Sarah Callaghan discusses elephants, Kevin Bridges and why Nicola Sturgeon's her favourite comedian.

Tell us about your Fringe show?

My show is called Elephant and its about small worlds and trying to break free. I feel quite trapped in life at the moment as do a lot of people I know, but we have to work hard to break free from the walls life sometimes builds up around us. That said, there's just loads of jokes in it, and it got nominated for best show at Brighton Fringe, just saying!

How many years have you been coming to the Fringe?

Well this is my 6th year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival so I'm pretty used to it by now! This is just my debut hour so any 'overnight' success I get this year has been after a long, freezing cold night of staying in hostels, penniless, sodden with rain and playing to audiences of three (two humans and one dog - seriously!)

Best live act seen at the Fringe?

Luke McQueen's show last year was probably the best thing I saw that year. I'm not a big laugher but I was belly laughing in that show it was hilarious. He's back at the Pleasance this year check him out.

Best thing about the Fringe?

For eleven months of the year comedians have to do lots of things they don't want to do - long drives with people that cannot drive (and I'm the worst), days without shows, hard slog getting shows together - every day at the Fringe is exactly what I want to be doing - a show that I'm proud of and very little else!

Worst thing about the Fringe?

That sickening feeling of all comedians and venues loving each other and wanting everyone else as well as themselves to do well.

If you were not a performer/comedian what would you be doing?

I'd travel the world teaching kids English, so if not for me, then for the future of the children of the world, this had better work out innit!

What do your family think of your show?

They haven't seen it yet, but my mum is going to come up to Edinburgh for the weekend so she'll get to see in then - I might have to change a bit of the show that day because there's a bit about wanting to pay her some money back, she doesn't need to know that...

How do you combat pre-gig nerves?

Nerves are just excitement in another form, you get excited before a gig and there's nowhere to direct that so it sometimes feels weird - I once saw a comedian proper shadow boxing before he went on stage but that just looked incredibly odd.

Worst on stage experience?

Seinfeld recently described being on stage as like a War, I wouldn't go that far, it's more like a job interview where they really want you to get the job but if you're not suitable they will tell you straight away by shouting at you.  But playing to those 2 people and that dog would be hard to beat - the dog farted then fell asleep at one point, massive insult.

How do you recover from a hefty heckle?

Audiences don't often heckle to be horrible, not me anyway, they are more often wanting to join in or add bits to jokes - 99% of the time I'll just laugh it up and move on, 1% of the time what they will say will actually be funny and I'll write it down and use it in the next show as my own! Soz.

What do you love about Scotland?

Scotland is quite a small place, Edinburgh Waverley station on one side and the Pleasance on the other, so I think I've pretty much seen the whole thing.

What do you like about Edinburgh?

The complete lack of hills and inclines. It's like a cold Amsterdam with more drugs. Seriously, Jesus who designed this place?  So now I always live exactly 2 seconds from my venue.  For the whole month, I ain't walking up no slope.

What's the most Scottish thing you've done?

I didn't vote Conservative.

Who's your favourite Scottish comedian?

Kevin Bridges or Nicola Sturgeon.

Favourite joke?

The one from my show about the Grand Canyon that always gets an applause break. You gotta be a little bit arrogant in this life to break free!

Sarah Callaghan will perform at the Pleasance Courtyard Bunker One on August 14-30.