the former journalist and political strategist Alastair Campbell.
Although it fizzled out in the years that followed, they both find themselves at the helm of their own successful podcasts today. His podcast, , has continuously enjoyed prime positions in the charts since its release and is set to do a live show at the O2 Arena in October.
So has there been a healthy competition in the family as a result?
“Right now, we’re not in competition because his podcast has stratospherically been beating anyone else’s,” Campbell says. “But he listens to [my podcast] — which cringes me out because of some of the things I talk about.” (Since speaking to Campbell, her father and Stewart have appeared as special guests on ).
But while “some of the things” she discusses are light-hearted, fun, and full of devilment, she doesn’t shy away from the tough subjects either.
In June, she wrote a powerful article for The Guardian about her abortion; with a focus on the “complex feelings” that followed. It resonated with many.
“I wrote that piece because I wish that I’d read that piece in December, January, February after my abortion,” she explains.
“That’s why I wanted to write it. Because I thought if you’re going through that specific sort of experience — post an abortion — that would be a really useful thing. And I know it has been [useful], because I’m still getting messages from people who have been sent [the article] while they’re going through an abortion.”
I ask if she feels pressure to be a sounding board for those reaching out to her.
“I don’t reply to every message that I get, because I think if I did then I’d go crazy, so I have been quite ‘boundried’ with it,” she says.
“But when people have come up to me physically and spoken about it, I am so up for speaking about it, and I am so grateful in a way that I was in a position where I could write something that has connected with that many people, because it really has.”
It is something she openly says “I’d rather not have gone through”.
She watched the Democratic National Convention closely in light of the fact that some states have banned or restricted access to abortion since the Roe v Wade ruling was overturned in 2022.
At this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, abortion and reproductive rights were the subject of impassioned speeches.
“With the Democratic Convention, I was following it quite a lot because they had so many speeches with people talking about that — especially in America — if you’re a woman who has an abortion, in certain states you go to prison, but why does the man who got that woman pregnant not go to prison?” she points out.
“That was also his fault, it’s not like she got pregnant by immaculate conception.”
One of the noticeable strengths Campbell possesses is the fine art of being able to balance the serious with the light.
She can transition from a deep discussion on abortion and reproductive rights and gender politics back to the fun times without making anyone uncomfortable. Before I know it, we’re back talking about friendships, parties, nights out, and future plans.
On one of her recent podcasts, Campbell mentioned an ambition to perform at Glastonbury 2025. I ask if it is still something in the pipeline.
“Did I say that? That’s good — I should keep manifesting stuff on the podcast because me and Chris Hall spoke about the fact that we want to go on a Virgin cruise on my podcast, and now Virgin have emailed us. So I should manifest more,” she replies laughing.
On other future plans, her aforementioned short film, , was shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It focuses on the intensity, chaos, emotions, and the topsy-turviness of modern dating — something this writer is very keen to see.
“The short film will have a release hopefully by the end of this year/early next year,” she says, adding that “we’ve applied it to a festival in Cork”.
On the topic of socialising while on tour, Campbell and other comedians have long documented that the hours following a live performance can be tough on their mental wellbeing.
They go from a performing venue packed with people there to see them; a crowd applauding, celebrating, and laughing all night long only for them to return home or to a hotel room where they are often greeted by silence. Campbell, however, has come up with a solution.
“I’d go out with people who are at the show, and I’ve had some amazing nights,” she explains, “I remember in Birmingham once I went out with two girls who were at the show and we went to this club and it was amazing.”
So how does she feel about her upcoming performance in Dublin as part of her tour?
“Really excited. I love performing in Dublin. And I have a day off the next day, so my best friend is coming; I’m going to do the show and then we’re going to have a fun day and night in Dublin,” she says, before asking for recommendations.
I hesitantly alert her to the existence of Copper Face Jack's and what to expect if she takes a notion to try it out.
When her enthusiastic response comes with an excited smile and a “OK, that sounds fun, I’m really excited”, I fear that I may have oversold it.
But I’m not worried. Because it sounds like no matter where Grace Campbell goes, the party follows.
- Grace Campbell’s stand-up show comes to Liberty Hall, Dublin on Friday, October 25, see ticketmaster.ie
