Interpret This: Being a BSL interpreter in Comedy

Anyone familiar with the UK comedy circuit may recognise Scottish comic Ray Bradshaw, known for signing his own stand-up sets. As his audiences have grown, so has the overwhelming demand for more disabled access across the arts. That’s where his trusty British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, Karen Forbes, steps in.

“I grew up with sign language. And it's been a real passion of mine, right through my life,” Karen tells us. Her background in BSL interpretation is extensive in the theatre world and through that, she and Ray go way back. Our conversation with her paints a lovely picture of a friendship borne through a shared desire to open up access to the arts for deaf people.

“I was brought up in the deaf community: my mum was deaf, and I have aunts who are deaf as well”. As a CODA (child of deaf adult), Karen learned to sign before she could speak, much like Ray.

From the age of seven Karen was interpreting her mum during GP visits, as the access simply wasn’t there for basic services, let alone arts provision. “My mum used to take me to the theatre, even though she couldn't access it, because there were no interpreters back then. But she knew that I loved theatre, and the arts.

“That's been a passion for me for years and years, making sure that deaf people had [and have] access in any shape or form,” she tells us.

Ray and Karen had a mutual connection growing up: his dad and her mum were friendly through a deaf club in Glasgow. They also became good friends through their work for the same deaf youth theatre, but it wasn’t until slightly later that they began working together across Ray’s stand-up career.

“I went to see Ray a number of times at his comedy shows, and I just loved them. I thought the access was really good, and the fact that he was signing his own shows was fantastic.” Sign interpreters are not commonplace at your typical comedy gig – much less a comedian signing while telling jokes. But after performing a show back in 2019, Ray made Karen a proposition: he wanted to have the entire run of his upcoming Edinburgh Fringe show BSL interpreted. It was an opportunity which Karen simply couldn’t refuse.

“It was fantastic. We had a huge number of deaf people who came to see it, and the feedback was great.” 

Anyone who’s been to a comedy show, though, might wonder how easy BSL interpretation for stand-up comedy might be. After all, the structure and shape of shows are often in flux and constant development, particularly over the course of a month-long festival where your audience is more or less different every day. “Comedy is hard to interpret because there is no script.

“You may have points throughout the show where you know that that comedian is going to talk about certain things, but you don't know which direction it's going to go. The thing about Ray is he loves to interact with the audience. He has a really special bond with his audience, and that has grown over the years.”

It might sound like a challenge, but it’s one that Karen seems to relish. And though Ray still often signs his own shows, having Karen there adds a different spin on it. “With Ray’s background being that he can sign, it means that we can play off one another. We have so much fun with that.”

There’s still a long way to go before accessible comedy shows are the norm. Shows like Ray’s are still pretty unique, but there's a few pioneers paving the way. In comedy, Rosie Jones is exclusively touring to accessible-only venues, while Katie Pritchard embedded audio description in her 2022 Fringe show. Elsewhere, disabled-led theatre companies like Glasgow-based Birds of Paradise (Don’t. Make. Tea.) and Flawbored (It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure, coming to the Fringe in August) are ensuring accessibility is embedded in their work from the off.

“I think we've still got a few roads to go, still a journey to take. Within the arts, I think companies have recognised that they need to provide more access, and how to do it. I think that's really important. It’s not all about ticking a box. It's about how they encourage deaf audiences to come to something.”

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Edinburgh Deaf Festival runs from 11-20 Aug across multiple venues, edinburghdeaffestival.co.uk
Ray Bradshaw: Work In Progress, Scottish Comedy Festival @ Waverley Bar, 4-26 Aug (not 16), 7.30pm, £5