‘Avan a Laugh at the RVT with Ava Vidal

Ava Vidal

Jason Reid meets the stand up comedian who made it from prison officer to Radio 4 orator. 


Ava Vidal is a prison officer turned stand-up comedian who has appeared on Mock the Week, Michael McIntryre’s Comedy Roadshow and Radio 4’s The News Quiz.

She’s also an outspoken and unapologetic queer ally and we love her for it. Ahead of her new night at the RVT, Jason Reid caught up with Ava to talk comedy boundaries, hecklers, Twitter and more…


Hey Ava, how did you go from being a prison officer to a stand-up comedian? 

I had no interest in being a prison officer after about two months in the job. It was singularly the most soul destroying job that I’ve ever done. The place stank, a lot of the officers were unnecessarily cruel, and every so often the government would introduce some pointless new rule to make the job more difficult. 

What kind of comedy material and delivery do you tend to go with? 

I’ve been told my delivery is very deadpan. My material is social commentary and stuff about my life. I’m very sarcastic and I have an extremely dry sense of humour. 

Do you think there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed in comedy, or is everything fair game? 

I definitely feel jokes that target a group of vulnerable people are not acceptable in any way. 

Do you have any personal rules that you like to stick to? 

I have a couple of rules which is punch up and not down and if you’re not ‘of it’ then it’s best left alone

How do you deal with hecklers? That is if anyone would dare heckle you… 

I don’t get heckled often but people will sometimes excitedly try to join in. Very occasionally someone is stupid enough to try. Their friends have to pick them up and carry them out when I’ve finished wiping the floor with them. 

You’re a big Twitter user, and very plugged into politics. You also don’t suffer fools gladly on there. What are your pros and cons of Twitter? 

Twitter is really great for meeting like-minded people who share your politics and values. Worst part is it’s like walking down the street and every single person shouting something out at you. There are certain types of people I don’t speak to for a reason and the only place I would ever encounter them is on that hell-site. 

Tell us a bit about the upcoming show at the RVT and your guests. 

On March 6th I shall be introducing two amazing drag artists: Cardiff’s finest Ms Jolene Dover and London’s own Cardinal Sin (Bae Sharam). It will be a wonderful night of comedy and fun and we are not too shy to interact with our audience either. Please come along! 

Who’s your ultimate comedy idol? 

I have no comedy heroes as I have met most of them and I can’t stand them. Comedians are vile. 


Ava Vidal & Friends is on Friday 6th March at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY 

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