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Scummy Mummies are a British-Australian comedy double act composed of Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn. Their podcast, The Scummy Mummies Podcast, has had over 5 million downloads, and they have performed their live comedy show over 500 times. [1]
Ellie Gibson, who is the daughter of alternative comedy pioneer Jim Barclay, was a video games journalist before starting to perform stand-up comedy in 2013. [1] Around this time, Helen Thorn, who had been a successful comedian in her native Australia, returned to stand-up after a break of several years. [1] They met at a show in Deptford, which was Gibson's third ever gig, and Thorn's first gig after the hiatus. Realising that they shared similar experiences of parenting, Gibson suggested that they should start The Scummy Mummies Podcast.
The Scummy Mummies Podcast, billed as "A comedy chat show for less-than-perfect parents", was launched on 20 July 2013, and has currently released almost 300 episodes. [2] It is presented by Gibson and Thorn, and edited by Gibson. It has attracted a number of guests, including Dara O Briain, Sandi Toksvig, Jenny Eclair, and Mel Giedroyc. [3] It has been downloaded more than 5 million times in 150 countries. [4] In an interview, Thorn explained the appeal of the podcast: "Right from the start, people said: 'Oh, thank you! You’re saying the things we think'...And they like that the podcast is two best friends hangoing out, so they feel like they've got company." [1] Guardian journalist Stuart Heritage wrote that an early episode which focused on Gibson's experience of having a premature baby is "one of the most affecting podcast episodes I’ve every heard. The pair maintain their humour, but the trauma of the birth and its aftermath is still palpable. By the end of it everyone is in tears. It is a gorgeous example of podcasting." [5] In 2017, The Scummy Mummies Podcast was nominated for the UK's Best Comedy Podcast at the British Podcast Awards. [3]
Following the success of their podcast, Gibson and Thorn developed a live comedy show featuring songs, sketches, stand-up comedy and audience participation. Their shows prominently feature comic props and costumes, including their "trademark gold catsuits". [6] A reviewer for NottinghamLIVE [7] described the ‘incredible’ live show as "two hours of non-stop cackling, cheering and an overwhelming sense of unity". [8] Gibson's father, Jim Barclay, acts as a roadie for Scummy Mummies live shows, and in an interview, Gibson stated that ‘as a veteran comedian himself, [he] likes to shout ad libs after our punchlines. I now hide his hearing aids before we go on stage.’ [9] In 2023, Gibson and Thorn began The Scummy Mummies Greatest Hits Tour, celebrating ten years of their double act. They were interviewed about the tour by actor Anna Maxwell Martin on Steph's Packed Lunch. [10] Also in 2023, they were awarded a Guinness World Record for performing the "highest altitude stand-up comedy gig on land", after performing a show on Mount Everest. [11]
Gibson and Thorn have also made considerable achievements outside of Scummy Mummies. Gibson is a video games expert, and has appeared on 26 episodes of comedy game show Go 8 Bit on Dave and 76 episodes of Videogame Nation on Challenge. On 28 February 2023 she won a Guinness World Record for the longest videogame marathon playing PowerWash Simulator after playing the game for 24 hr 6 min 33 sec. [12] Thorn's book Get Divorced, Be Happy, about her experiences of getting divorced, became a Sunday Times bestseller. [13]
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