Abi Clarke

In the past, i.e. in the early 2020s. In the past comedians could have hoped to gig up and down the UK for several years prior to getting invited to join a television panel and then selling an arena tour. It's not as simple. Comedy is a form of art that has been able to remain performed front of an audience, but we're not going to see arena tours any time soon. But, one Bristol comedian has found a worldwide audience through a social media lockdown. Abi Clarke never set out to be an internet celebrity. She is a 24-year-old woman living in Hen bury, with her parents, started making online videos "to create a fan base of like-minded individuals who would like my stand-up comedy. "I had been performing a number of shows in the middle of Devon for men older than 50 who weren't as enthusiastic about my Love Island, Sims and Twilight references. I then went online in the hope to meet other young women who were able to relate to me." Abi has since performed at Lakota Gardens, as locks have eased but continues to post her videos to Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok (where she's recently surpassed 500k followers), finding inspiration from sources as varied as her job at the cafe, conversations with a stranger or even the girl group chat, writing every idea down on her smartphone.