Lucy Porter shows the Consequences of starring in the first of three Edinburgh Festival preview shows

‘The last time I came down to Portsmouth I had norovirus,’ she recalls. ‘I’ve never performed with norovirus before and I never will again. It was the worst. Then I caught the train back to Waterloo.

‘That journey will live in my memory alongside my two childbirths.

‘Apart from that, I normally have a lovely time in Portsmouth,’ she adds quickly, with a laugh.

But this time she’s coming to give us a ‘world premiere’ with a preview of her new Edinburgh show, Consequences.

‘I came up with the title first, it was kind of to do with parenting.

‘I only ever read about parenting when something has gone wrong. I was Googling one night about what do you do if your child has glued their eyes shut, and I came across something about how important it is to teach your children that actions have consequences, and if they do “a” it will lead to “b”. I thought, nah, I don’t want to teach my children that as it’s not what I really believe.

‘In my life, everything has been completely random, things never turn out the way you expect and the consequences are not what you thought.

‘Then I got thinking, if only there was some big well-known event where people made a decision and the consequences of that decision were different to what they’d thought... and then the EU referendum happened and all my dreams came true.’

The show blends the personal and the political, but in light of recent events, Lucy admits: ‘That’s the problem with writing a show with any kind of topicality this year. I’m thinking I’ll just write it on the train up there.

‘Trying to second guess what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone next week is impossible. It’s a really interesting, turbulent time – it’s a great time to be in comedy as there’s so much to talk about and everyone’s interested suddenly.’

At the moment the show also touches on, among other things, her love of Popmaster – the quiz on Ken Bruce’s Radio 2 show, a homage to Gary Wilmot and transphobia, although this could all change.

‘I don’t know if they’re all going to stay in the show. At the moment, it’s just me talking about how much I love Popmaster. My kids will say: “Isn’t it time for the pop quiz mummy?” But I don’t feel they’re suitably impressed when I score 25 or something and I’m really cockahoop.’

‘The show is also about how my younger self would hate my older self.

‘I got asked by a magazine to write a letter to my 16-year-old self, but then I thought it would be more interesting would be the letter my 16-year-old self would write to me now, telling me what a mess I’d made of things and why did I make those terrible choices.’

Here’s hoping Lucy’s visit to Portsmouth has less painful consequences this time.

Lucy appears on July 18 with Andy Askins in the first of three nights of double-header Edinburgh preview shows. July 19 sees Joel Dommett and Paul McCaffrey, while July 20 is Gary Delaney and Zoe Lyons. WOW247 Awards Best Comedy award winner James Alderson is the compere. Each show is £8. Tickets will be available on the door.

Spinnaker Cafe, Gunwharf Quays

July 18, 19 & 20

spinnakertower.co.uk