The comedians on their first meeting, pissing each other off, and a shared obsession with Pride and Prejudice
Born in London in 1982, Cariad Lloyd is a comedian, actor and podcaster. She met comedian and musician Rachel Parris, born in Leicester in 1984, through improv comedy. Along with six other comedians, they formed Austentatious. The show is an improvised Jane Austen novel, based on an audience’s suggestion for a title, and is currently on at the Vaudeville theatre in London. Beyond their stage work, Cariad hosts the podcast Griefcast and is a co-host on Weirdos Book Club and Rachel worked on The Mash Report and publishes Introducing Mrs Collins: A Pride and Prejudice Novel on 6 November.
The photo was taken at Ham House in Richmond on our first Austentatious photoshoot. Rachel was having a proper picture taken and I jumped in. That’s why she’s laughing. It wasn’t posed – it’s a genuine moment.
I met Rachel through the comedian Amy Cooke-Hodgson, who one day said to me, “Rachel Parris is thinking of doing Jane Austen improv, are you interested?” I assumed it was a stage name. Rachel Parris? With two Rs? I nearly didn’t go, thinking it might all be bullshit. But as soon as I walked into the rehearsal room and watched the group improvising, I realised they were brilliant.
