When Hannah Platt took her debut comedy hour to edfringe last summer, we included it in our Three To See tips for promising Festival first timers.

And, as it turned out, our confidence in her was very well founded, as she won many fans and a plethora of excellent reviews. 

Platt’s first full length show is a highly considered work, focusing on her own struggle with body dysmorphia, and I was really keen to find out more about the set and how it came together. 

I spoke to her ahead of next week’s dates at Soho Theatre. 

CM: Can you start by telling us what to expect from ‘Defence Mechanism’ in terms of content? What topics/themes do you cover in the show?
HP: The show comes from my diagnosis of body dysmorphia. I’ve always had quite a harsh view of the world – I’m like a cranky old bloke on the inside – so that’s always been the lens through which I’ve written my stand-up and generally navigated the world. But then when I got that diagnosis I started to reassess that. 

Body dysmorphia means you have a warped view of your own appearance, so when I learnt I couldn’t trust my own mind to see myself accurately, then I started to unpick how I saw everything else. Slowly!

It’s all about when you build up this hard external shell, how tough – and ridiculous, and definitely how funny – it is when you start to break it off.

CM: It sounds like you’re talking about some quite personal stuff – what made you want to talk about this in the show? Is it difficult?
HP: I think you probably need a bit of distance from those feelings to be able to confidently talk about them night after night. 

I have always found it helpful to turn difficult feelings into jokes and stand-up, but for an audience I think they can tell if you’re still ‘in it’, if you’re still experiencing it, so you need to have a little distance for people to feel comfortable laughing at it with you. 

No one wants to be laughing at someone they think is in active pain. Well, some people do, but I’d rather not cater to that.

CM: How would you describe your style of comedy? Are you a storyteller?
HP: I’d say I’m a writer first for sure – I do enjoy the performance side of it, but I’ve had to learn to be good at it, it didn’t come as naturally because I’m quite reserved.

I’m quite dry, acerbic and frank on stage, which I think is close to my personality – it’s just turned up for a performance.

CM: How did you go about putting the show together? What’s the creative process?
HP: I’m kind of always writing and thinking of topics in my head, but to form it into something I have to do it on stage. 

There’s a pressure there that those random thoughts have to become funny, it’s almost like accountability.

When I’m just thinking of ideas it’s in private, but when you actually have to stand by them and say to a room full of strangers ‘I thought this was worth saying’, you make sure you’re saying something funny or you mentally bin it.

Though the themes of the show might seem ‘heavy’, all of it was honed in comedy clubs to make sure it stayed funny.

CM: You performed this show at the Fringe in the summer – how was Edinburgh? Did you enjoy the Festival and do you have plans to return?
HP: I absolutely loved the Fringe. I’ve been going every year since I was eighteen as a punter and to do a solo hour there was always a huge goal.

I went up loving my show and I just wanted to share it with people, so having such a big response with sold out shows, reviews and award nominations couldn’t have gone better.

And I still loved the show at the end of it! So I now just have to write a new show that can top it and would love to go back when I have that.

CM: What made you decide to pursue a career in comedy? Was it something you always wanted to do?
HP: Mental illness? 

I’d always been drawn to it because I love writing, and aptly it was my go-to defence mechanism to be funny when I was feeling vulnerable or wanting to keep my guard up. But I was very self conscious so it didn’t seem like something I could try. 

But when I was at a really low point mentally, sleeping on my friend’s couch who ran an open mic, I asked if I could have a slot – my thinking being, if it went badly, it wouldn’t touch the sides on how I was feeling in that moment.

But I loved it – especially when you’re so low the laugh of recognition and understanding really does something.

CM You’ve written for radio panel shows – how does writing compare to performing for you? Which is more interesting?
HP: I definitely prefer writing for myself, but it’s a fun challenge to write for voices that are nothing like mine.

I don’t tend to talk about topical stuff on stage because it ages so quickly, whereas with shows like ‘The News Quiz’ the turnaround is so quick, you’re looking at news stories from that day that can have evolved by the afternoon.

So it’s like a writing exercise to follow breaking news and come up with jokes on it as it develops.

CM: What would you say have been the highlights of your creative career thus far?
HP: Taking the show to the Edinburgh Fringe was absolutely a highlight – being able to do my favourite thing every day in my own space, audiences coming specifically to see me? It was a blast.

CM: Where do you see yourself headed in the future? What ambitions do you have?
HP: My big dream would be to create a loyal audience that I can take shows to. I really enjoy the process of making a show and starting to grow an audience is so exciting to me, I’d love to build a following that I can tour my shows to.

I think most of my ambitions are to just create strong work that I’m proud of because I can’t really control anything else.

CM: What’s coming up next for you after your London shows?
HP: After the London run I’m taking the show to Edinburgh, Manchester, and its final resting place will be at Machynlleth Comedy Festival.

Hannah performs ‘Defence Mechanism’ at Soho Theatre from 20-22 Mar, see the venue website here for details and to book tickets. Find links to further dates in Edinburgh, Manchester and at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival here. 

LINKS: sohotheatre.com | x.com/hannahtheplatt | linktr.ee/hannahtheplatt