Abi Clarke

In the past, i.e. the early 2020s. In the past comedians would have had the expectation to play across the UK for many years before getting invited to join a television panel, and later selling an arena tour. It's not easy right now. Comedy is one form of art which has managed to continue to be performed in the presence of a live audience, but we won't be seeing arena tours anytime soon. One Bristol comedian has found a huge worldwide audience during lockdown by using social media. Finding internet fame is not something that Abi Clarke set out to achieve. Abi Clarke, a 24-year-old who lives in Henbury along with her parents, began making her first online videos to "build an audience of like-minded people who would be interested in my stand-up comedy." "I had been performing a number of shows in the depths of Devon to guys of 50 and older who weren't quite so hot on my Love Island, Sims and Twilight references, so I decided to go online with the hopes of meeting other young women who could relate to me." Abi has since appeared at Lakota Gardens since the restrictions on lockdowns have been eased however she is still posting her videos to Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok (where she's recently surpassed 500,000 followers) and draws the inspiration she needs from sources as diverse as her work in a cafe, a conversation with a stranger or a girl-group chat, and writing every idea down on her smartphone.