Francesca Martinez

Francesca Martinez (born 1978) is an English stand-up comedian and actress, born in London to a Spanish father and half-Swedish, half-English mother.[1] She has cerebral palsy but prefers to describe herself as "wobbly".[2]

She has had many sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival and internationally, including the Melbourne Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Perth Festival, and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. In 2013 she completed a 68-date UK tour and has had off-West End London runs at the Tricycle Theatre (twice), the Hackney Empire, and the Soho Theatre.

Comedy

In 2003 she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.

She has organised charity shows featuring comedians such as Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas, Al Murray, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, Jeremy Hardy, Lee Mack, Mark Thomas, Rhod Gilbert, and Milton Jones.

Martinez has performed in many countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, the United States, where she gigged at Caroline's on Broadway, 92YTribeca and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (all in New York City), and the Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store (both in Los Angeles). She also performed at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, alongside Emma Thompson.

Among her projects are a feature documentary called What The **** Is Normal?! in which she travels around looking for a 'normal' person, as well as a book of the same name, which was published in 2014 by Random House.

She is patron of a number of charities.

Television and radio

Before becoming a comedian, Martinez appeared in the BBC children's drama series Grange Hill for several years, and has acted in other drama series such as Holby City.

She has also appeared as a guest on The Frank Skinner Show, and in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy series Extras.

In April 2008, Martinez made global headlines when (live on Channel 4 News) she became the first Olympic torch bearer to pull out of the London relay in protest over China’s treatment of Tibet.

In April 2009, she appeared on the BBC Radio 4 stand-up comedy show, 4 Stands Up.[3] She has also been developing a sitcom.

In October 2012, she made her debut appearance on BBC Radio 4's topical panel show The News Quiz, alongside regulars Jeremy Hardy and Sandi Toksvig. She appeared again on the News Quiz in January and July 2013.

In December 2012, she appeared in the stand-up section of Russell Howard's Good News on BBC Three.

On 20 April 2013, Martinez was a guest on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV.

On 12 June 2013, she was a guest on ITV's Loose Women.

On 24 May 2014, she was a guest on RTÉ's The Saturday Night Show with Brendan O'Connor.

Campaigner

On 8 December 2012, Martinez launched a campaign War on Welfare[4] that pledged to sign 100,000 supporters for a petition calling for an end to government cuts for disability benefits and an independent impact assessment of the government's welfare changes. The petition attracted 5,000 signatures in the first 48 hours,[5] and achieved its target of 100,000 supporters on the 30 November 2013.[6]

An outspoken opponent of welfare reform by the government, she uses her public profile to raise issues about disability and fight for a fairer system. Martinez said:

“As a disabled person in the media, I want to help give this issue a voice. It’s morally wrong for the government to target those in need instead of saving money by targeting the real causes of this crisis – and close tax loopholes and regulate the financial sector. To me, it’s a human rights issue."[7]

She has challenged the government in a number of TV interviews, including on Newsnight and This Week.

In April 2014, she was named as one of Britain's most influential women in the BBC Woman's Hour power list 2014.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Dugan, Emily (8 November 2009). "Francesca Martinez: A wobbly girl's battle against the last taboo". The Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  2. ↑ Bunbury, Stephanie (25 March 2003). "Wobbly but on the money". The Age. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - 4 Stands Up". Bbc.co.uk. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
  4. ↑ "Martinez brings star quality to fresh assault on coalition’s ‘war on welfare’ - Disability in the News". The Fed Online. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  5. ↑ "Welfare petition aims for ten thousand backers by New Year's Day". Ekklesia. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
  6. ↑ Daily Mirror. 30 November 2013
  7. ↑ Disability Information Scotland
  8. ↑ "Woman's Hour Power List 2014 – Game Changers". BBC Radio 4.

External links