‘A totally irresponsible art’

Nina Conti appears convinced that her puppets are real. Freddy Gray investigates

Isn’t Nina Conti too good-looking to be a ventriloquist? One thinks of blokes in working-men’s clubs with frazzled hair, not Nina with her smiling face and big brown eyes. It’s hard not to look at her, which must be a professional disadvantage: isn’t the audience meant to watch the puppet?

I want to put this technical question to Nina, but worry that it might sound creepy. Instead, feebly, I ask if she believes reports that ventriloquism is making a comeback. ‘I’m not sure I really buy into that,’ she says, with a kind and apologetic shrug. But the art of talking through a puppet does seem to be enjoying a renaissance. There are hugely successful American acts, such as Jeff Dunham and David Strassman, and Nina herself is a rising star. I’ve even read about it on the BBC website, I insist.