Nobody wants a world of women behaving like they're in some never-ending episode of The Apprentice The two principle weapons in any good comedian's arsenal are recklessness and control, and understanding the interplay between the two. Knowing precisely when to push in and when to pull back is something that comes with years of experience, but it's as valuable offstage as on. I am currently writing a novel, Brenda Monk is Funny, about a woman who becomes a stand-up comedian and so I am spending a great deal of my time pondering the exact nature of this particular skill-set, and how it can be applied in general life. So I was very interested to read of a new scheme set up by Putney High School for Girls this week. Head of sixth form Suzie Longstaff has engaged a group called Hoopla to come in and teach her A-level students how to be comedians. The girls involved do a short course and then put on a comedy show for pupils and staff. This all sounds very enjoyable, but it's the motivation for such an idea that is most intriguing: Mrs Longstaff believes that her female pupils are at a competitive disadvantage in interview situations because they are too "risk averse" and do not perform well "outside their comfort zones." She finds that boys are much better at it, and even when the girls have better academic results, it is the boys that impress the most. She feels that a lesson in performing comedy will improve her female pupils" ability to think on their feet, rather than just present themselves as competent or a "safe pair of hands" (that dreaded showbiz term for someone with ability but no particular flair). She wants them to have the same confidence she sees in the boys that enables them to come across as extraordinary individuals any panel would be hard pressed to turn down. Most of all, Mrs Longstaff wants to give her pupils the ability to think on their feet in high pressure situations, and be able to adapt to whatever is in front of them. In a sense, she's right to use comedy as a practical template. When you walk on stage to an audience of a thousand strangers all expecting you to make them laugh, much of your preparation goes out the window almost immediately. Mike Tyson had a nice line back in his boxing days, and it's one I have printed on a little card above my desk: "Everyone has a plan until they're smacked in the mouth." It could be the mantra for any aspiring stand up comedian, and now perhaps any ambitious 17 year-old schoolgirl. It's good to have a plan - "opportunity favours the prepared mind" is another little maxim that has its own printed card in my "office" (hovel) - but it's also good to know when the plan has become useless and you need to come up with something new. Right now. The fact remains that we tend to associate these traits with men rather than women, and so when boys exhibit them they are rewarded, whereas girls are still slapped down and put back in their "place," usually with some inference that they are no longer sexually attractive. We like competent, capable women - women who are good at what they do and are trustworthy, but we also like them to be humble and controllable. Many still have a problem with confident women, and the conscious and subconscious negative feedback teenage girls get from large portions of society when they push themselves forward is so strong, it is no wonder that there is a problem. If you don't believe me, just ask yourself when you last heard someone call a boy "Little Mister Bossy Boots." This isn't to do with encouraging girls to be obnoxious - nobody wants a world of women behaving like they're in some never-ending episode of The Apprentice, in fact, we don't really want a world of men who behave like that either. It's to do with how we perceive and reward confidence. It's to do with narrowing the gap between the genders so that girls can walk into a room with as much swagger as their male counterparts and impress their superiors to the same degree. In the world of professional comedy the problem persists - there are still almost no panel shows with female hosts or team captains, and the exasperating explanation given by those in charge is that the audience gets "nervous" for the women and so are less likely to laugh. It's the same problem as in some comedy clubs - when a man walks out on stage, the audience thinks he will be funny until proven otherwise and they relax and more likely to laugh. When a woman walks out, the audience thinks she will not be funny until she proves otherwise, and they become tense and less likely to laugh. It's changing and it's getting better - it's just the fading echoes of centuries of prejudice - but it's still there. And if it's happening in comedy clubs, we can extrapolate out to other industries - again, ask yourself how you would react if you were on a plane where all the pilots are female. Did you flinch a little? Well, there it is. It doesn't make you a bad person, it's just cultural conditioning that's hard to break. Luckily there are women such as Mrs Longstaff who have identified the problem and are finding creative ways to break the cycle. Comedy is a great place to start: recklessness and control. Just don't get them the wrong way round, especially if you're flying a plane.