Book now: Sarah Millican at the Apollo

Although she’d been writing comedy beforehand, it was a divorce and a Linda Smith gig that propelled Sarah Millican into stand up. On the night that her marriage ended and she and her ex moved out of their flat, Millican happened to be called by The Customs House theatre in her native South Shields to tell her there were some tickets left for Smith’s gig. ‘Part of me just thought: oh I can’t do this, I want to sit in the house and eat cake, but I went along and for two and half hours was just taken out of my life,’ she recalls. The show inspired her to set about cheering up others and the resulting stand up routine she created – one that eventually formed the basis for her first solo show – turned the pain from the break up into one of the funniest debut routines from a new stand up. Her girl-next-door persona added to the humour as she voiced her vitriol and cheeky, mucky talk. Four tours down the line, plus her own radio and TV series, and she’s finally a household name.

Fri 2, Sat 3 + Sun 4 May 2014, O2 Apollo, Stockport Road, Ardwick Green, M12 6AP, Tel: 08444 777 677, £28.50, www.ticketmaster.co.uk