Laura Smyth on comedy and cancer
The award-winning comedian Laura Smyth came into the National Prison Radio (NPR) studios to talk about the importance of following your dreams despite the obstacles that may come your way; and for Laura that dream was to be a stand-up comedian and the obstacle was a diagnosis of advanced breast cancer.
She told NPR how she stayed focused on her goal despite the tough times, and you can hear her interview on ‘NPR Talk’ in August.
Laura acknowledges that there are a lot of similarities between experiencing a life-changing situation, like hers, and being in prison. “You don’t know what you’re strong enough to handle until you go through it. Everything else will seem easy.”
In her early twenties, Laura found herself in temporary accommodation but after signing up to a university course, she became an English teacher. She taught English for around ten years but knew she had to give comedy a go.
“The fear of not doing something will hold you back forever…the change comes from being willing to fail.”
As Laura’s comedy career began to take off, the cancer diagnosis hit. She soon observed that people often get it very wrong when talking to people with cancer and she decided to make a programme about it.
The now award-winning programme ‘I don’t know what to say’ is all about how humans respond when faced with difficult news and what she describes as “the weird responses you get when you have cancer.”
“It’s the same for people in prison”, she says “once you’re released from here, you watch… people won’t know what to say.”
NPR presenter Scott tells her how much he laughed when listening to her show “you made cancer funny – which is a crazy thing to do.”
At the end of their interview, Laura reflects on her life and tells National Prison Radio what she would say to her 16-year-old self: “Relax, like yourself, and don’t sell yourself short.”
You can hear Laura Smyth’s interview on NPR Talk on Wednesday 7th August 2024.
NPR Talk is on every Wednesday at 12:00 & 18:00.
National Prison Radio is the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. It is available on in-cell TVs and Launchpad laptops in prisons across England and Wales. If NPR is not available in your prison, call us on 0808 123 1234. If you would like to get involved by asking a question, sharing a story or requesting a track, you can call us on 0808 123 1234.
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