Derry’s Millennium Forum welcomes comedian Serena Terry this Saturday night

Derry’s Millennium Forum welcomes comedian Serena Terry this Saturday night with her sold-out UK and Ireland tour. 

The creator of ‘Mammy Banter’ brings her stand-up show ‘All Tied Up’ to the Walled City.

And the proud Derry woman cannot wait to perform in front of her home crowd.

She said: “I love playing at home for obvious reasons; Derry wans know the craic! And the forum is a great venue, meaning the whole process is more relaxed with not having to travel or be away from the kids for too long.

“There’s no humour like Derry humour.

“It’s our secret sauce. A coping mechanism that we’ve inherited and continue to strengthen and use when we need. It’s a tool for a lot of us to use humour to overcome tragedy and loss also.”

But Terry has not just found an audience for her comedy in the north-west of Ireland but across the entire British Isles, as seen in her sold-out set. 

And this has allowed her to create history by becoming the first female comedian to sell out the SSE Arena in Belfast. 

She said: “I think my nervous system is slowly starting to recover after the SSE on Saturday night. A surreal, scary, and amazing experience.

“Still unbelievable since I’ve only been doing standup for a year, but I play it down (which I’ve a tendency to do with everything) because there aren’t as many female comics in the game. I’m the second comic from Northern Ireland after Paddy Kielty to sell it out, which is just mind-blowing.”

While the world has taken to the content that Terry has created first through TikTok, then through her books, and now in her stand-up, she could never have believed such a thing would happen. 

But Blair said: “It didn’t feel real because it was during a time when life didn’t feel real—lockdown. It all still feels a bit surreal, to be honest.

“My audience has always been predominantly female, so I’ve always leaned into that. Seeing people resonate with my online content or stand-up comedy is like therapy. Honestly, it feels like we’re all in the same boat.”

A big part of Terry’s content is situational comedy, as seen on her TikTok channel, ‘Mammy Banter’. 

But she has warned not to expect the same in her stand-up show.

She said: “My standup is different from my online videos. I get to be a bit more adult and cover topics both dark and light that I wouldn’t go into as much detail online.”

We all know the stresses and worries faced in our work lives, and Terry is no different. 

And like most of us, she finds comfort in the support given to her by her family, particularly her children. 

She said: “My family comes first with everything, and I’ve learned quickly that there is a reason there aren’t as many female comics as men, especially mothers. When I’m away, the mammy guilt kills me, to be honest, and I’m really selective with projects that could potentially take me away from them for too long. I’m working around my children for now, which is a privileged position to be in, but it keeps everyone happy.

“They both think I’m embarrassing; of course they do. But I think they both appreciate the work ethic and work-life balance aspects. They’ve been amazing, to be honest.”