Why comedy's better in Britain

Australian comic Sarah Kendall says she prefers working in Britain - because the country's a mess.

"The place is really screwed," she told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The government is supporting the war, the national health system is crumbling, there are constant terrorist alerts, the weather is crap, so it's great for comedians. People want a good laugh.

"Australia, with the great weather and so on, is a bit trickier. The other day, I was sitting in a cafe in the sun, eating scampi, and I thought: 'God, I have to redo all my material'."

Kendall was talking to the paper to promote her new show, I'm an Extremely Complicated Person, which opens at the Sydney Opera House studio tonight.

Published: 25 Feb 2003