Laughing through midlife with Sophie McCartney

On a dreary November afternoon, Sophie McCartney appeared on my screen, her quick wit instantly brightening the mood. Relaxed in her home, she laughed about her uncanny knack for bringing bad weather to Exeter - a comedic icebreaker for what would become a whirlwind of hilarious and heartfelt conversation. As someone new to interviews, I was nervous, but Sophie instantly put me at ease with her warmth. Over Zoom, it felt less like interviewing a widely successful comedian and more like chatting with a good friend.

Fresh off three sold-out shows in Exeter, McCartney reflected on her ‘stormy’ relationship with the city. “I’m like a bad omen for weather,” she quipped, recounting how her debut at the Northcott Theatre coincided with torrential rain and biblical floods. “It was like God’s way of saying, ‘No more Sophie.’” The chaos forced her to split one show into two when the Great Hall became a waterlogged no-go. But true to form, Sophie turned disaster into comedy gold. “Honestly, Exeter has been amazing - the audiences always sell out fast.” 

Within minutes, it was obvious: Sophie McCartney is a born storyteller. Whether she’s parodying pop hits, writing chart-topping books, or performing stand-up routines, she has an extraordinary knack for turning life’s chaos - be it parenting woes, aging anxieties, or societal pressures - into side-splitting humour. 

Speaking to Exeter Today, McCartney shared the highs and hilarities of her journey, her fears about turning 40, and the inspirations behind her latest tour, One Foot in the Rave. 

Her new show promises to be her boldest yet, as Sophie explores what she calls “the middle years.” At 40, she’s confronting aging head-on - armed, of course, with Botox and a wicked sense of humour. “I’ve always been terrified of 40,” she admitted. “Even at 30, I was panicking about how close it was. And now that it’s here, I’m trying to figure out why it scares me so much. Is it me, society, or some combination of both?” 

In typical Sophie style, she’s tackling the big questions while keeping it light. “I’m still not ready to go quietly into the night,” she declared. The show mixes laugh-out-loud commentary on perimenopause, societal expectations, and the perils of post-40 hangovers with a party vibe reminiscent of the rave days. “Going out now feels like an Olympic event,” she joked. “Every drink you have adds a week to your recovery time.” 

Before she was commanding stages, Sophie shot to fame with a viral parody of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’. What started as a quest for 300 Facebook followers and a free bottle of wine snowballed into an unexpected comedy career. “That’s going on my gravestone,” she laughed. 

Sophie turned her newfound platform into a springboard for other creative ventures, including her bestselling book ‘Tired & Tested: The Wild Ride into Parenthood’ and her chaotic yet heartfelt novel ‘Mother Hens’, written during a haze of pregnancy and postpartum exhaustion. “I lost the plot, literally, but readers loved the chaos. Maybe it was a blessing,” she mused. 

Comedy wasn’t always on the cards. Sophie revealed that she battled crippling stage fright before her first stand-up gig. “I had hypnotherapy to get over it. I’m not sure if it was the therapy itself or just believing it worked, but I got up there and did it,” she recalled. That first show at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester was a turning point, solidifying her love for live performance. 

While One Foot in the Rave leans into humour, Sophie doesn’t shy away from serious subjects. In her last tour, she tackled the topic of miscarriage with honesty and empathy, hoping to break the silence around it. “Talking about it breaks the taboo and validates those feelings of shame or failure,” she explained. “It’s important for women to hear they’re not alone.” 

True to its name, Sophie’s latest tour aims to combine belly laughs with a feel-good atmosphere. “If you’ve left the house, let’s make it worth it,” she said, describing the rave-inspired vibe of her show. With a banging playlist and relatable stories, she invites her audience to embrace nostalgia while finding the humour in middle age. When asked to pick a theme song for her tour, she didn’t hesitate: “’Set You Free’ by N-Trance - it’s perfect for mums finally leaving the house.”

With her blend of sharp candour and infectious comedy, Sophie McCartney is proving that the middle years aren’t something to dread - they’re a rave waiting to happen.

You can catch Sophie in Exeter next year on March 13 at the Northcott Theatre, or if you're up for a weekend getaway, she'll be in Bath on April 3, or Bristol on September 14. It's the perfect chance to kick off 2025 with some much-needed laughs.