Former escort Miranda Kane turns to stand-up with Coin Operated Girl at the Camden People’s Theatre

�A woman who swapped the red light for the spotlight will be exposing her comedic talent – as well as her former career – for all to see in Camden next month.

Miranda Kane is following in the footsteps of authors like Belle du Jour and lifting the lid on the sex industry. Unlike Belle du Jour, who penned the exceedingly successful Diary of a Call Girl, she will not be hiding behind a pseudonym but rather telling her tales of life as an escort to an audience in the intimate surroundings of the Camden People’s Theatre.

And, to add a little more pressure to the situation, she needs to be funny.

But Ms Kane is not too worried.

“My past career was comedy – I am just new to standing up and telling people about it,” she said.

The 31-year-old certainly has enough material to draw from for Coin Operated Girl. The show – part of the seventh Camden Fringe Festival, which starts on Monday – will draw on seven years of working the industry as “Melody”.

It probably needs to be pointed out that Kane offered a far more specialist service.

“I was really big – about 25 stone – and I was never without a date,” she explains. But it would never go further than just one night. “For men, it is like riding a moped. You really want to ride one but you would be embarrassed if your friends saw you.”

Tired with being trampled on, she decided to use her size to her advantage. A few clicks and she had discovered a way to do just that.

“I was skint and penniless and living in a one-bedroom place on Caledonian Road. I put a profile up on the internet and within half an hour I had my first client.”

So she entered the world of BBW (Big, Beautiful Women) escorts – earning up to �2,000 a night. But money wasn’t all she earned: Kane also developed a reputation for being funny.

So when the recession hit – which led to the market being flooded with women offering similar services – combined with a loss of weight, she decided it was time for a career change.

At the beginning of the year, she hung up her suspenders and enrolled in a comedy course.

It quickly became apparent that in this field too she could corner a niche market – and a niche market which people wanted to know more about.

“I have so many funny tales. I really want to tell people about it. It is not something I am ashamed of,” she said.

But it is not just the chance to hear a modern take on the world’s oldest career which should bring people through the doors, but the chance to save a bit of money on what it used to cost for an evening with Ms Kane.

“It’s �145 cheaper an hour than my normal rate,” she smiles.

n Coin Operated Girl at the Camden People’s Theatre from Monday, August 6, until Wednesday, August 8, at 9pm. Tickets �6, �5 cons.