WOBBLY * COMEDIAN, ACTRESS, WRITER AND SPEAKER
In 2000, Francesca Martinez became the first female comic to win the prestigious Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award at the Edinburgh Festival. Since then, she has performed around the world and appeared on numerous TV shows including Live at the Apollo, The Jonathan Ross Show and Extras. Her last tour, What The **** Is Normal?!, took in 140 dates globally.
Francesca is a much sought-after public speaker and regularly addresses audiences in the UK and abroad. She has been nominated for the Motivator of the Year Award alongside Sir Bob Geldof.
Her first book, What The **** Is Normal?!, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim and was nominated for two national book awards. Francesca’s debut play, All of Us, in which she also starred, had a sell-out run at the National Theatre in July 2022. Following the run, Francesca was nominated for a major new playwright award.
Currently, Francesca is working on several TV and theatre commissions.
*Oh yeah, she has cerebral palsy, but much prefers wobbly.
COMEDIAN and ACTRESS
Francesca launched her comedy career in 2000 when she became the only woman to win the Open Mic Award. She has performed in Australia, Ireland, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, America – on Hollywood and Broadway - and at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland alongside Oscar-winner, Emma Thompson.
Since appearing in five series of BBC’s Grange Hill, Francesca has starred in shows such as Holby City, Doctors, The Dumping Ground, and Extras opposite Kate Winslet. She has performed stand-up on Russell Howard’s Good News, and headlined The Jonathan Ross Show. Other credits include The Frank Skinner Show, Loose Women, The Wright Stuff, and two series of Channel 4’s Very British Problems.
In 2016, she opened Series 11 of Live At The Apollo hosted by Alan Carr. She has also guested on Sky One’s The Russell Howard Hour, won Celebrity Pointless, and has written and performed poetry for BBC 3’s Shakespeare Centenary and The Verb. She was a regular co- host on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends with Clive Anderson.
From 2003 to 2008, Francesca toured her hit Edinburgh shows I’mperfect and In Deep around the UK. Her last tour, What The **** Is Normal?!, took in 140 dates in Europe and beyond. The show gained a nomination for Best Comedian at the Perth Fringe, won an Edinburgh Fringe Media Network Award, and a nomination for Best Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival. In 2016, she supported Frankie Boyle on his sell-out UK tour, and was commissioned to write and perform a new comedy show: Francesca Martinez’s Wobbly Manifesto.
From July to September 2022, Francesca played the lead role of ‘JESS’ in her debut play, All of Us, at the National Theatre.
WRITER and Playwright
Francesca’s best-selling debut book, What The **** Is Normal?!, was published by Penguin Random House in 2014. Nominated Best Book in the Chortle Comedy Awards 2015, and Runner-Up in the Bread & Roses Book Award for Radical Publishing in 2015, the book has garnered rave reviews from critics and the public alike.
Francesca has made several appearances on Radio 4’s hugely popular The News Quiz alongside the much-missed genius, Jeremy Hardy.
In 2018, she wrote and starred with Kevin Hely in her first BBC Radio 4 play, How We’re Loved.
Francesca has written been commissioned to write several TV comedy scripts for the BBC and Channel Four. In 2020, she wrote the one-off CBBC comedy drama, How I Found My Two Best Friends, which aired in April 2021.
Currently, she is writing several TV projects, including a BBC One drama series, and a TV and book series for children. Her second play is also in development.
Her first play, All Of Us, was directed by the legendary Ian Rickson (Jerusalem, Uncle Vanya). Due to open at the National Theatre in March 2020, it was postponed because of Covid, and finally opened in July 2022. The play was a sell-out and received rave reviews, and a standing ovation for each of the 34 performances.
Francesca was nominated for the George Devine Award 2022 - one of the most prestigious awards for promising playwrights.
All of Us was included in the Guardian’s ‘Best Theatre of 2022’ list, and in the British Theatre Guide ‘Top Picks of 2022’. It was also named ‘Play of the Year’ on BritishTheatre.com. Plans are underway to mount another run of the play, and it’s available to stream worldwide on NT at HOME.
SPEAKER and CAMPAIGNER
A highly experienced public speaker, Francesca delivers motivational speeches to numerous companies, organisations, charities, colleges, universities, hospitals, and major conferences around the world. In 2005, Francesca was nominated for the Motivator of the Year Award. She has also been awarded Public Affairs Achiever of the Year 2013, nominated a Top Ten Game Changer in BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour Power List 2014, and Hero of the Year in the European Diversity Awards.
Francesca has recorded a popular TEDx talk called Being Happy Is A Political Act, and helped to collect 100,000 signatures for the WOW (War On Welfare) campaign (which led to a historic debate in the House of Commons on welfare cuts). A committed campaigner, Francesca has received an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University for making Britain ‘a fairer and more compassionate society’, and a second honorary doctorate from Bradford University ‘for her contributions to equality, inclusive thought and social commentary’.
A regular commentator on TV and radio, Francesca made global headlines in 2008, when she became the first Olympic Torch-Bearer to pull out of the London relay in protest at China’s treatment of Tibet. In 2012, she took on Michael Portillo over the government’s welfare reforms live on This Week. She followed this up with a much-talked about appearance on Newsnight and Daily Politics, and was voted most popular guest on BBC3’s Free Speech. She has spoken out on austerity, climate change, racism, and disability rights at numerous events, rallies and major festivals (such as Glastonbury), and on podcasts, including a special edition of The Guilty Feminist for Amnesty International. In 2013, she helped organise This Changes Everything – a sold-out event on the climate crisis with renowned author, Naomi Klein.
Her debut appearance on Question Time in 2019 – in which she highlighted the devastating impact of austerity on disabled people – was described as the show’s ‘best ever moment’ and went viral, with 11 million views in the first week.
She is patron of several charities, including Forests Without Frontiers, which aims to help combat climate change by planting one million trees by 2025.
Press
“Profound and touching as well as laugh-out-loud funny... She has struck gold again.””
“Gut-wrenching laughter. An hour of her time is indeed a privilege.”
“You leave feeling like you’ve injected endorphins into your veins… A must-see.”
“Wonderfully challenging... Brilliantly busts myths about normality.”
“Hilarious and deeply moving... She is not only one of the best performers on the circuit but also a writer of rare candour...”
“Highly accomplished. Tackles taboos and makes you laugh like no one else can. Radiant, challenging and, above all, very, very funny.”
“A compelling comedian... Powerful enough to make me laugh and cry.”
“Insightful, sometimes touching and always funny... Truly a show for everyone.”
“Delivers killer lines with perfect timing. She’s leading a wobbly revolution... I for one am right behind her.”
“A faultless show. Immaculate timing... No holes, no flat spots. Near genius use of crowd participation.... Francesca holds the perfect stand-up show whilst sitting down.”
“Confronting, honest, cutting, provocative, edgy and very, very funny. An inspired performer.”
“Simply very, very funny.”
“A show that makes you think as much as it makes you laugh.”
“Martinez is extraordinarily talented. Her show is a gem in the festival line-up. Brilliant.”
“Superb comedic ability matched only by her startling insight, sensitivity and human awareness... Always engaging and at times spellbinding.”
“Funny as hell... This self-described ‘wobbly’ comedian very deftly holds up those old stereotypes only to break them down with her quick wit and rapid-fire delivery. ”
“The fabulous Francesca Martinez reduced the audience to tears of laughter... Her enormous energy and enthusiasm swept the audience along with her on this witty ride.”
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