Bella Hull: Mastering the Stage and Proving Herself in Comedy

For Bella Hull, stand-up comedy is more than just a career; it's an undeniable drive. "I have to do stand-up," Hull states, having first taken the stage at 17, regardless of the audience's reaction.

Now, a decade later, her reception is overwhelmingly positive. The 28-year-old comedian achieved a sold-out run at last year's Edinburgh Fringe with her show "Doctors Hate Her," which delved into a breakup, mental struggles, and the occult. She has also made appearances on prominent shows like "Have I Got News For You" and "The News Quiz," and secured a coveted writing role for the UK's new "Saturday Night Live." Hull reflects on stand-up as a powerful position: "There's something symbolic about being the person with the voice. In many personal situations, I don't feel that way at all."

"A famous older male comic made jokes about how they were going to rape me after the show. Everyone was laughing."

Hull's childhood was marked by shyness and unease due to her parents' tumultuous marriage. She felt like an outsider at an all-girls private school, being both "mixed race and overweight." Her upbringing, which included formative years with her vibrant grandmother in London and Kent, was punctuated by moments of solace found in comedy. She would watch stand-up specials and meticulously record her thoughts in a journal, eventually succumbing to the powerful urge to perform.

The past decade has seen Hull navigating "some of the most unsafe basements you could possibly imagine," as she humorously puts it, immersing herself in the comedy circuit. Her decision to study art history at Cambridge was influenced by its rich comedy heritage. However, the prevalence of Footlights alumni within the comedy elite steered Hull towards the more challenging world of comedy clubs. "I was obsessed with paying my dues," she explains. "I met many people at Cambridge who had 'golden boy syndrome.' They'd expect immediate success, thinking, 'Where's my TV show?' But you don't deserve a TV show if you haven't proven yourself. Can you make a stag party in Nottingham laugh? I doubt it."

On stage, Hull captivates with a compelling persona—a woman on the brink, her fixed smile masking a sharper core—combined with masterful execution and tightly crafted jokes that span a wide array of topics. A line from "Doctors Hate Her" that earned a spot on last year's Edinburgh festival's best jokes list reads: "I just got a personal trainer. She’s horrible to me but my body goal is a thicker skin."

Amidst clever punchlines, her shows explore themes such as disordered eating, family discord, relationship struggles, and mental health. Hull embodies a duality: the club-honed comedian who overwhelms audiences with a rapid-fire delivery, and the tormented artist who transforms her darkest experiences into meaningful art.

As a teenager, her parallel passions were comedy and art, with Ali Wong and Tracey Emin as her inspirations. She now recognizes Emin's profound influence on her comedy: "She's so unapologetically intense." Her upcoming Fringe show, "Mad Cow Disease," will be "very Emin-coded," featuring a collection of "feminine shameful detritus" that ranges from ant infestations and the anxiety of revealing her true self to a new boyfriend, to fears of inheriting mental health conditions and a desire for a baby, which she notes is "very taboo for a female comedian." The ability to transform "sad or dark or heartbreaking" experiences into laughter has always felt magical to her.

Hull's deep affection for club comedy is evident, and it has served as a "rigorous" training ground for her joke-writing and stage presence. Initially, she would tremble and even vomit from nerves before shows. However, this environment forced her to adopt a version of womanhood that audiences would accept. "You've got 30 seconds to make them laugh when you get on stage," Hull explains. "If you're a woman, you've maybe got 10."

She was advised never to wear revealing clothing, a lesson she learned firsthand after enduring "horrendous heckling and wolf-whistling." At 21, in a remote part of England, a well-known male comedian made "consistent jokes about how they were going to rape me after the show. Everyone was laughing. That was the norm." Hull notes that many women don't last long in such settings, but she doesn't regret her chosen path.

"I love having something to push against," Hull says. "I love proving people wrong. You have to have a bit of teeth." This assertiveness was evident in her "Have I Got News For You" appearances, where she playfully teased Ian Hislop and delivered a sharp, impromptu jab at Russell Brand. "Gags are your armour," Hull asserts, a metaphor for how she learned to shield herself behind punchlines.

Increasingly, however, she is moving beyond her club-honed instincts, exploring her more poetic and whimsical side, and incorporating surreal monologues, character work, and props into her performances. During her time on "Saturday Night Live," she spent six days a week crafting topical jokes and sketches, but it also provided an opportunity to experiment with "weirder" material. One sketch featured a harried woman at baggage claim (played by Aimee Lou Wood) confessing her lost suitcase contains a bomb. Another was the "Weekend Update" dating correspondent Scrimpch, a "really sexual Italian man stuck in London because they'd left him on a school trip."

"I love when she's written a feature that a cast member is going to do with me because I know I'm going to find it really funny," says Ania Magliano, a "Weekend Update" star who first met Hull at Cambridge. Magliano recalls Hull being naturally funny and daringly honest even back then. "She is a true weirdo, a real eccentric, and she's confident leaning into that. All of us girls go through a phase of thinking we have to be 'cool,' and she's a great example of embracing your weirdness and following your instincts."

Hull appears genuinely surprised by her "SNL" casting, admitting she initially didn't even want to apply. However, being part of something larger and so different from the solitary nature of stand-up has been "so meaningful."

Scrimpch gained popularity on TikTok and Instagram. Hull's own social media posts often achieve significant viewership (one video about a fashion mishap has garnered 24.6 million views). Yet, the growing prominence of social media in comedy doesn't always sit comfortably with her. "There's something about having to show everyone everything all of the time that can upset the artistic process," she explains. "Working away in the darkness makes it much more likely that it will be authentic." There's also pressure to signal virtue and "stand for something," but Hull is drawn to riskier, more divisive jokes. "I want to be horrified. That’s what I find impressive, when people can scoop out their shame and make it funny. It’s not brave to have the right opinion."

After her Edinburgh shows in August, followed by the second season of "SNL" in September, what's next for Hull? "I don't want it to stop," she says. "But if it does, I'll be okay, because I'll go back to the clubs. Being able to make people laugh is the meaning of my life. It's what I'm alive to do."