'I’d rather have honesty than silent judgment': Rachel Parris on 15 years of comedy, Victoria Wood and Leeds

There is a distinct, unspoken connection between a performer and the room when they step onto the stage at Leeds’ historic City Varieties Music Hall.

For BAFTA-nominated comedian, musician, and writer Rachel Parris, that connection is stronger here than almost anywhere else in the country.

“Leeds - I always love coming there,” Rachel reveals to the Yorkshire Evening Post with genuine warmth. “There’s something about Leeds and Sheffield. I feel like we’re on the same wavelength. City Varieties is probably the venue in the country I’ve been to the most since I’ve been doing tours of this size.

“I’ve only ever had lovely shows there.”

When asked what sets Yorkshire audiences apart from the rest of the UK, her answer is delivered with typical wry wit.

“They can be honest, but actually, I’d rather have honesty than quietness!” Rachel admits. “I’d rather have that than the silent judgment you get sometimes elsewhere. I feel like Northern crowds just get me, for some reason.”

This autumn, Rachel is bringing ‘The Rachel Parris Songbook’ to the city - a celebratory retrospective uniting fan-favourite tracks like ‘Speedy Boarder,’ ‘Hen Do on a Train,’ and ‘I Went to the Gym,’ alongside sharp new stand-up routines.

Digging back through a decade and a half of material required a mix of musical dusting-off and thoughtful editorial editing.

“Some of the older ones I hadn’t touched for about ten years,” Rachel explains. “Dusting them off, I’ve rewritten a few to either make more sense in a modern world or just to make them funnier.

“I came back to some and thought, ‘Actually, you know what? That second verse hasn’t got enough jokes in it,’ so I’ve tightened them up.”

Recalibrating older material also meant reflecting on how both she and her audience have grown over time.

“Take a song like ‘I’m Amazing,’” Rachel notes. “When I originally wrote it, it was a parody of the big X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent winner’s singles produced by Simon Cowell’s company. At the time, that context was so recognisable, but pop culture doesn’t really work like that anymore, so I’ve shifted the angle of the joke.

“And when you’re in your 20s, you feel like you’re the first person to ever say something risqué. You make an easy punchline about someone dying and think it’s hilarious. Then you get older. You actually experience death, you experience bereavement, and so have your audience.

“So those jokes that relied on the easy shock value of being risqué - I haven’t bothered to include those. It’s about making sure they don’t creep back into a ‘best of’ show.”

The shadow of Victoria Wood and Tim Minchin

When it comes to the lineage of British musical comedy, Rachel’s admits it is an obvious answer when discussing the icons who paved the path.

“It’s not very original, but it’s Victoria Wood, isn’t it?” Rachel admits. “She was just such a massive part of growing up. We’re the same age, growing up with Victoria Wood across our TV screens doing everything - musical comedy, character work, stand-up, drama.

“I didn’t know being a comedian was a job when I was young - I thought I’d be a teacher or a uniformed waitress - but I loved watching her.”

Later in life, a turning point arrived when she saw Australian musical satirist Tim Minchin perform live.

“I saw his ‘Ready for This?’ tour in my 20s before I’d even started in comedy,” Rachel recalls. “That was a revelation. Yes, his songs were funny, but there was sadness in there too - scepticism, righteous anger, and a whole mix of feelings.

“I realised a human can’t sustain just laughing for 60 minutes straight; it’s exhausting! You need that mixture of pathos and different emotions to make the comedy hit home.”

While television viewers know Rachel from viral satirical desk segments on The Mash Report, panel appearances on Have I Got News for You, or Live at the Apollo, her heart remains firmly anchored to the stage.

“Live is what I’m used to,” she says without hesitation. “TV looms larger in people's minds because of repeats and broadcast reach, but all through doing those shows, I was still gigging four nights a week. Live performance is what I’ve been brought up on.”

For those heading to City Varieties on November 5, Rachel promises an experience that goes far beyond a standard comedy night.

“You’re going to walk away singing tunes, sharing them with your friends, and joining in with the crowd,” Rachel smiles.

“There is nothing more joyful than singing in a crowd full of people—especially when I get the room singing in two-part harmony!”

The Rachel Parris Songbook plays at City Varieties Music Hall on November 5 - for tickets, book now through Leeds Heritage Theatre’s website or through Rachel Parris’ official website.