Help us keep the lights on Support us
The Bristol Cable

Listen: Bristol Unpacked from the archive, with the city’s comedy legend Jayde Adams on loss, laughter and local voices

Delving into the Unpacked vaults, Jayde and Neil discuss the politics of comedy, the power of grief, and the dearth of Bristolian accents in the media and on TV in this episode from 2022.

Reports

As we pause between seasons of Bristol Unpacked, we are raiding our long-running podcast’s archives to resurface a few gems – and what better way to start, with this weekend having marked International Women’s Day, than the 2022 chat between Neil and Jayde Adams?

Bristol comedy legend Jayde, who needs no introduction these days, went from a job in Asda Bedminster – where her mum also worked for years – to a period as an Adele impersonator, and on to international fame.

In the last year she has wrapped the final series of Sophie Willan’s beloved sitcom Alma’s Not Normal, in which she co-stars as Alma’s best friend Leanne with “the mannerisms of a truck driver and the rock’n’roll sex appeal of Debbie Harry”. She has took a more family-friendly turn in the BBC’s Christmas adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s Tiddler, and in January headlined the first Bristol Comedy Festival.

When Neil interviewed her three years ago, the south Bristolian had recently returned to her hometown from London. The pair get into the changing face of the city – including the way it is portrayed by media, and the dearth of authentic Bristolian accents on TV and radio.

They also discuss more broadly the shifting politics about what is and isn’t fair game for a laugh – and whether putting restrictions around this poses an existential threat to comedy. And they touch on more personal subjects, including the impact of Jayde losing her sister when the pair were in their twenties.

Bristol Unpacked will be returning with new episodes in just a few weeks, so stay tuned, and in the meantime enjoy this classic conversation from the vaults.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on SpotifyApple Podcasts or wherever you get your audio. And check out our other shows.

NEWS YOU OWN
CAN'T BE BOUGHT

Become a member of The Cable to keep news independent.

Join now

Comments

Post a comment

Mark if this comment is from the author of the article

By posting a comment you agree to our Comment Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related content

Racist and traumatising: inside a Section 60 suspicionless stop and search operation

Officers searched innocent children, disproportionately targeted people of colour and undermined their anti-racism reforms during a 48-hour police operation in February. Their narrative that it was an effective knife-crime deterrent, done with consent, is misleading.

Sukkot: In solidarity

Last October, members of Jewish activist group Na’amod gathered for the harvest festival of Sukkot. Their event focused on solidarity with Palestine and remembrance of the devastation in Gaza

Shindig Festival stands firm on Bob Vylan booking despite licencing pressure

Could antisemitism row spell the end for much-loved festival?

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Yassin Mohamud, the city’s first Somali lord mayor on bringing people together

Lawrence Hill councillor Yassin Mohamud talks to Neil about using his new role to bring people together, and his background dealing with neighbourhood issues

How the BBC failed Gaza

Far from being ‘impartial’, BBC coverage of Gaza has consistently amplified Israeli narratives and downplayed Palestinian suffering. Another kind of journalism is needed

The workers who tried to make ‘swords into ploughshares’

Andy Danford spent decades in Bristol’s aerospace and arms sectors, navigating industrial battles, political upheaval, and bold ideas for transforming weapons factories into socially useful workplaces

Damien Egan school visit: Anatomy of a faux scandal

How a sentence in a Cable article led to a media firestorm — resident political pundit Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins delves into the Damien Egan furore

JOIN OUR
NEWSLETTER

Fearless, independent
reporting you can trust.

JOIN OUR
NEWSLETTER

Fearless, independent
reporting you can trust.