Diane Spencer

BIG THE

INTERVIEWDIANE SPENCER

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CCONACHIE will help me when it’s fi nished.” be destined to be seen and be heard. By MARTIN M So what’s the story about the wom- At an early nativity play, she became T’S pretty well known that the an just one letter away from having quite a prominent sheep after being list of celebrity Yeovil Town fans quite a famous name? “My family passed over for the part of Mary. “I is not the longest list you’ll ever moved to Shepton Mallet when I was bleated so loud, no-one could hear see. Cricketer Sir Ian Botham, seven and I went to the Park School Mary... I mean, who had ever heard comedian/musician Richard in Yeovil then Bruton School for of a ginger sheep?” She studied IDigance and actors Trevor Peacock Girls. Eventually we moved to Over drama during her further education and James Purefoy are four of the Compton and I started going to Yeo- days and took up teaching including more well-known ones. So the news vil matches out of curiosity really. We a spell at the Gryphon School, Sher- that a fi fth has come forward gives used to all go as a family, the ground borne. This particular part of her ca- us great cause to celebrate. had a lovely atmosphere and we’d reer ended when Diane emigrated to Comedian Diane Spencer (they’re all go and share a big blanket there. New Zealand, a life-changing move not called comediennes anymore!) My mum Carol is such an inspiration in more ways than one. “One night I has recently shot to fame after win- to me and she’s an avid fan of Yeovil. wrote fi ve minutes of original material ning the coveted Best Newcomer at No matter how bad things were, she and stood up and performed it and it the 2011 Chortle Awards. I spoke to always retained her positivity and went down well. I started doing more her as she was preparing for her sold would tell us ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be gigs, I started getting invitations to out Edinburgh Fringe Festival show fi ne’ and that attitude has helped me compere and MC nights and things ‘All Pervading Madness’. through my comedy career too.” went from there.” “Yes, I am most defi nitely a Glover,” In the later days, you wouldn’t The New Zealand Comedy Guild she confi rms to me in a shrill, ef- see the Spencer family without their loved her and awarded her Best fervescent voice. “My mum and dad bedspread at games. No, don’t Newcomer in 2007 and Best Female were both VP’s at Huish Park and worry; they’d not taken leave of their Comedian in 2009, recognition that they still live in the area now, in a little senses, just an idea from ‘ever-posi- helped her into the Edinburgh fringe village near Sherborne. I remember tive’ mum. “She took a big bed sheet with her solo show ‘Lost in the going from an early age; before the and twisted some coat hangers into Mouth Specifi c’ which received four electronic scoreboard and the roof the word Y-E-O-V-I-L and sewed star reviews. She returned to the UK over the home end went up.” them on to the bed sheet. Then she and is now recognised as one of the You get the feeling from talking to put some green tinsel on them and country’s top female stand-up co- Diane that life seems to be full of fun. voila!! We had our own Yeovil fl ag.” medians. You’ll need to book to see Her career has taken a huge change Diane Spencer always seemed to her to see what her show is like. A of direction more than once yet she little bit risqué, a big bit rude; I guess handles it all with a happy, laughing her favourite sitcoms (Bottom, South nature that suggests she is really Park, Father Ted and Gimme Gimme enjoying life at the moment, more so Gimme) would give you a clue as to since that Chortle award. “That was where her sense of humour is. a big thing, winning that. It tells peo- We close the interview with one ple that they can take me seriously fi nal chat about Yeovil. “The town is now; it’s a kind of proof that I am ca- such a positive place, full of optimis- pable of doing what I say I can do.” tic people,” she enthuses. “I loved The award came in February after growing up in the area and going to members of the public were asked to the football there; it was so passion- vote. Her story was featured on the ate and exciting.” club’s offi cial website so those of you Yeovil Town and Diane Spencer. who voted, well done! “I’m currently As her mum would say: “Don’t worry, writing a sitcom and I think the award FUN: Diane on stage we’ll be fi ne!!”