Jaz Ampaw Farr may have been the one to announce that she had “Truth Tourettes” during the Funny Women Glitter Challenge at the Comedy Store last week. “Would it just be easier if you just told the truth?” she asked the captivated audience. However, all nine Challengers, business moguls who were already titans of their industry but who had never performed stand up comedy, dished up some raw honesty.
The other performers were Beverley Bunn, Harriet Minter, Melina Jacovou, Gemma Greaves, Nishma Patel-Robb, Robin Golinski, Donna Easton and Val Troy. Their performances at the iconic comedy venue marked only the second time the women had performed live comedy after they stormed the stage in a one-off show at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, in August. They had signed up to The Glitter Challenge which put them through a series of bootcamps and mentoring sessions to develop their skills.
“They say you can’t take the girl out of Croydon. I think I’ve proved them wrong – I’m standing here at the London Comedy Store!” declared Gemma Greaves. Nishma Patel-Robb said: “So look at me, on the stage at The Comedy Store. I know what you’re thinking, Tinkerbell grew up.” Robin Golinski even flew in from Boston for the event.
“Try to look like you’re having a good time my darling, women have been doing it for years,” host Lucy Ryan, best known for her burlesque persona ‘Ivy Paige’, had joked to an audience member at the start. But they were left rollicking with laughter.
Despite the name of the initiative, which Funny Women unveiled in 2024 to provide safe, inclusive and accessible places for women to explore their creativity, develop self-confidence and be inspired through comedy, the content of the jokes wasn’t always that glittery. Subjects included the Grease dream compared to the coming of age in Bexleyheath, AI boyfriends, adventures via electric vehicles, beauty advice for those not that interested in beauty, life in Bermondsey, tales of training in sex therapy, and even a tribute to the nation’s favourite rail security mantra.
Yes, we did see it and we did say it. “Weren’t they all f**king funny? Are we allowed to say f**k on LinkedIn, that’s what I want to know. Okay, tomorrow’s post,” said Funny Women founder and CEO Lynne Parker on stage at the end of the night. But with talent this hot, the future for even more funny women in comedy and business is well and truly on the way to being sorted. That will please Robin Golinski when she visits the UK again!
The Glitter Project – A Safe Place was launched with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England and a BBC Comedy Grant. Funny Women went on to run a programme of regional Mentoring Meetups and Open Mics in six locations and leading arts festivals. Funds raised from this year’s Glitter Challenge will support a new programme of events early in 2026.
If you would like to take part in the 2026 Glitter Challenge all the details are here.
