September 11th 2024.
Lucy Beaumont recently took to social media to express her frustration with comedy nights for their lack of female representation on their lineups. As a 41-year-old comedian, she shared screenshots of upcoming events dominated by male performers and questioned where all the women were. She pointed out that in most cities, there were little to no women included in the bill.
This issue is not just limited to live comedy events, as Lucy also brought up the lack of diversity on TV panel shows. She sarcastically referred to them as "male panel shows" and "male comedy clubs that tolerate women." She believes that this lack of representation leads to a competitive atmosphere where women are not given equal opportunities to grow and shine.
Lucy then called out specific comedy clubs and nights around the country for their male-dominated lineups. She asked them, "Where's all your women?" and shared screenshots of their upcoming shows with little to no women included. This includes The Bierkeller in Manchester, The Comedy Store, and The Glee Club Birmingham.
One comment made a misogynistic claim that men are simply funnier than women. But Lucy expertly shut it down by stating that comedy isn't about gender and that there are plenty of funny women in the industry. She also highlighted the fact that this issue is still prevalent, despite promises of gender equality in the industry.
The lack of female representation in comedy is not a new issue, and it has been brought up before. However, the efforts to improve the gender gap seem to have plateaued, with a 60/40 split of men and women comedians on TV as of 2020. This was confirmed by an anonymous programming commissioner who stated that panel shows have a "blokes down the pub" feel, making it difficult for female comedians to showcase their material.
Lucy has been a part of the comedy scene since 2010, and she has personally experienced predatory behavior from male comedians. In a podcast episode recorded before the Russell Brand allegations, she revealed that there are "10 to 15" predatory men in the industry. She believes that this issue is not talked about enough and that it upsets her to hear about young female comics facing similar experiences.
Despite the progress made in the industry, there is still a long way to go in terms of gender equality and addressing predatory behavior. The Agency has reached out to the mentioned comedy clubs for comment on this matter.
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