6 • The Sunday Times Magazine
Marcus
I did a show called Unavailable for Comment at the
Edinburgh festival in 2013. It was basically an
improvised Newsnight. I wanted to find improvisers
I hadn’t worked with and Rachel was one of the people
I met. Both of us were in relationships. I said to a friend:
“She is great, by the way.” He looked at me funny. I said:
“Obviously she’s gorgeous but we’re friends. It would
ruin everything.” And that’s how it was for a long time.
We had a walk one day that turned into quite a nature
ramble. Nothing happened. We didn’t even brush the
backs of our hands. I remember thinking afterwards,
“Gosh, she’s so nice.” With hindsight I’m so glad that
nothing happened at that time. Not least because
I wasn’t ready. I had some stuff I needed to work out.
A few years later we were both finally not in a
relationship. We’d reached a point where there were
one or two emojis in our texts to each other. A smiley
face. No love heart eyes and certainly no aubergines!
She asked me what I was doing for New Year’s Eve and
I said I was seeing family but would be back at mine just
after midnight. She said she was going to a party but
she’d probably be free just after midnight too, so she
came over. At 5am her Uber arrived to take her home.
It’s really old-fashioned but I stood up and said: “Thanks
so much for coming over. It’s been really lovely and
would it be all right if I gave you a kiss?” She absolutely
beamed, I think in relief from being there for five hours.
It was obvious to both of us that this was right. I was
more tentative and cautious as I’d already had a failed
marriage and kids [a son and daughter from his
marriage to Sophie Prideaux] to consider. It was easier
for me because I already loved everyone involved.
I’ve always had problems with addiction.
Predominantly an eating disorder and then later on
drug addiction and alcoholism, which very nearly killed
me. So by the time I was 17 I went to rehab and I got
sober. My addictions played a part in the failure of my
first marriage. Not to say that I relapsed, but as an
addict if you don’t keep an eye on those behaviours
then it doesn’t work. I marked 30 years of sobriety in
December. I still go to meetings and I still sponsor
people. And having Rachel’s support helps enormously.
Before going to Bristol University a friend said: “You
should do stand-up.” I did a gig and it was a mixed bag,
but enough of it went well that I walked off stage and
knew that’s all I wanted to do with my life.
I was a cracking little weirdo when I was a student. By
then I had been through rehab, I’d worked as a podium
dancer at the Ministry of Sound and the Hammersmith
Palais, and on a North Sea oil rig. I expected Bristol
would have its own Footlights but it didn’t, so, along
with a couple of friends, we created one. We went to
the Edinburgh festival in 1996 at the end of my first year
and I won the BBC new comedy award.
I built on the momentum and was on everything after
that. I did a panel show with Mel and Sue, Have I Got
News for You and Live at the Apollo. The first break for
me on Radio 4 was getting a regular gig on The Now
Show. With hindsight and nicely rose-tinted glasses,
those were golden days.
Rachel and I had Covid in March last year, and it was
bad. It knocked me for six. The pandemic has been
brutal for so many. As comedians we’ve not had a single
penny in support from the government. I’m a bit
resentful about it. But mostly I just miss gigging.
Home life for two comedians? We laugh so much of“I’ve had problems with addiction
that nearly killed me. Rachel’s
support helps enormously”
The husband and wife comedians on dealing with Covid, stepchildren and online gigs
DOUBLE ACT
Above right: Rachel,
36, and Marcus, 47,
near their home in
southwest London.
Right: at their
wedding in 2019RELATIVE VALUES
Marcus Brigstocke
& Rachel Parris