A friend tweeted me to ask if I'd seen the latest edition of QI, the television panel show hosted by Stephen Fry. She said that I'd like it because the women had outnumbered the men for once.
As it happened, I had caught the last five minutes of the programme, enough to see the only male panellist, Alan Davies, being declared the winner! When I pointed this out to my friend she sent a tweet back to me that he'd only won because he'd managed to answer some 'freak questions' correctly!
Now something about all this sounds familiar.... Ah, yes, life. Women provide the harmony and humour while men power through to claim the victory? In the case of QI, Jo Brand, Sue Perkins and Liza Tarbuck were more intent on providing the entertainment quota of the programme and enjoying the experience, while Davies waited for his moment to throw a clever punchline or deliver a correct answer to win the all-important points. In this situation he was in it to win it, not to be beaten by a bunch of girls! He sat back while the women did all the work!
This isn't just about men versus women but about our inherent nature. Women are more usually associated with nurture and we quite often achieve great things without ever recognising them, mainly to ourselves. Great leaders, more often male, don't sit around modestly waiting to be chosen, they shout about their achievements and step in to answer all the right questions.
The Twitter exchange with my friend has helped me to reflect on my own situation. This week I'm giving out the prizes at the Funny Women Awards which I set up 10 years ago to honour the best new female comedy acts on the circuit. I love this because it honours new female talent which otherwise might go undetected and unsupported.
Meanwhile I've been nominated for an award myself and had to shift my focus briefly to supply some information about my achievements, including making a film of myself about why I deserve the award! Well, I was totally not comfortable with this, and while I am immensely proud of being nominated, I've never really spent much time considering my achievements - to be honest, I'm more comfortable celebrating the achievements of those people around me - like my family and the new acts that come through Funny Women. There's little time for self-congratulation when you're giving out the accolades yourself!
Yet Awards are something to accept and enjoy and I know better than a lot of people that they don't come without putting the work in. Our summer of sporting achievement has demonstrated this so powerfully - you've got to play to win.
So I've taken some time to consider what I've done and why I should be awarded the title of 'Women's Champion' in the Achievers Academy for Women's awards, as set up by the impressive Jo Cameron. I've filled in the form and talented young film makers, Uncanned Productions, have filmed me 'on the road' talking about what I do and love - job done and may the best woman win!
That's how it should be and what I really hope our audiences see at the Funny Women Awards final on Monday night. It's all about the show, the celebration of female talent, the body of support and empathy of performing and creating something wonderful together.
For more information about the Achievers Academy for Women and tickets to the Annual Women Leaders Dinner visit www.achieversacademyforwomen.co.uk
To find out which acts are victorious in this year's Funny Women Awards visit www.funnywomen.com