And the person Dobby would most like to thank is ... Sue from Bakewell

IF Isy Suttie, a multi-talented comedienne, actress and songwriter who calls Derbyshire home, scoops an Oscar, the first person she will thank is Sue Stones of Bakewell Youth Theatre.

"She is brilliant," says Isy, who is warm, talkative, friendly and soaring to glory on the live comedy circuit, radio and more recently TV.

Sue, who also teaches at Isy's former school, Highfields in Matlock, nurtured her creative talent.

"I joined Bakewell Youth Theatre at quite a young age and I am so grateful to Sue," says Isy, 33. "She encouraged me a lot. If I ever win an Oscar, she'll be the one I thank."

Sue is also proud of her protege because, bit by bit, Isy has soared to success thanks to a multitude of talents – she can act, sing, write and perform comedy, songs and music. That has led to her getting all manner of radio, TV and stage work and her solo comedy shows tour the UK gaining ever bigger audiences.

"Fame has happened to me quite gradually," says Isy, best known for her portrayal of IT geek, the rather unfortunately named Dobby, in TV comedy Peep Show, now in its eighth series.

That put her on the map but she did not spring from nowhere. She spent years performing countless live comedy gigs for nothing in less than perfect circumstances.

"I remember doing a five-minute stand-up slot with an audience of three including two Bulgarians," laughs Isy.

She lived in Matlock from the age of six to 19 and her heart is still there.

"I consider it home. When I was at school, I worked at Somerfield. I think I had the slowest scan rate at the checkouts because I was always chatting to everyone."

Her family still live in the town, except sister Caroline has moved to London, where Isy is also based. It was a case of having to. The capital is awash with live comedy venues offering slots to anyone brave enough to step up to the mic.

She says: "There is no way of learning how to do stand-up other than just doing it. You also have to do it for no money when you start, and you have to give up your social life. I did plenty of gigs for free in London. You could open at one venue and close at another. I used to be nervous all day beforehand."

Those days were nerve-racking for her parents, too. "They were a bit worried when I said I wasn't earning any money," says Isy. "For the first couple of years, I didn't earn anything but my parents brought us up to do a job that would make us [Isy and her sister] happy. They are proud of us both."

Isy works songs into her live comedy shows, a talent she developed as a girl and one which she owe, perhaps, to her mum of whom she says: "She's very musical. She is an organist and piano teacher."

Isy began playing the guitar and writing songs when she was 12, but admits: "I always wanted to play the sax."

Her earliest song-writing efforts did not work out too well. "There were two lads at Anthony Gell School we really fancied. I wrote some songs for them, put them on cassette and sneaked into their school in assembly to give it to them. They hated it."

Undeterred, Isy continued honing her talents in amateur dramatic groups and school plays. She was in bands from the age of 13, too. An all-round talent was taking shape.

She says: "I left school at 18. I didn't do very well in my A-levels. I failed French. At that point I wanted to act and write. My parents were very supportive but felt I should get some good qualifications. I took a year out and, during that time, took a part in By The Baseball Ground at Derby Theatre."

After graduating from Guildford School of Acting in 2000, the hard battle to make her mark began. She cut her comedy teeth on the London circuit and did the Edinburgh Festival. "I love the control of stand-up. It's simple and raw. If you analysed it, it would all fall down like a pack of cards."

Her live shows are a mixture of songs, comedy and characters. "It takes me five or six months to develop a really good hour-long show. I start with a song and work outwards developing a storyline, comedy and characters. It's how I communicate."

Matlock has provided plenty of inspiration. "There are quite a few eccentric people around there –and lots of tourists," says Isy. "My best friend lives in Bonsall, home to the World Hen Racing Championships. I love the pub there."

Matlock Bath is close to her heart as well. She says: "It's like Blackpool without the sea. I used to like playing in the arcades. I like Matlock Bath pavilion, too. I don't think I appreciated the beauty of the area when I was a kid."

Isy admits she is not keen when old school friends watch her perform, just in case the gig doesn't go too well.

"Every comic I have ever spoken to feels the same about that. Some won't play within 60 miles of where they grew up," she says.

Because of her songwriting ability, Isy is often compared to Victoria Wood. "I'm glad they compare me to her and not Saddam Hussein," she quips.

Has it been hard breaking into comedy as a woman? "There are quite a few female comics out there, more than you think. If you find someone funny I don't think it's about their gender."

However, the same clique of male comics dominate the TV comedy quiz shows: Jimmy Carr, Miles Jupp, Phill Jupitus, Sean Lock and Paul Merton.

"I went on TV's 8 out of 10 Cats once," she says. "Everyone was nice to me but I didn't feel like it was the way I wanted to go."

For Isy the work never stops. She says: "I'm hoping to get a Radio 4 series. I'd like to write my own sitcom with songs in it."

She has worked with the likes of Sarah Millican and Russell Brand and her boyfriend is fellow comedian Elis James.

Though they mix with the comedy crème de la crème and get the occasional Heat-magazine style party invitation, their feet appear to be firmly on the ground. "I go to a few celebrity parties but often come home and watch Take Me Out," she laughs.

A recent tweet does much to explain what really makes her tick: "My boyfriend is making me toast and Marmite and that's literally the best thing in the world."

Series eight of Peep Show is available to view online at www.channel4.com.