Louise Atkinson: ‘Billy Connolly could tell me a story about a mayonnaise jar for two hours’

How did you get into comedy?
I was dating a comedy nerd who wanted to try standup, so I researched comedy courses for them as a gift. The same day, I quit a job – which I hated – and my ex decided this was also a great time to break up with me. (It was always their empathy I admired.) Anyways, I got an email saying a space had become available on the course the following week and did it myself.

What inspired your show She’s Got the Look?
When I started out, I got into the last round of a competition and was told I “sound good but look a mess”. So the show is me trying to figure out which bit of me is the mess and why we make assumptions about people based on how they look – when we should really judge people based on whether they think a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit. That’ll tell me everything I need to know about you.

What is a wrong assumption people make about you?
When you’re a more curvy, voluptuous person, the thing most people tend to think is you don’t understand what healthy eating is. Let me be clear, I am fully aware of what healthy food is. I know what a carrot is – it transports dip into my face. Yes, I have my hand in the pick and mix, but it doesn’t mean I think aubergine is the name of Dior’s new fragrance.

Related: Laura Lexx: ‘I did 10 gigs for a master’s in standup comedy – then never stopped’

Do you have any comedy heroes?
Victoria Wood had some of the most playful, beautiful language I’ve ever seen in comedy. Billy Connolly is such a great raconteur that he could tell me a story about a mayonnaise jar for two hours.

As a kid, I watched a lot of comedy, but it was mostly on TV. So when I started standup and I got to see all the club comics do their thing, it blew my mind. The way they controlled the room, created these roars of laughter, there was nothing that could happen that they couldn’t handle, and I found it amazing. The first time I saw Laura Lexx, who is often regarded as one of the best MCs on the circuit, she had such a level of skill it was like watching someone fly. As well, there were people like Esther Manito, Jen Brister, Hayley Ellis who could, and still can, just absolutely destroy a club and are always a joy to watch.

Any non-comedy hero?
The sister from Dirty Dancing who sings Hula Hana without anybody showing a desire for her to do so. I can only dream of that level of overconfidence.

What’s been one of your all-time favourite gigs?
A woman, about four bottles of chardonnay down, loved my set so much she tried to give me a standing ovation but tripped over her handbag. I will always adore and respect her.

Any bugbears from the world of comedy?
I don’t think you have room for me to answer this with every gripe I have. For example, I could tell you about the enormous lack of accessibility for working-class acts, or the many female acts, including myself, who have had to pull out of lineups and miss out on paid work due to the actions of a male act on the same bill. However, for every horrible thing I’ve seen in comedy, there have been people I regard as good eggs who have helped me in some way, so I’d rather focus on them.

What’s an important lesson you’ve learned from being a standup?
Travelling this much requires you to embrace food prep and some sort of packed lunch or Tupperware item. Go jazzy, get a lunchbox with a Spider-man Thermos, because it is needed.

Can you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?
All of the gigs that were that level of bad, I have blocked out of my memory. Whenever I remember them, I rock back and forth in a foetal position saying things like “you don’t understand man, you weren’t there”.

Any preshow rituals?
I wouldn’t call them rituals, but I’m superstitious. So I always have my Doctor Who pocket watch on stage and I always touch something wooden for good luck. I also usually do these acts just before I go on stage and tell anyone who believes in crystals they’re a fool, because I like to think of my genre of comedy as hypocritical.

• Louise Atkinson: She’s Got the Look is at Gilded Balloon Patter House, Edinburgh , until 25 August