The comedy clubs where the hecklers are toddlers

Mother, writer and actor Angela Garwood meets some of the women behind baby-friendly comedy clubs. They’re giving exhausted new parents the chance to laugh, connect and swap nursery rhymes for punchlines

Mother, writer and actor Angela Garwood meets some of the women behind baby-friendly comedy clubs. They’re giving exhausted new parents the chance to laugh, connect and swap nursery rhymes for punchlines

I’m on stage performing a scene from my play about motherhood. My nerves are quickly soothed as the crowd is generous with its laughter, and the jokes go down well. But hang on … a couple of the audience members seem to be… crying. What was that? A piece of Lego has just been thrown at my head. This is my first experience of being heckled, and although it’s somewhat off-putting, I let it slide, because the offender is a restless two-year-old.

This isn’t your usual, Friday night, slightly drunk comedy crowd. It’s 11am on a Tuesday and if the audience is drunk on anything then it’s on breast milk and sleep deprivation. Dotted across the green velvet seats at the Phoenix Theatre in Bordon, Hampshire, are a gaggle of mums, babies and some decidedly judgmental toddlers.

I’m co-hosting Every Other Mother , a baby-friendly event for mums combining stand-up comedy, poetry, short stories and other creative writing. Co-founder Sally McIlhone, who describes the shows as a “lunchtime cabaret”, greets the arrivals in a bright orange sequinned skirt, floral shirt and leopard print boots.

Every Other Mother is one of a number of events across England that are designed to provide connection, support and entertainment for new parents, particularly mums. Becoming a mother can be lonely and isolating, with more than one in 10 women in the UK experiencing mental health challenges during pregnancy and in the first year after giving birth. These events are “like a lifeline” according to one mother who attended Bring Your Own Baby Comedy shows when her son, now eight, was little. They’re relaxed, non-judgmental and inclusive spaces, where poonamis and bare nipples don’t raise an eyebrow.

McIlhone, a writer and marketing officer at The Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre, wanted to create a space where all mothers – from foster mums to grandmothers – could come together in a relaxed setting, learn something, have a laugh and feel inspired to tell their own unique story.

“I wanted anyone who came to feel like they’d found a place where they belonged,” says McIlhone, whose children are two and seven.

Every Other Mother’s Sally McIlhone (left) and Sophie Cameron (right). Credit: Rhyannon Hanbury-Aggs

She launched the project in January 2024 with performance poet Sophie Cameron, aka Violet Malice, a fair-haired 30-something who performs in a red ruffed blouse, androgynous blazer and black bow tie. After giving birth in 2023, they bonded over “not fitting the traditional mummould”. While the other mums chatted about sleep training and brands of pushchairs, they swapped stories of loneliness, guilt and the relief of laughing at the hard bits.

With theatrical backgrounds, the pair were inspired to hold events that celebrate creativity in motherhood. “I wanted to prove to m/others that you can do anything – and that sometimes that stain-covered, sleep-deprived state brings out the best ideas,” says McIlhone, who welcomes anyone who identifies as a mother, people who’ve given birth – including surrogates – and mothers within the LGBTQ+ community.

The Cockpit Theatre in central London, another of their venues, feels part Edinburgh Fringe, part soft play corner at the library. Baby mats and toys find a home near the stage, while pizza and prosecco are served at the interval.