WITH sell-out gigs at the Lewisham Fringe Festival and a series of popular comedy podcasts under their belts, south London comedy duo Scummy Mummies are moving up to bigger venues.
The two mums, Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn have gained a loyal following and play the Ivy House pub in Nunhead on March 27 and April 2.
Vibe’s Alice Grahame went to meet them at Helen’s Honor Oak home where they explained – between nappy changes – how Scummy Mummies came about.
“We met at a gig in Deptford." Ellie recalled. “It was only my third ever gig. I’d recently finished a comedy course in Soho. I grew up with comedy (my dad was a stand-up comedian) but I only started doing it myself after I had a baby and thought nothing can be scarier than having a baby.
“Helen and I were both mums of young children and we really enjoyed each other’s comedy. We make each other laugh a lot when we are sitting around drinking and chatting.
“I thought maybe we could record that and put it on the Internet and see what happens.”
They decided to record a podcast together and called it Scummy Mummies.
“The name just came to me. I was thinking about yummy mummies and how Helen and I are definitely not yummy”
So they recorded a podcast and put it on iTunes, where it went to number 1 in the Kids and Family chart. It was so successful that they decided to do a live show.
Helen describes Scummy Mummies as a show for less-than-perfect parents.
“When the kids poo in the bath or we all have to share the same hanky because we’ve got nothing else – it’s disgusting. You feel very judged all of a sudden.
“We want to say we know you are trying your best, and it’s ok if they watch TV and eat chocolate biscuits. Have a laugh and have a glass of wine. There are all these books about what you shouldn’t do and I think we should relax about it a bit.”
The pair met in Deptford and their first gig together was in New Cross.
“I love Lewisham,” said Helen. “It’s full of creative people and is becoming very family friendly.”
Following the Ivy House gigs Scummy Mummies will be appearing at festivals around the UK including the Brighton Fringe, Camden Fringe and Camp Bestival. To download the podcast go to scummymummies.com
To buy tickets go to: wegottickets.com/scummymummies
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