Susan Calman: ‘When I’m feeling down I watch clips of cats jumping on children’

The Glaswegian standup and Radio 4 regular on the things that make her laugh the most

Susan Calman
‘My go-to film when I need cheering up is Tootsie’ ... Susan Calman. Photograph: Steve Ullathorne

The funniest standup I’ve ever seen

Billy Connolly. I’ve never managed to see him live but when I was younger I had a tape of one of his gigs which I used to play on my Sony Walkman. I remember being on a train once and I had to switch the cassette off because I was crying with laughter. I felt physical pain it was so funny.

The funniest word

Blancmange. Sometimes I just say it over and over again for a laugh.

The funniest hairstyle I’ve ever had

In the late 80s I had a perm and streaks at the same time. It looked like a seagull had done its business on Kevin Keegan.

The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen

My favourite would have to be Parks And Recreation. I love it so much that I’ve been known to give my contact details when checking into a hotel as Burt Macklin. A tribute to the best FBI agent the world has ever seen.

The funniest person I know

My wife, which is good because living with a comedian isn’t that funny at times. I’m away on tour six months of the year, I get grumpy, I require the affirmation of a group of complete strangers to make me feel good. She needs to make herself laugh if nothing else.

The funniest book I’ve ever read

Tina Fey’s Bossypants is wonderful in every way.

The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny

Cats jumping on children. Those clips of toddlers wandering through a house and a cat jumps on their head and runs away. It’s so wrong as the children will be frightened but when I’m feeling down I go on YouTube and watch hours of these moments.

The funniest film I’ve ever seen

My go-to film when I need cheering up is Tootsie. Dustin Hoffman is superb but the supporting cast is just as impressive. It also contains my favourite quote from a movie ever – Rita: “I’d like to make her look a little more attractive, how far can you pull back?” Cameraman: “How do you feel about Cleveland?” I’ve thought about that a lot when I’ve been on panel shows.

Susan Calman is touring to Tuesday 27 June