Judi Love on hecklers: ‘Maybe something in their background made them this way’
A natural-born performer, Judi Love is exploring empathy and connection with her new touring show. Zara Janjua hears from a comic who can cut through the sadness to bring audiences genuine joy
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On the night we speak, Judi Love is just a few hours away from stepping on stage to begin the first leg of her new tour. She’s excited, and yawning. ‘Once I get on that stage, I’ll turn into Sasha Fierce!’ That contradiction feels fitting. Love’s comedy thrives in the messy overlap between exhaustion and joy, chaos and connection. And connection is the key word. Whether on television or on tour, she’s more interested in people than in punchlines.
Her new show, All About The Love, is imbued with the warmth and honesty that have made her one of the UK’s most beloved performers. After selling more than 30,000 tickets on her last tour, expectations are high, but Love’s focus remains simple: get on stage and make people feel good. Preparation, she says, is about calm. ‘Keeping myself relaxed, being prepared with my material and just being really chill.’
Before walking on, she carves out ten quiet minutes and cues up music; sometimes it’ll be gospel, sometimes it’s simply whoever is energising her that year. Tonight, it’s US rapper GloRilla, whose swagger, she assures me, helps her switch gears. Yet offstage, she remains disarmingly grounded. Her career in social care, long before TV fame arrived, shapes her approach, especially when things go off-script. Hecklers don’t rattle her; they intrigue her. ‘Maybe there’s something in their background that’s made them this way; or a neurodiversity,’ she says. That perspective gives her patience. ‘I had somebody the other day shout out “can I get a picture Judi?” and I was like “yeah, when the show’s done sweetheart”. I think they just wanted witnesses.’
Life experience feeds the comedy too. Love famously lit up Strictly Come Dancing with a Sean Paul samba that became a pop culture moment in 2021. Her verdict now? ‘One day my grandkids will dig out that footage and get to see their grandma shaking her booty.’ Priceless, and entirely on brand. So too was her appearance on Loose Women’s historic all-black female panel the year before, a moment she hopes simply becomes normal rather than notable.
Stand-up, though, remains her first love. It’s where the emotional exchange is most direct. Recently, she performed a show the night before a close family member’s funeral. Heartbroken, she still stayed afterwards to meet fans. ‘If this moment here can bring joy to them and myself then it’s just such a blessing,’ she reflects. Comedy, for Love, is survival and service.
The new show explores empathy, relationships and the ways love can both guide and mislead us. From dating missteps to self-reflection, she talks about learning to spot warning signs or failing to. ‘You don’t see the red flags, even in yourself. I’ve learned you have to have empathy for yourself.’ Love insists that Glasgow audiences, in particular, appreciate that openness. ‘They’re brutally honest with hearty, big laughs.’ In other words, the perfect crowd for a comedian whose greatest skill isn’t just making people laugh but making them feel seen.
Judi Love: All About The Love, Òran Mór, Glasgow, Saturday 21 March, as part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sunday 22 March; picture: Jiksaw.