Jo Brand praises Victoria Wood

Jo Brand has praised Victoria Wood for her early stand-up work when women were barely represented in the medium.

The comedian told The Independent that it took her a long time to enter the profession after an early job as a psychiatric nurse.

Brand said: "There were hardly any women stand-up comedians then. I remember when Victoria Wood started to come through, and I thought she was great, though she and I are very different in our approach.

"I used to get the 'Oh my God, you're so rude, and you don't have to swear and talk about vaginas to be funny', but I think there was a subconscious attempt on my part to be kind of outrageous. I noticed that women in comedy had to do ten times more."

Brand has been lined up alongside Liz Smith to front a new BBC Four season this summer titled Grey Expectations.