Comedian Maisie Adam interview: “When I did Live at the Apollo I couldn’t believe how big the stage was”

There is only one way to start an interview with comedian Maisie Adam. It is not to ask her about her comedy, it is to ask about her haircut. If you have seen Adam on any of the umpteen television programmes she has appeared on recently you will definitely be curious about her hair.

It resembles a normal fringed bob from the front but from the back it is almost completely shaved. Adam did it during lockdown to stave off the boredom. Somehow it stuck and, along with her penchant for mod-influenced Fred Perry clothes, the ‘skingirl’ crop has become her trademark.

“People sometimes think that I hate my hair, because I’ve made jokes about it. But I love it.” As she sips her tea and smiles she explains that her gags are pre-emptive strikes. “If you don’t make the jokes, someone else will. I think it’s a personality thing. I don’t want to be a Plain Jane. My mum was a punk – still is – so I take after her in that respect.”

Before every important job, she trims the fringe and boyfriend Mike wields the razor. And there have been plenty of important jobs lately. During the pandemic Adam’s profile has soared. The Yorkshire-born stand-up has become the go-to name when producers want a cool, stylish, quick-witted, audience-pleaser.

At 27 she is one of the UK’s funniest comedians, guesting on Mock The Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, QI, Have I Got News For You, The Last Leg. Her vivid stories, about subjects as diverse as cervical smear tests and being the only heterosexual in a female football team, display an eye for detail redolent of Victoria Wood or Peter Kay. No wonder she is in demand.

She is currently appearing on this week’s daily editions of Richard Osman’s House of Games, but the big one is next week’s Christmas edition of Live at the Apollo, ticking off one of her life goals since becoming a comedian only five years ago. “The last time I was there I was seeing Kate Bush and I’d not even thought about doing comedy.”

And maybe something even tops the Apollo. The week before we meet Adam posted a picture of herself on Instagram sporting an engagement ring. Mike, when not playing DIY barber, runs a cocktail bar in Brighton.

They lived together throughout the pandemic, which Maisie dealt with via a mix of TV appearances, Zoom performances and “the added benefit of living with a person who is constantly making new cocktails.”

After initial misgivings she eventually got used to online gigs: “Zoom gigs were nice, and even if it’s a terrible, you’re not having a train journey back afterwards. You just shut your laptop down.”

It is hard to imagine Adam having a bad gig. Onstage she seems remarkably at ease. Yet she still suffers from bouts of anxiety and imposter syndrome. Filming Live at the Apollo was particularly daunting: “I couldn’t believe how big the stage was. Comedian Suzi Ruffell advised me to have a walk around beforehand to get used to it. I remember doing my set and thinking ‘you’re walking around too much’.”

Adam has a history of going walkabout. When she was five she was on holiday in Florida with her parents Philip, who used to renovate furniture and Jill, who runs Manchester’s Louder Than Words books/music festival, and baby brother Daniel. After her parents went out to watch the fireworks Maisie left the room and was found wandering in the corridor. Her parents spent the night in a Florida jail before being released without charge.

Adam does not recall the incident, but found out what happened years later when she googled herself. She certainly recognised herself in the reports though. “As a little kid, I wouldn’t sit down for long and was constantly inquisitive. I don’t remember anything about it, but I’m also not surprised at all that I took it upon myself to go exploring around a hotel after being put to bed.”

Her philosophy is that you only have one life so grab every opportunity. Onstage she recalls upstaging the school nativity cast when she had a non-speaking part but yelled “We bring you myrrh.” She could never do a mundane job any more than have a mundane hairstyle. “It’s the out of the ordinary things that I love. I couldn’t do the same thing every day. I’ve not got the attention span. I used to work in Fat Face with my best friends when I was a teenager and while they worked hard and got promoted I was chatting to customers.”

Like so many other female comedians Adam gets trolled after television appearances. “When I first got my haircut people thought they were being hilarious by saying something nasty. If there is anything bad said it is usually by an older man. It’s tricky to wrestle with that whole thing. The advice is to ignore them but I’m too stubborn, I can’t help calling them out on it. I’m insecure about all sorts of things but not about how I look.”

If 2021 has been busy, 2022 is set to be even busier. She has recently announced her first major solo tour, Buzzed, next autumn and plays the Leicester Square Theatre on October 27. She is certainly not reticent about giving it a push on her website: “This promises to be better than whatever else you had planned (unless you had plans to go dancing with Cher).”

There will be no overarching theme, no poignant section two thirds in to please the critics. Just immaculate crafted observational humour: “I’ve realised what I love about this job is just making people laugh.”

And at some point she will also be getting married, though no date has been set. Friends have been asking if she will keep the hairstyle for the wedding. “Can you imagine me in a bridal gown with this?” She laughs and points to her scalp. “But then again, I’m not the kind of person that screams bridal gowns.” Unless, of course, Fred Perry does a special nuptials range.

Maisie Adam is on Live at the Apollo on Wednesday, December 22, 10pm, BBC Two. Adam’s tour runs from September 15 - October 27, maisieadam.com