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When I ask Alison Spittle what the worst Christmas present she has ever received is, she answers without hesitation.
“My Granny Minnie got me a thong with the word ‘Capricorn’ written across it,” the Irish comedian and writer says, with a stony-faced recollection. “I was like, eight or nine.” She pauses, reliving the memory. “And also, I’m a Gemini, so it was very inappropriate.”
The Westmeath native reckons she is an easy person to buy for at Christmas. “But I get bought quite a lot of bath bombs because I’m a woman,” she says with a sigh.
“And I have no access to a bath, so I’ve developed quite an artillery of bath bombs at this point; a whole drawer of them. One day I’ll feck all of them into the bath at the same time, like a bath bomb Oppenheimer. It’d be like the angriest Berocca in the world.”
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It has been a busy year for Spittle, as more people tuned into her brand of quick-witted, self-referential brand of anxiety-addled observational comedy in 2023. There have been successful runs at both the Edinburgh and Dublin fringe festivals, where her show Soup was described as “bawdy and charming” and “a big warm hug.”
She fulfilled a long-held ambition by appearing on Richard Osman’s House of Games quizshow and there was also a one-off stint on EastEnders, when her short-lived costar Shona McGarty snuck her into the Queen Vic for a photo op.
Despite all of the exciting career developments and appearances, however, Spittle’s personal highlight of 2023 was bringing Kerry Katona home to Westmeath to do Celebrity Gogglebox Ireland.
“Just getting to watch my mam hover around her – ‘Kerry, Kerry, can I get you anything?’” she cackles, doing her best ‘Irish mammy’ impression.
“In the end, she got her a spice bag from the best takeaway in Westmeath. Stuff like that was great, because it encapsulates in my head a lot of the good stuff that’s happened. I wouldn’t have met Kerry if I hadn’t done a podcast and did stand-up comedy, so it’s a nice thing for my family, too.”
Spittle presented the BBC Sounds podcast Wheel of Misfortune with Katona after the former Atomic Kitten star stepped into Spittle’s former co-host Fern Brady’s shoes. Theirs was an unlikely pairing but one that worked, as they discussed the cringiest, most unfortunate stories centred on certain topics, with input from their listeners, who would send in voice notes.
Wheel of Misfortune has come to an end but there is more podcasting on the way in 2024, Spittle says.
I’ll be back home in Ireland this year. Loads of families have to split their time between two places
— Alison Spittle
“I’m going to continue,” she confirms. “I’ve been making podcasts for over 10 years now so it’s an exciting time – and I like the fact that it’s up to me [to do it.] It’s not about waiting to be commissioned. So yeah, there’s more to come.”
But before then, there is Christmas to contend with. Spittle usually goes between her mum’s house in Westmeath and her dad’s place in England.
“Every year it’s a Sophie’s Choice – it all really depends on how many elderly relatives are on either side; ‘maybe this’ll be their last Christmas’,” she jokes. “But it never is.
“I’ll be back home in Ireland this year. Loads of families have to split their time between two places; me and my boyfriend have been going out for 10 years but we’ve never spent a Christmas together because I just have too many people to choose from.”
It will be especially easy for Spittle to slip into Christmas mode this year, considering how she has been thinking about it for months. Her first Christmas play, Glacier, will run at Oxford’s Old Fire Station Theatre during December and is described as “a festive comedy for adults about wild swimming, female friendship and what happens when you throw your wedding ring into a lake”.
It explores the intertwined stories of three women who escape to a tranquil lake at Christmas time for their traditional festive swim; Spittle says it has been a “fun experience to think about Christmas all year”.
Otherwise 2024 will be spent touring Soup across the UK and Ireland, as well as working on a new show for next year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
“I think I’m gonna call it Tits,” she says, a glint in her eye. “Unless someone tells me not to, which might happen. So, yeah – there’s loads to look forward to.”