20 Years and Counting

For those of you who were there in person at the Bloombury Theatre for last night’s Funny Women Awards final, there was a comical moment when our Awards Director, Alex Rochford, stood behind me while I delivered my annual ‘manifesto’ and then cut me short.

This is because I was the only one not in ‘on the joke’ which turned out to be a lovely surprise: a ‘long service’ presentation recognising my 20 years of running the Funny Women Awards. I was gifted a gorgeous bracelet and two of Funny Women’s non-exec directors, Tracey Barr (chair) and Rachel Creeger delivered citations.

Picture credits: Steve Ullathorne

I’m far more comfortable giving out the accolades so this was a very humbling and overwhelming experience and thank you to everybody who contributed and made last night a truly memorable evening.

This is the full transcript of my speech for those who are interested in what I tried to say!

‘I can’t believe that it’s 20 years since the first Funny Women Awards took place in 2003.  I’m both proud and amazed that Funny Women continues to provide a safe space for the development of brilliant new comedy talent, such as we have seen on the stage and screen tonight.  

‘Collectively we are celebrating how far women in comedy have come in the last 20 years – the more we keep changing the landscape, the more we can be empowered to have a voice.

‘Part of this year’s celebration has been to work with BBC Radio 4 on two programmes – the first of which, Archive on 4: 20 Years of Funny Women went out last Saturday narrated by Kerry Godliman.  It really illustrates through interviews and clips with some of our incredible past winners and alumni, how Funny Women has been an agent for change in the comedy industry. 

‘Some of our winners have gone on to be household names – this week two of them are in the media: Katherine Ryan who won in 2008 is featured on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Desert Island Discs and last week, here on this stage London Hughes, our 2009 winner who has found real success in America, celebrated the publication of her book.  Meanwhile Zoe Lyons who won in 2004 is battling the jungle on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins (Channel 4) and I got to be on the Today Programme (BBC Radio 4)!  

‘This is all amazing, and I look forward to seeing the acts, writers and creators that we’re presenting to you here tonight going on to similarly great things.  And, to continue showcasing the stars of the future, we still need the support of the industry.

‘Talking of industry, we are particularly indebted to the legend that is Jo Brand – and it has been a joy and an honour to have our very own Matron on stage with us tonight as host.  So, thank you Jo from the bottom of our hearts for doing this.

‘As Jo says in the BBC radio programme, the comedy circuit looked very different in the last century, and it was a ‘boys club’.  Since then, I’ve seen so many changes in the way female and non-binary comedy and humour is accepted on the live circuit, on screen and even in the workplace. 

‘The history of the Funny Women Awards reflects this – over 20 years we’ve gone from 70 women entering for one Award to almost 2,000 entries and nominations for five Awards this year.  That’s a lot of admin!

‘Culture is always a reflection of society, so the fact that there are so many more female comedians, writers and creators is an indication of things to come!

‘Before we return to the show, please let me use this platform to say a massive THANK YOU.  There are so many people to thank and they are included in the virtual programme but please let me say that these Awards don’t happen without a dedicated team around me – it’s been smaller this year and everybody has volunteered their services, so it’s been much harder work for us all.

‘And thank YOU, for being HERE tonight.  Comedy is nothing without the live experience and I feel very sad that we’ve not been able to have more live events.  Funny Women is all about grassroots new talent and giving women the space to have their own voice – live comedy is where we should feel safe to experiment and say what we think.

‘I didn’t want women to be excluded from this which is why I created the Funny Women platform in the first place. So, I will make it my mission to bring this live element back in 2024.

‘Finally, the news over the last two weeks has highlighted some awful things about the entertainment industry so Funny Women is proud to continue providing a safe and inclusive space and support  organisations like TimesUpUK.  We all need to be emboldened to call things out, whatever our gender and wherever we work, on stage, in an office, an operating theatre or a football pitch.’  

Enjoy highlights of the show live from the Bloomsbury Theatre in London presented by Jo Brand on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Funny Women at 20 goes out a 7.15pm on Sunday 1^st October.