The amazingly funny Kiri Pritchard-McLean will be taking her latest live show, Home Truths, to the MAST Mayflower Studios stage on Saturday 10 September.
Over lockdown, Kiri moved back home to Wales, and Home Truths explores her evolving relationship with that: what it’s like being back, learning the language, realising that you can define your nationality on your own terms, and much, much more.
The comedian and farmer’s daughter is a familiar face on television comedy panel shows, and she makes spinning thorny subjects into comedy gold look like a doddle.
Her previous shows have dealt with the extremely thorny subject of attempting to empathise with paedophiles ( Empathy Pains, whose run was cut short by the first lockdown but which should be available to watch online soon), the end of a toxic relationship marred by unfaithfulness and gas lighting, sexism and child grooming.
“I don’t judge anyone else for the kind of comedy they do, but I don’t find it edifying unless there’s some kind of intellectual or creative challenge in making something difficult and unfunny funny,” Kiri says. “That’s the delicious stuff for me – the stuff that makes me proud.”
And, true to form, Kiri’s latest offering may be hilarious, but it won’t be a smooth ride. In fact, she’s pretty sure a few people aren’t going to love what she says.
One of the complicated areas she’ll be exploring in Home Truths is reminiscent of the Black Lives Matter movement-inspired journey many have been on to interrogate their own privilege, and to what extent it makes people complicit in the oppression of other people.
“There is a lot of proof that Wales has historically been oppressed by Westminster,” explains Kiri. “But were we part of the Empire? Did we massively benefit from that? Absolutely.
“But it’s an uncomfortable truth and the conversation is rarely had. I think some people will hate that an English-speaking Welsh person is having it and they might feel it’s not my place, because I won’t be Welsh enough.”
Tickets for Kiri Pritchard-McClean – Home Truths (10 September) are on sale at mayflowerstudios.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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