Abi Clarke

In the olden days, i.e. the early 2020s, comedians could have imagined spending years gigging up and down the UK in stand-up comedy, before being invited to a TV panel show and selling out an arena tour. It's not so easy. One art form that could be performed live in the future is comedy, however there's no way to expect arena tours. One Bristol comedian, however, has found an enormous global audience during lockdown by using social media. Being famous on the internet is not something that Abi Clarke was hoping to achieve. The 24-year-old, who lives in Hen bury, with her parents, initially began making videos online "to establish a following of like-minded individuals who would appreciate my stand-up comedy. "I was doing a lot of shows in the depths of Devon to men in their 50s who weren't so enthusiastic about my Love Island, Sims and Twilight references. So I went to the internet in hopes of meeting other young women who could relate to me." Abi has since appeared at Lakota Gardens, as the restrictions on lockdowns have been eased but she still posts her videos to Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok (where she recently surpassed 500,000 followers) In the process, she draws the inspiration she needs from sources as diverse as her job at an establishment, a chat with a stranger or a girls' group chat. She also writes everything down on her smartphone.