An evening with…Helen Leaderer

Not That I’m Bitter tells the story of Helen’s journey from being what her mother called a “show-off” to becoming a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of Alternative Comedy. 

Her memoir is a mix of joy, sadness, hilarity and startling self-revelation – woven together with a witty narrative that delivers real punch. This is a powerful, frank, moving and characteristically funny memoir, revealing exactly how choppy the waters could be. Even in those ground-breaking, anti-Thatcher days, there was only room at the top for so many women. For the rest, it was as much a struggle to be seen and heard in the world of comedy as in any boardroom or workplace – and just as difficult to avoid the predators. But this is more than the story of one decade. The child of a Czech wartime refugee, Helen was never part of the mainstream.  Her memoir is bursting with big laughs and poignant moments, but it’s the way Helen describes her stories of absurdity, success and failure that really has the power to connect with an audience.  

• What does it take to break into comedy when women were often seen as “high maintenance” for daring to write and send a script to the BBC? 

• How do humour and tenacity help combat lifelong struggles with weight, self-esteem, and anxiety? 

• How do you cope with constant self-sabotage and when, despite enormous success, you still feel like a failure? 

• Why were the ’80s both the best and worst of times for a woman with sharp jokes and a sharper tongue?