Two comedians using the highs and lows of their personal lives as material for stand-up tell Kim Chakanetsa about what motivated them to get up on stage to be laughed at and how their families react.

New Zealand comedian Angella Dravid, is known for her awkward manner and uses everything from her brief teen marriage to a man in his 40s to her time in a UK prison as fuel for her show. Socially anxious herself, she embraces being uncomfortable in routines.

Born in Russia and now based in London, Olga Koch was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2018 for her debut hour, Fight. It’s a show about her father and Russia’s roller-coaster years from the collapse of Communism to the rise of Vladimir Putin.

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L: Angella Dravid - credit Matt Klitscher
R: Olga Koch - credit James Deacon