Bunny Boiler’s Dating Vlog is a new series of comedy mini-episodes on BBC Three beginning today (Monday 9th January) in the lead up to Valentine's Day, written and performed by Rachel Jackson.
My stage show 'Memoirs of a Bunny Boiler' was the first thing I ever wrote. Don't get me wrong, I'd always loved writing but aside from emo diary entries since the age of 14 I hadn't done much of it.
It all started when I got dumped by someone I genuinely believed was lucky to have me. The injustice of it seemed so extreme that I just had to write a show out of it. At first it was only 20 minutes long and I first performed it at my drama school (Rose Bruford) Symposium Festival. Skip forward two years and now it's been adapted into a 6 part mini series with BBC Three which still feels like a dream to me. Each mini episode is around 3 minutes and follows 'Bunny Boiler' Cassandra (with a C) as she searches to find 'The One' in the cruel, current day dating world. You won't know whether to laugh or cry. About a girl with a huge heart. And a slightly intense nature.
They say 'write what you know' and I'd always been called a Bunny Boiler. I was a little sick of the expression getting bandied about. Girls getting called a Bunny Boiler all willy-nilly.
'You called me three times, you're a bunny boiler!
You retweeted me too many times, you're a bunny boiler!
You waited outside my house on a cold night in January and chain smoked a whole pack of cigarettes until I eventually came home and let you in, you're a bunny boiler!'
You know stuff like that.
I wanted to take some of the power back and explore the expression a bit. Like that bit in 8 Mile when Eminem's character blasts himself in the rap battles and at the end is like 'Now you tell them something they don't know about me.' As his challenge to his opponent. I guess I'm gonna compare myself to Eminem here and say there is a power in slagging yourself off and leaving your enemies speechless.
I never expected Memoirs of a Bunny Boiler to be a hit. I performed it in a dingy little room at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 where there was a little garden shed light - as my only source of lighting - and leaks in the ceiling being only slightly masked by beer cans. I had no idea anyone from BBC Three had been in to see it until about 8 months later. That has honestly ignited so much hope in me now - to never ever lose faith - eventually people will see your work if you keep putting it out there. It's a bit of a Bunny Boiler mentality in itself.
I was really lucky in the past year to do lots more writing by being picked for the BBC Writersroom 'Fast and Funny' scheme. 12 of us were picked from over a hundred entries declaring we were the next big thing in the Scottish comedy world. The experience was invaluable (we were constantly creating online comedy content alongside brilliant master classes). The scheme has now helped me to get in with BBC Scotland making sketches for them called Short Stuff
I've always been an intense, passionate freak. Sometimes people throughout my life have genuinely looked at me like I'm mentally deranged and I know I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea but I'm also not going anywhere and that's the trick as a writer/performer I think. Just write and write as much as possible and never ever give up. Also never take no for an answer. Even if it makes you look like a psycho. If you believe in yourself - hang on for dear life. I know I will!
Watch Bunny Boiler’s Dating Vlog on BBC Three from Monday 9th January 2017
