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Francesca Martinez

News

August 2011

Tickets are now on sale for FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! which runs from 4th - 28th August at The Stand Five at this year's Edinburgh Festival - book tickets here: http://www.thestand.co.uk/fringe.aspx?show=FrancescaMartinez-Wha


Francesca will be performing her new solo show 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011! She'll be at The Stand Comedy Club V, Metropolitan Hotel, 4 Picardy Place from 5th-28th August @ 7.35pm.
http://www.thestand.co.uk/fringe.aspx?

May 2011

Francesca has just completed a 52 show tour of Australia. She performed in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne to critical acclaim and packed houses.
http://www.youtube.com/studioamelbourne

March 2010

Francesca has a fantastic run at the Adelaide Fringe receiving rave reviews and a special judges commendation for Best Established Comedian at the Fringe Awards!
http://www.talkfringe.com.au/

November 2009

Francesca will be standing up for planet-friendly farming at LIVEstock - Friends of the Earth's comedy and music event at London's Hammersmith Apollo. For more details and tickets, go to :
LINK

June 2009

Francesca performs four shows on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

January 2009

Francesca is organising a benefit night for the brilliant charity, Building For The Future, hosted by Chris Addison with Lee Mack, Milton Jones, Dan Antopolski, Pippa Evans, Jen Brister and Quincy. Buy tickets below!
http://www.readingarts.com/concerthall/

Francesca performs to the amazing Global Changemakers in Guildford as they countdown to taking over Davos!
http://www.global-changemakers.net/

September 2008

Francesca becomes a patron for the childrens' charity, Building For The Future.

August 2008

Francesca is asked to be a Cultural Olympiad for London 2012.

July 2008

Francesca is invited to make the closing speech at the BBC World Service conference on the power of global conversation.

June 2008

Francesca is invited to peform at The Women Of The World Festival in Cape town this August.
http://www.capewow.co.za/

May 2008

Francesca's stand-up show is recorded live in Dublin and broadcast in full on the national radio station, RTE1.

April 2008

Francesca gives her deepest thanks to everyone the world over for their overwhelming words of support in response to her support of Tibet... "I cannot say how touched I am, and hope that, together, we can help bring peace to Tibet".
www.freetibet.org

Francesca turns down her role as Olympic Torchbearer in support of Tibet live on Channel 4 News.
www.freetibet.org

March 2008

Francesca is invited by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Number 10 Downing Street for the launch of the National Reading Campaign.


Francesca appears on top Irish chat-show, 'The Cafe'. Click the link below to watch...
www.rte.ie/tv

Francesca appears in the new government TV campaign to promote reading alongside other comedians including Graham Norton, Ronnie Corbett and Jo Brand.

February 2008

Francesca has been invited by London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, to be an Olympic Torch Bearer on April 6th when the Torch passes through London en-route to the games in Beijing this Summer.


Francesca is one of the British comics invited to perform at the Montreal Just For Laughs showcase at the Comedy Store in London.


Francesca starts her extended London run at the wonderful Hackney Empire Studio Theatre from 6th - 23rd of Feb at 8pm (Wed to Sat only). Tickets are
www.hackneyempire.co.uk

January 2008

Francesca is invited to perform and co-devise a session on challenging attitudes to difference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She also spoke at sessions on Taboos and Diversity in Society alongside Oscar Winner Emma Thompson.
www.weforum.org/

November 2007

Francesca is commissioned by the BBC to write another episode of her comedy series project.

October 2007

Francesca performs to Young Global Leaders, part of the World Economic Forum, at London's Canary Wharf.


Francesca's critically acclaimed Edinburgh show, Francesca Martinez In Deep, will be touring the UK from October - April 2008. Check out her 32 dates in the Live Show Dates section... where you can also book tickets!

September 2007

Francesca is a 'talking head' on 'My Body Hell' which airs on Channel 5 every Wednesday at 8pm until the 17 of October

August 2007

Click below for another 4 star review of Francesca's show...
http://www.one4review.com/Comedy_/comedy2007/

Francesca gets another 4 star review from Scotsgay magazine. Click below and scroll down for Fringe Reviews...
http://www.scotsgay.co.uk/pdf/sg77.pdf

Francesca is featured in this weeks Fest mag. Click below to read the in-depth interview...
http://www.festmag.co.uk/sections/feature/301

Click below for another 4 star review...
http://www.festmag.co.uk/sections/comedy/

Francesca is continuing to receive great reviews in Edinburgh. Click below for a 4 star review of the show...
http://edinburgh.threeweeks.co.uk/

Francesca's show FRANCESCA MARTINEZ IN DEEP is going down a storm at the Edinburgh Festival! Click on the link below to read a 5 star review of the show...
http://www.national-student.co.uk/magazine/comedy/

June 2007

Francesca will be perfoming at a benefit for Miriam Hyman, a victim in the 7/7 London bombings, on July 9th at London's Comedy Store. Tickets are now on sale - just click on the link below...
www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event

Francesca would like to thank Richard Brecker at Upfront / Celebrities Worldwide for all his help recently!
www.celebritiesworldwide.com

Tickets are now on sale for FRANCESCA MARTINEZ IN DEEP which runs from 2nd - 26th August at this year's Edinburgh Festival - book tickets at the website below!
www.thestand.co.uk

April 2007

Francesca performs to over 3000 people at the Bournemouth International Centre!

March 2007

Check the Live Dates section for preview dates of her Edinburgh show in May, June and July...


Francesca will be performing her brand new stand-up show at this year's Edinburgh Festival! She'll be at the brilliant Stand Comedy Club from the 1st - 26th of August. Details on how to pre-book tickets for the Festival are coming soon!

January 2007

Check out my brother, Raoul Martinez, and his a-mazing art work on his official MySpace page!
www.myspace.com/1paintbrush

Francesca starts work on a new solo stand-up show which should tour later this year..

 

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Shows

12 February 2012

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 8.30pm @ The Metcalfe Playhouse, 12 Lake Street, Northbridge, Perth, WA 6003 Australia
http://www.fringeworld.com.au

13 February

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 8.30pm @ The Metcalfe Playhouse, 12 Lake Street, Northbridge, Perth, WA 6003 Australia
http://www.fringeworld.com.au

14 February

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 8.30pm @ The Metcalfe Playhouse, 12 Lake Street, Northbridge, Perth, WA 6003 Australia
http://www.fringeworld.com.au

15 February

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 8.30pm @ The Metcalfe Playhouse, 12 Lake Street, Northbridge, Perth, WA 6003 Australia
http://www.fringeworld.com.au

23 February

Titters! 4 Tutti! Fundraiser 6.30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide,
TICKETS: Call 1300 Fringe (374 634)

24 February

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 10pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

25 February

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

29 February

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

01 March 2012

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

02 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

02 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

03 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

03 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

04 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 6.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

07 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

08 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

08 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

09 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

09 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

10 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:00pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

11 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 6:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

11 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 6.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

14 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

15 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 7:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

16 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 10.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

16 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

16 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

17 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 8.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

17 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 7.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

17 March

Titters: A Showcase Of Award Winning Funny Women! 10.30pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

18 March

Titters! Make A Meal Of It! 6:30pm @ Mansions - Restaurant 21 Pulteney St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

18 March

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?!' RELOADED! 6.00pm @ Ambassadors Hotel 107 King William St, Adelaide
TEL: 1300 FRINGE(374643) www.adelaidefringe.com.au

29 March

THE BEST OF BRITISH! The Comedy Store, 8.30pm @ Fox Studios, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney
Tickets: (02)93571419 / www.comedystore.com.au

30 March

THE BEST OF BRITISH! The Comedy Store, 8.30pm @ Fox Studios, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney
Tickets: (02)93571419 / www.comedystore.com.au

31 March

THE BEST OF BRITISH! The Comedy Store, 8.30pm @ Fox Studios, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney
Tickets: (02)93571419 / www.comedystore.com.au

06 April 2012

Titters: A Showcase of Award Winning Funny Women! 7pm @ RED BENNIES 373 Chapel St, South Yarra, Melbourne
www.redbennies.com/contact-and-bookings

07 April

Titters: A Showcase of Award Winning Funny Women! 7pm @ RED BENNIES 373 Chapel St, South Yarra, Melbourne
www.redbennies.com/contact-and-bookings

07 April

Girls' Night Out! 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

11 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

12 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

13 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

14 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

15 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

18 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

19 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

20 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

21 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

22 April

FRANCESCA MARTINEZ: 'WHAT THE **** IS NORMAL?! RELOADED 6.30pm @ The Upstairs Lounge, Hairy Little Sista, 230 Little Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
TICKETMASTER:1300 660013 or comedyfestival.com.au

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Biography

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Biography - 2011

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Biography - 2010

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Biography - 2009

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Biography - 2008

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Biography - 2007

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Biography - 2006

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Biography - 2005

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Biography - 2004

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Biography - 2003

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Biography - 2002

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Biography - 2001

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Biography - 2000

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Biography - 1994 to 1999

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Press

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Press - General

“The fastest-rising female comic in the country”
The Observer

“Has changed the face of British Comedy”
The Sunday Times

“Exceptional wit. Her star quality is breathtaking”
The Daily Telegraph

“Excellent. Sharp, hard-hitting and very funny”
Time Out

“A five-star act”
The Guardian Guide

“Hilarious!”
bbc.co.uk

“A comic sensation”
The Daily Mirror

“The electricity she generated through her act was near palpable. An electrifying act. Stand-up with extra bite”
The Independent

“She may be wobbly but never the jokes.The sweetest face in thebusiness”
The Stage

“Inspiring. A winning combination of charm and talent”
The Evening Standard

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Press - I’MPERFECT

“A challenging and hilarious act. She is intelligent, insightful, immensely likeable and charmingly dangerous”
The Sunday Herald * * * *

“Absolutely hilarious you dont’t want it to end”
Paramound Comedy * * * * *

“Perfect stand-up, Brilliant and beautiful”
The Daily Mail * * * *

“Very funny. Her comic timing is perfect”
Metrol * * * *

“She is enormously charismastic...Absolutely hilarious”
Standup.com * * *

“Simply very, very funny”
The List * * * *

“Beautiful”
The Sunday Times

“It is refreshing to see acomedian with convictionsespecially one who has so much charm and energy”
The Guardian * * * *

“Wise and witty. She is oneof the most self-assuredcomedians on the circuit”
The Scotsman * * * *

“Gut-wrenching laughter - an hour of her time is indeed a privilege”
The Observer

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Press - International

“Martinez is extraordinarily talented. Her show is agem in the festival line-up.Brilliant”
ComedyLive Melbourne

“Confronting, honest, cutting, provocative, edgy and very, very funny. An inspired performer”
Beat Magazine Australia

“Impressive comic timing... Clever andchallenging”
The Weekend Australian

“She has a wicked wit and a self-confident charm. It’s agreat show, both perceptive and funny”
Stage Left Melbourne

“Martinez cleverly upended perceptions”
The Sydney Morning Herald

“Shockingly funny.Go and see for yourself”
Inpress Magazine

“Fabulously hilarious”
The Irish Times

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Press - IN DEEP

“Tremendously engaging... an irresistibly charming performer. She has mastered the two-liner leading a willing audience as though she’d got them on a leash. She had me in the palm of her wobbly hand. Go see her now”
National Students Magazine *****

“A fast-paced show with lots of laughs. No taboo is left intact as she cracks joke after joke... Hilarious”
Three Weeks ****

“Her ability to properly combine politics and comedy was first class and rich with gags. She is confident and sharp – her show was up to date, thought providing and very, very funny
Scotsgay ****

“Highly accomplished. Tackles taboos and makes you laugh like no one else can. Radiant, challenging and above all, very funny”
Time Out

“Whereas her cp might once have made her a novelty, Martinez has now proven she’s just actually very good at making people laugh”
Metro

“Calls herself a wobbly comic but, on this evidence, her success is built on firm foundations” ”
Guardian

“Tackles serious points with conviction and still rings belly laughs”
Fest ****

“Very funny... Inspiring”
List

“Martinez is selling out fast so get a ticket as soon as possible or miss out” ”
One4review ****

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Interviews

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Exclusive New Website Interview - 2006

By: Tim Jokl - June

So, what have you been up to lately?
Well, I’m just starting to enjoy working again, after having to take it easy when I was diagnosed with burn-out at the beginning of 2004. The doctor ordered me to take 6 months off work - it was a real shock! I had no idea that it would take that long for me to feel better, but my energy is only just returning now so it has been a slow recovery.

Why do you think you got burn-out?
Basically, I did what a lot of people do - I worked too much and I didn’t take enough breaks. If you’re a performer and you’re being offered work, it’s very hard to say no because you feel that these
opportunities won’t last forever. The temptation is to try and enjoy all the exciting work offers and make every chance count. But the fatigue crept up on me very slowly - I began to feel tired but still able to do everything I wanted to, and then I reached a point where it wasn’t a choice anymore - I just had to stop! I finally stopped when I began not enjoying my shows. I knew that there was an underlying
reason because I love comedy. It’s always been so important to me to love what I do that I knew I had to take a break and recharge. It worked because I am enjoying comedy more than ever now and feel very inspired to challenge myself and grow as a person and a comic.

Was it frustrating having to take it easy for 2 years?
At first I was worried as I thought that it would be bad for me not to keep working and performing. I’d got used to ignoring my feelings, and I didn’t want to just disappear from the comedy scene and lose the things I had worked so hard for! You know, there are so many great comedians in this country, all working so hard at their craft that the thought of spending time at home in my pyjamas wasn’t particularly enticing! But as soon as I’d made the decision to take time out - I knew it was the right one. I realised that I really couldn’t cheat the recovery process and get a ‘quick-fix’. It’s a valuable lesson and my priority now is to get the right balance in my life and put health first. I never want to be without energy again - you don’t realise how precious it is until it has gone! Now, whenever anyone tells me they’re tired, I always urge them quite forcefully to be careful and take a break!

What did you do during your time off?
I did the odd live show and other bits for TV and radio, and ‘Extras’, of course, but I mostly caught up on all the things that don’t get done when you’re busy - reading, thinking, falling in love! I must have read so many books in that time! I’ve always been such a book-worm - I learnt to read before I could walk - I wasn’t a genius, I just couldn’t walk until I was three! When I was younger I was so
obsessed with Enid Blyton, that I told my parents I wanted to be buried in a glass coffin with all her books when I died! So it was great to rediscover my passion for books and have the time to read for sheer pleasure. I also travelled in Europe which was fantastic. I always think travelling helps push you out of your comfort zone which is so important to help keep an open mind and heart. In many ways it has been a real learning period for me and not just a static resting time. I always used work to run away from my problems, and having to rest meant I couldn’t do that! I was forced to think about the stuff that you tend to push to the back of your mind.  

One of your reviews says ‘she so doesn’t have any hang-ups’ - is this untrue then?
Of course it is! Everyone does, and I’m no different. One of my hang-ups was not allowing myself to show any of my hang-ups! Because of needing extra help in some areas, I tried to be Superwoman in others! That contributed to my burn-out - always feeling that I had to prove myself to people and never feeling that I would be accepted for just being me. I put a huge amount of pressure on myself and that’s one of the things I want to change. People think if you do stand-up then you must be very confident, and I am - in my ability - but in other areas I have room for improvement! I think having cerebal
palsy has made me very strong and determined in some ways but also a bit insecure in others. In the last few years I have made some really crappy life choices because I felt unable to demand better for myself! I learnt a lot from my last serious relationship -  I was in love and my broken heart made me finally realise that I needed to value myself more! My burn-out only started improving when I stopped making decisions which ended up kicking me in the stomach! I know it’s all part of life, but I’m a big believer in working on yourself and learning from your mistakes. So although the last two years have been quiet professionally, I have had a chance to deal with all the stuff that is so difficult to deal with when you’re flying round the world! It’s not easy to look deeply at your faults but it has been worth it as I’m so much happier now. I’m raring to get back to stand-up and to express myself in new ways!

You say it has been a quiet two years work-wise, but you did ‘Extras’...
Yes. I had to drag myself out of my pyjamas for that one! I was knackered but not THAT knackered! It was a fab experience and I was so honoured that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote the part especially for me. I’m really pleased that Ricky and Stephen weren’t afraid to write comedy around my disability - that hasn’t really been done before in a mainstream comedy show. Some journalists asked me whether it was offensive or not - but to me, to say disability should be off limits in comedy, is the ultimate patronising attitude. It’s ridiculous to think that disabled people are so
delicate that they can’t laugh at themselves. The truth is there is a lot of comedic potential in disability - certainly in my own life - and I hope that it can be explored more. I think comedy is great at demystifying taboos so I hope we reach a point where we can all feel comfortable laughing at a funny show whether it has a disabled character or not! I think that motivation is the key thing - the joke in ‘Extras’ was on Ricky and Kate Winslet, and it wasn’t, ‘let’s laugh at Francesca’s walking’. That wouldn’t interest me, but I’m all for making people laugh at awkward situations. I love cringe comedy! I think ‘The Office’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ are the best shows ever, so I was flattered to show up funny preconceptions and be part of Ricky’s brand of ‘cringe’ humour! And the public seem to have got the joke which is great - I’ve had nothing but positive feedback.

And now you’re working on your own BBC TV comedy pilot?
Yes, I’m very excited. It has been my dream for years to write and act in my own comedy series so I really hope it comes to fruition. Although I’ve been acting since I was 14, ‘Extras’ was my first comedy part. I’ve tended to be offered very melodramatic parts in ‘Holby City’ and ‘Doctors’ - you know, ‘my mum’s having a heart attack on my wedding day and I’m having quadruplets’ kind of thing. I must have a ‘patient’ vibe about me! So ‘Extras’ just made me even more hungry to try and get my own comedy idea together. In the end, I based it on my real life experiences because that’s what I know best! I always think comedy which is rooted in reality is more powerful and universal. The fact that my character has a disability is only one aspect of her and I’m passionate about making her a fully-rounded person that millions can identify with and connect with. She has no more or less struggles than the other characters, and I really hope
the universality of the situations, fears and hopes that we all face, will allow the audience to enter a familiar world with a unique twist on it. Above all, I
want it to be very entertaining and a great comedy show! The writing is so important, so getting the script right is the priority at the moment.

What stage are you at with the project?
Well, after doing ‘Extras’, I met with the BBC and pitched them the idea. Obviously, having Ricky’s and Stephen’s support was invaluable, and also showed that there is a lot of untapped comedy surrounding any character played by me. We’ve got a great producer on board and he’s been totally in tune with the project. I think it would be really brilliant if we could get a project like this off the ground - it would show that the BBC is willing to be a trailblazer in this area. I’ve always felt that because of my disability, I’ve had to work double as hard because I was so aware that I may be dismissed as just a one-trick-pony - so I hope to get the chance to prove my talent by writing and starring in a mainstream TV show. At the moment, we’re waiting to see if we get to make it. So, all my fingers are crossed! Getting anything on TV is such a difficult process but each time you get a chance, you put your heart and soul into it and hope for the best!

And what about stand-up?
I’m doing shows again which is great as I’ve really missed doing stand-up! It’s exciting because I’ve got so many new ideas to work on after having this time off so I’m looking forward to expressing them. I‘ve started writing a new solo show which is always a challenge but also incredibly rewarding as the sky is the limit! Having time off work meant I had loads of different experiences (both good and bad!), did lots of reading and research, travelled around Europe and saw other cultures - and that’s all filled me up creatively so there is so much I want to talk about... like the challenges life throws at you and the stuff which you only become aware of when you  have time to read all day! Stand-up is very satisfying because there’s always so much to learn that it can’t get boring. It’s a great constant - when you wait for months to see if a TV project comes off or if you get an acting role - it’s always there to keep you sane. I feel so lucky to do something I love.

Do you feel a pressure not to talk about disability as it may pigeon-hole you?
As you can imagine,I get asked that a lot! I’ve always said that I don’t talk about ‘disability’ - that term means a million different things and I have no experience of  999,999 of them! Like most stand-ups, I talk about my life and views, both of which are affected by my unique make-up. So when I do talk about ‘it’, I hope it’s seen in the context of my life experiences which I can’t change and which
I want to express. I’m not interested in making jokes about my walking but rather about people’s attitudes and the perceptions we have of each other. I’m also aware that there is a lot of prejudice and fear that still surrounds this area so if I can explore it in an entertaining way, then perhaps it will help people accept it more as just another part of humanity. Comedy is a wonderful Trojan horse - if you make people laugh then you can say pretty much anything. It’s far more rewarding to make people think than laugh! And I think that’s what the best art does.

What would you like to achieve in the future?
I’m not a big planner because I like to see what direction life takes me in. Obviously, it would be a dream come true if I had the chance to make my own series but whether that happens is largely beyond my control! I don’t want my happiness to rely on external events, so I hope I am able to carry on doing what I love. I enjoy the freedom of stand-up so much - the writing and performing is all down to me so it’s a very personal and valuable part of my life. In terms of what makes me happy - the most important thing to me is a sense of freedom. I don’t think of success in terms of money or
material wealth or even status - that’s just padding. To me, success is getting up each day, doing something I love and having the health to do it - if it’s a sunny day, I can walk in the park and I feel so lucky to be able to do that. I think when you really love what you do, then you don’t define it as ‘work’ - it’s just part of you. I happen to believe that stand-up can be very important to society - it’s a place where free speech still exists, where the status quo is challenged, where difficult subjects are discussed and where individuals can dig deeper into accepted beliefs and question them - and, of course, have a bloody good laugh at the end of a hard day’s work! Society says that slavery has been abolished but the system we live in traps people into working all hours so they can pay for their kids, bills, mortgage, study, loans - and so it’s about just surviving. My desires are simple - to keep doing what I love, keep my sense of wonder about life, fall in love with a good guy, and not be caught up on the treadmill! I’d rather be frugal all my life! I grew up in a family where I was encouraged to think for myself from a very young age and I think that has made me passionate about trying to produce work which tries to encourage people to think for themselves too – because, ultimately, what we think is the only thing we really have total control over! My parents always supported me in following my dreams and they taught me that to try and create a reality around being happy was the most important thing to work for. Sometimes the world we live in makes it hard to remember that simple fact. I think that people truly know that happiness does not come from looking a certain way or owning the ‘right’ gear, but it can be confusing when those messages are shoved in our faces 12 hours a day! I feel if you can see through that consumerism rubbish, then that leaves you in a much happier place. My brother and I have both been given the confidence to choose vocations that we love, rather than because they were the ‘sensible’ choice. We both feel extremely grateful to our parents and we have always seen them as great friends which I think is brilliant! I think that encouraging anyone to pursue happiness is a precious thing, and that is what I want to do when I have kids! In my work, I really need to believe strongly that I’m doing something valuable with my time and energy. If I can give people a voice who don’t have one, or inspire one person to question society’s values and become happier - I’ll be happy! Throw in a ‘24’ DVD boxset and that’ll be heaven!

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BBC OUCH! - 2005

Top of her class

From her hectic schooldays at Grange Hill, Francesca Martinez has graduated to become one of the top comedians of her generation. Elizabeth Choppin talks to her before her biggest challenge yet

Francesca Martinez is having a good decade. At the tender age of 26 she has accomplished more than most people in a lifetime. With a forthcoming spot in Extras, Ricky Gervais’ new BBC comedy, she has officially entered the big league - and it does not look like she will be leaving any time soon.

Since her "accidental" entrance to the comedy world - she was coerced into a stand-up class while researching an acting part - she has appeared on ITV’s Frank Skinner Show, toured with the Comedy Network and most notably, mopped up the Daily Telegraph Open Mike award.

Her debut act at the Edinburgh Festival, I’mperfect, like much of her material so far, has focused on life with cerebral palsy and the situations she stumbles into - such as the terrifying prospect of soup or spaghetti on a first date.

Though some people have labelled her a "disability comedian" she is quick to argue she has never viewed herself as just that.

"It’s something I’m battling against. I just see myself as someone with a different set of cans and can’ts. I can’t run and I can’t drink through a straw, but I can stand on stage and tell jokes - I can do things that other people can’t do."

To illustrate this point, part of her act is to pick someone out of the crowd and ask what they can’t do. If the response is "I can’t play golf," she exclaims: "Oh my God! Were you born like that? How do you cope?"

"When I talk about disability, as people like to call it, I don’t see it as talking about an ’issue’. I see it as my life. The fact is, it’s going to come up as something which has informed and shaped who I am. I do make an effort to talk about it because unfortunately society doesn’t deal with it very well. There is a lot of fear - a lot of prejudice. Anyone in the public eye, especially comedians, should try to confront and challenge stereotypes."

But since she was a little girl, Francesca knew she wanted to act. Her first break came with a five-year stint on BBC1’s Grange Hill as Rachel Burns, but after it ended she found herself without work. To prepare for a possible movie role, she was asked to do some comedy training and signed up on a local course. The rest is history.

It is particularly fortunate she has caught the eye of one of her idols, Ricky Gervais, though politically correct people in the disability world might disagree.

"His whole humour up until now has been based on a person who says the wrong thing. He tries to push the envelope in every direction. He’s not picking on one subject or one group of people - it’s everybody and everything."

She resents being told that she and Ricky shouldn’t make jokes about the comedic side of disability.

"Disabled people aren’t this weak group of people who are going to start crying. If we want true equality it means we see the comedic side of things. Plus, Ricky’s characters always have people thinking, ’What an idiot’. He’s not glorifying a bad attitude - he’s taking the mickey out of it and showing it up."

In her free time Francesca is developing a new act that will be ready to perform and tour in the autumn. It will be different from past material - more personal, she says, concentrating more on her vulnerability. She is not some sort of "disability superwoman", she says.

"One way CP has affected me is that I have felt I had to be funnier, nicer, kinder, stronger than everybody else to make up for my physical weaknesses. It is taking me a long time to realise I can have bad days too.’"

On the tail of the publicity for Extras, Francesca says her next ideal job would be a in sitcom. But with so much success this early, where does a girl go next?

"I’ve kind of let things happen. My life has always been unpredictable and that’s the way I like it. But being on set with Ricky Gervais… it doesn’t get much better than that. If you had asked me who in the whole world I would like to work with on screen, I’d have said Ricky and George Clooney." One down and one to go then. Watch out George.

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Disability Now - 2005

COMEDY MIGHT ,

By: Nuala Calvi

Francesca Martinez doesn’t do things by halves. In the middle of filming the new Ricky Gervais comedy, Extras, she is doing stand-up shows at the Hackney Empire, writing her next one-hour comedy show for this summer’s Edinburgh Festival, and is set to do a charity fundraiser for Disability Equality in Education on 20 March alongside Johnny Vegas.

Just three months into her come-back year - she took 2004 off because of exhaustion - you could be excused for thinking the 26-year-old is at risk of burn-out again.

"It might seem a bit keen, writing my routine for Edinburgh already," she acknowledges, "but really, it takes a long time to prepare… It’s not like theatre - you can’t rehearse in a closed environment. You’ve got to preview what you’ve written to a live audience, then edit it, then preview again. No matter how funny you think what you’ve written is, it’s not until you try it in front of an audience that you find out whether it’s s**t or not."

Her system for testing material, she says, is to book small venues first, and admit to the audience that she’s only just written the material, so it might be "rubbish". After watching her perform at an all-women stand-up show hosted by Jo Brand last week, that’s hard to imagine. Martinez is now so comfortable in her routine about policemen thinking she’s drunk because of her "wobbly" walk, and school kids taking the mick out of her in the street, that she seems like an old hand.

But resting on her laurels - and on her ’disability gags’ - was a criticism levelled against her last Edinburgh show, I’mperfect, and, this year, she’s keen to show that there’s more to her. "My next show is going to be more about what’s happening in the world today. It’s mixing the personal and the political. I really want to explore a wide variety of topics: the state our world is in, the state of democracy, the war in Iraq ... But really, I’ve always found it funny when people say I do comedy about disability - the fact is, I’ve only ever talked about my life! I’ve got cerebral palsy, so that affects my life. I never mention other disabled people at all."
It might upset some of the disability rights activists, who would rather see disabled comedians use their platform to make a point about discrimination, but then so might Martinez’s collaboration with Ricky Gervais. The star of The Office is well-known for making the kind of jokes about disabled people on his XFM radio show that send campaigners reeling. "He’s very naughty, isn’t he," she muses. "But then, Ricky’s humour is based around saying things that you shouldn’t, going into areas that most people don’t. Personally, I never get offended by what people say. If Ricky was just picking on disability I’d have a problem, but he picks on every taboo area."

If she’s devoted to Gervais, it is for good reason. After sharing a stand-up bill with her, he agreed to perform free of charge in a pilot of a chat show - never commissioned - which she did for Channel 4, and subsequently rang her up to ask if she’d like to appear in his new show alongside Kate Winslet. "It’s very exciting. It’s a main part in one episode - Ricky’s a film extra who really wants to be a ’proper’ actor, and I play someone he meets. I think it’s going to be very, very funny. The thing is, Ricky’s as funny off-screen as he is on it - he’s utterly hilarious, and the biggest thing I’m worried about is keeping a straight face," she says.

It’s particularly exciting for Martinez, whose first love was acting and who first found fame as Rachel in BBC1’s Grange Hill. At that point, acting was all she wanted to do. But after two years unemployed, she was willing to reconsider her options. The opportunity came in the form of a script by her father, the writer Alex Martinez, in which Francesca was to play a stand-up comedian. A film company expressed interest on the condition that Francesca got some comedy training, so she gingerly signed up for a course at the City Lit. "I didn’t get out of my seat for six weeks, I was so scared. It was pathetic! Stand-up is very different to acting - you’re baring yourself, not a character. But somehow they persuaded me to do a five-minute routine at the end of term show, and even though I was shaking even more than normal, I thought, ’Wow! This is it! This is what I’m meant to do!’"

She started gigging on the London comedy circuit and within a year had won the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award, which rocket-propelled her career. Comedy festivals in Montreal, Melbourne and Ottowa followed, as well as her debut solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe and a tour with The Comedy Network. Soon, Rachel from Grange Hill was sharing bills with big-name stars and being interviewed by Frank Skinner. "I was thrown in the deep end. I’d only done about 50 gigs when I won the award. But it really pushed me, which was good."

These days, despite appearances, she insists she has more balance in her life. Apart from giving her more time to expand the scope of her writing, her year off has also given her time to get to know her current boyfriend ("he came to see me do a show, and came up to me afterwards to say he’d travelled all the way from Switzerland to see me - I thought he was a nutter"). And she’s learnt to take a more relaxed approach to stand-up. "Now, I’m in a position to really enjoy myself, to chat with the crowd. I didn’t really do much of that before, I was too scared. But you evolve, and the audiences evolve too. I’ve learnt that, in life, you set the agenda by which other people treat you. Stand-up has really taught me to be happy in my own skin."

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The Melbourne Age - 2003

Wobbly but on the money
Stand-up comics are not a one-size-fits-all package, writes Stephanie Bunbury.

The correct word for my condition," says Francesca Martinez once she has made it to the microphone, "is ’sober’." Immediate laughter: we can all relax. For the uninitiated, the past couple of minutes have been tense - watching someone with cerebral palsy jerk perilously up a set of stairs does not suggest that the next hour is going to be a bundle of laughs, given it is a comedy show.

It’s tricky, all this. There is no point trying to be all careful, caring and correct when discussing Martinez’s wobbliness, as she calls it, because she is not perfectly correct herself.

"Drugs, for example," she says, wide-eyed, "I can’t even thread a needle! And I believe John Belushi would still be here now (judicious pause) if he were financing his habit from a disability allowance."

Martinez so does not have any hang-ups. "The essential point I make in my show is that I am different, but then so is everyone," she says afterwards. "I’m the same as any other comic. I talk about my life. And part of my life is affected by CP. That’s the way it is!"

Martinez was an early performer at school. Her father saw an advertisement in the Times inviting young, disabled people to audition for Grange Hill, a popular television series set in a high school. She did. A role was created for her and, hey presto, she was a soap star at 14. "That was a childhood dream," she says. "I think it saved me because it gave me an excuse to miss school for about nine months of the year - legally."

Her real high school was not half as nurturing as Grange Hill. Her parents, who had fought to keep her in the mainstream education system, had sent her to an all-girls school thinking, as she says, "it would be better if I didn’t have teenage boys bumping into me in the corridors, full of testosterone". In fact, she just lost all her confidence.

Until the age of 12, she was scarcely aware of being different from anyone else. "I was the most cheeky, naughty girl in the world; I had no self-consciousness at all," she says. "But during my teen years I suffered a lot. At that age, appearance is so important and there is a group mentality, where the most important thing is to fit in. There were groups in the school and I didn’t fit into any of them." That teenage bitchiness was good training as a stand-up comedian. "I had to say pretty early, ’am I going to let my insecurities get the better of me? Or do I say life is too short?’."

At 19, she was too old for Grange Hill, so her father, a screenwriter, wrote a film script for her - now in development - where the character with CP was also a stand-up comedian. "I said ’Dad, this is absolute Oscar-winning stuff, but hullo! Do you want to kill me?’," she says. "I was like anyone - I thought stand-up was the scariest thing you could do."

With her family’s encouragement, she signed up for a six-week comedy workshop course. For the first two weeks, she lay doggo, until then manager of the English soccer team Glen Hoddle made a silly comment that people burdened by disability in this life must have done something wrong in the last. Martinez stood up and said how worried she was about those things she must have done in her last life. Had she deliberately run down old ladies?

"I was shaking," she says. "But people were laughing .. it was the first time I’d talked about my disability in public - the first time I had been open and honest about it. I always stupidly thought that if I didn’t mention it, people somehow wouldn’t notice it. But people take their cue from you and I saw, suddenly, that if I were cool and relaxed about it, they would follow suit."

From then on, she didn’t stop gigging. Stand-up, which seemed so scary, was the perfect forum for talking about taboo issues in a comfortable way. Sex, for example.

"I put a condom on my boyfriend," she says in her show, "and my hands shake so much, it’s all over before I’ve begun!"

In 2000, only one year after her moment of epiphany in the classroom of comedians, Martinez won the Daily Telegraph Open Mike award in Edinburgh - effectively a passport to recognition. She is a fixture on Britain’s comedy circuit now, and last year she took her full-length show to the Edinburgh Festival, where it sold out.

Now she is bringing it to Melbourne.

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The Observer - 2002

By: Stephanie Merrit

’My show is about getting away from the labels we put on people,’ Francesca Martinez explains enthusiastically. Everyone in the pub is surreptitiously staring, partly because she’s gorgeous, has a loud, infectious laugh and talks with such energy, but probably also because her cerebral palsy means that her speech is affected with an exaggerated slurring - one of her jokes is that people’s first assumption about her is usually that she’s drunk.

’I’m labelled "Francesca Martinez - disabled stand-up comic", but if I didn’t have CP I’d still be "female stand-up comic", so one of the points I’m making in the show is that being put into a group happens to everyone.’

Martinez, 23, exploded on to the comedy scene two years ago when she started performing as research for a film role and almost as a by-product ended up winning the Daily Telegraph’s Open Mic competition at Edinburgh. This year’s festival will prove her mettle - a full hour’s stand-up, difficult enough to sustain at the best of times, but especially when you can’t actually stand up without the help of a chair.

Her new show, I’mperfect, is bound to allay any fears that her initial acclaim might have been due to novelty value. ’I’m not doing a show about disability, or about living with CP,’ she says. ’It’s about me, and I’m just an individual.

’Although it is very personal and close to my heart, it’s really about perspectives and how we choose to see things, which affects all of us in some way.

’In the past I have been criticised for doing too much material about disability - though I hate that word - but in reality every comic takes material from their own experience, and it happens that my view on life is shaped by the body I was born in.’

I’mperfect (’from the beginning the audience has to decide how they’re going to read it’) was co-written with her father, Alex, with whom she is also writing a sitcom for Channel 4, and is based on a pivotal time in her own life. ’After I left secondary school I was very low. I’d had my confidence taken away, and I really appreciated the people who made me understand that I didn’t have to see myself as other people did, I could choose to change my outlook. That’s sort of what I want to do for the audience.

’It’s a great feeling to make people laugh, but I feel it’s also a privilege to have an hour of anyone’s time, so I do want to use it to challenge people’s attitudes and perhaps make them question the way they look at things.’

In anyone else’s hands this might be too much of a moral burden to impose on a comedy show, but Martinez’s wisdom and her impish delight in shocking her audience wins them over immediately. She delivers a show that is well constructed and slick, barely pausing to allow the audience to recover from one joke before she’s on to the next.

’I really love that first moment when I go on stage because I know people are sitting there thinking, "Oh my God", not knowing whether to pity me or feel embarrassed, and I don’t want them to feel guilty for that, so I try to put them at ease.’

One of her tricks, employed to great effect in this show and aided by her impressive timing, is to lead her audience down an avenue of thought and produce a sudden change of direction with the punchline. Frank references to her own sex life and a healthy injection of F words help to destroy any notion that she needs to be handled delicately or with condescension - it’s hard to imagine her being bombarded with rowdy heckles at Edinburgh, but equally impossible that she wouldn’t be able to give as good as she got. ’Have I shocked you?’ she giggles, after a joke that’s particularly near the knuckle, clearly enjoying the knowledge that she has.

’I like the contradictions,’ she acknowledges, smiling. ’I like the fact that it may take me forever to get up to the mike, but I’m doing something most people in the room would never dare to do, so they can pity me or envy me. It all depends on what you value.’

Whatever their preconceptions, by the time she’s five minutes into her show, pity could not be further from the minds of her audience, displaced by admiration, stomach-clutching laughter and the recognition that an hour of her time is indeed a privilege.

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The Observer - 2000

That’s a real balancing act
Have you heard the one about the comic with cerebral palsy? If not, you should let Francesca Martinez tell it to you.

By: Sam Taylor.

When Francesca Martinez walks on stage you can feel the tension in the air. Not because she is a young, attractive woman in a room full of inebriated men, but because it takes her several minutes and the help of a friend just to stand in front of the microphone. Martinez has cerebral palsy, so she walks like a drunkard and sometimes slurs her words. Stand-up comedy, then, would not have been the first choice of her careers adviser.

Yet Martinez is, at 20, probably the fastest-rising female comic in the country - she won two major awards at the Edinburgh Festival this year - as well as an experienced television actress (she was in Grange Hill for five years) and an occasional model. Though she finds it less exciting than acting or comedy, Martinez enjoys the irony of modelling: ’That to me is the ultimate contradiction, because modelling is so superficial. Yet in photographs, my disability doesn’t show.’

Under a spotlight in a comedy club, however, it shows as starkly as it ever could. In Britain, female comics are so rare that they tend to receive a barrage of crude come-ons from the heckle brigade. But Martinez, despite her slim body, suggestive smile and long, dark curls, causes a reaction akin to mild shock. Heckles freeze in mid-air as her limbs twitch and the microphone shakes beneath her lips.

The night I see her, she is playing a tiny dive of a club called Kool Eddie’s, situated under a café on London’s Charing Cross Road. There are 16 people in the audience, and six of them are performing on the same bill. Martinez, whose face was, barely a month earlier, plastered over the front page of the Daily Telegraph and a colour spread in Elle magazine, is the main attraction. Before she comes on, there are a couple of misogynistic loudmouths and a chubby Asian comic whose first line is: ’Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. That Sanjay [from EastEnders ] has really let himself go.’

Martinez, thankfully, is in a different class. After the long, woozy walk to the stage, she looks at the meagre audience and says in her high, warbly voice: ’In case you’re wondering, the correct term for my condition is "sober". When I’m pissed, I walk in a straight line.’ Her act is slick and conventionally structured but commendably close to the bone, and focused almost entirely upon exploding people’s preconceptions of her disability. One joke runs: ’It’s hard coping with an imperfect body because you feel isolated and unattractive and you can lose all your confidence.’ Pause, while audience turn pale with horror. ’That’s why my ex-boyfriend now goes to the gym.’ Relieved laughter and applause.

Another brings up the subject of disabled people having sex. ’Men always ask me if I shake during sex,’ she smiles. ’I tell them, "That depends on how good you are".’

This is how Martinez’s comedy works. It doesn’t lecture, accuse or complain; rather, it plays on the fear and awkwardness that most able-bodied people feel in the presence of disability, and replaces that fear and awkwardness with something warmer and more informed. ’I know when I get up on stage that some people are scared,’ she says. ’A lot of them are thinking, "Is she going to make us feel bad?" Most of the images people see of disability are of heartache, struggle, isolation. That creates a lot of tension, and comedy is all about the release of tension.’

Off stage, Martinez seems even brighter and more fluent than she does on stage. She is nervous at first, but soon starts overflowing with enthusiasm and a sharp intelligence, to the extent that I only manage to ask five questions in two hours.

My first is this: how did someone who can’t hold a cup of tea without spilling it end up doing a job that makes most able-bodied people go weak at the knees? It started, she explains, as research for a part in a film that her father had written, which involved the lead character doing a stand-up routine. ’It’s an amazing screenplay and a very strong lead role, which was written for me. When the screenplay was taken on by a big film company, they wanted to cast Hollywood stars, so I realised I had to prove I was right for the part.’

Her father, Alex, a novelist and screenwriter whose background is Spanish, sits with her at the interview, which takes place in a half-empty wine bar in north London. He is quiet and looks serious, but they are obviously close and at ease with each other and, despite the usual malicious rumours on the comedy circuit, he doesn’t seem like a Svengali figure. His role in her career, along with Francesca’s mother Christina and her younger brother Raoul, has been to ensure that Francesca went to mainstream schools all her life, that she felt loved and ’normal’, that she always had a straw to drink through, and that she had the confidence to pursue her dreams.

One thousand children are born each year in this country with cerebral palsy; most, like Francesca, suffer as a result of problems that occur during or just before birth. During her mother’s protracted labour, the oxygen supply to part of Francesca’s brain was cut off; it was the part of her brain that controls balance, not thought or emotion. In other words, she is not mentally retarded, though many people treat her as though she is. In fact, she was a bright child and happily unaffected by her condition until she went to an all-girls’ secondary school.

There she suffered the same kind of frustrations and sadnesses as many misfit teenagers, feeling left out and underconfident, but she did nurture her secret dreams. Her first dream was to be an actress, which came true at the age of 14, when she was cast as Rachel Burns, a disabled character whose story lines never dwelt on her disability, in Grange Hill. She acted in the school series for five years and remains grateful about its effects. ’Thousands of people recognise me from Grange Hill , and they never say, "Oh, you’re that disabled girl". It’s always, "Hi, Rachel".’

You have to wonder, though, if her comedy will inspire the same kind of reaction. Clever and pointed as her jokes are, there is surely a danger that she will be seen as a one-trick pony, as a comic whose primary strength is in the uniqueness of her material rather than the quality of her writing and delivery. But Martinez is defiant about the nature of her subject matter. ’I will do that material for as long as there is tension when I step on to a stage,’ she says.

’It’s true that my disability gives me something unique, but it’s not having a disability that allows you to be a comedian. I would hope that in five or 10 years’ time, disabled people will be able to go on stage and not even mention it. But for the moment that’s not possible. As long as there is tension in the audience, it’s necessary for me to deflate it.’

I mention the Asian comic at Kool Eddie’s and his ’Sanjay’ gag. ’Yes, he’s a friend of mine,’ says Martinez with a flash of eyes, ’and I know exactly why he does that joke because it’s the same reason I start with the "sober" joke. When society is less tense about race or disability, we’ll happily drop those gags.’

Martinez has huge hopes for 2001. Her stand-up profile is growing all the time, and she has a sitcom, co-written with her father, in development. Then there is the film, which is being produced by ’a very famous British actor’, and which is expected to start shooting in the next 12 months.

’I think it’s important that I get the part,’ she says, ’because then it won’t be just another Daniel Day Lewis winning an award for being ugly in a wheelchair. That’s already been done. I think and hope that this will be groundbreaking.’

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Speaking

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Motivational Speaking

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After-dinner Speaking

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Testimonials

World Economic Forum – Davos 2008:

“Francesca’s speech was the hit of the evening – funny, personal and very inspirational. Everyone singled her out and said what a great speaker she was. Her impact was amazing and we’d love her to come back next year.”

Unilever:

"When I was at Unilever I organised an event around the theme of creative courage.  All artists display varying degrees of courage but Francesca walked on stage and changed the atmosphere.  She made them more courageous from that moment.  It was like a euphoria - it took them a while to come down.”

Inner Wheel Association Of Great Britain:

“In all our years of annual conferences, Francesca is the first speaker to receive a standing ovation! Pearls of wisdom flowed from her mouth and her act was both hilarious and inspirational. A refreshingly different take on comedy, she wise-cracks her way through prejudice and disability. A big-hearted woman with a zest for life, from whom everyone could learn a lesson.”

Accenture:

“Francesca was a great success and I have received very good feedback from our staff.”

Generate:

“Thank you so much to Francesca. She was just perfect for the event - she pitched it all just right and seemed so lovely. She was very inspirational, SO naturally funny (and VERY beautiful!).”

St George’s University Hospital:

“When I invited Francesca Martinez to speak to a group of second year undergraduates as part of a communications module, I was hoping for a different approach to the topic. I was not disappointed. The session was well received by the students, thoroughly enjoyed by all and fulfilled all the learning objectives. The session also reinforced my belief that humour enhances learning. Any effect will be longlasting and influence the students long after leaving the lecture theatre. It was an education in itself.”

Leonard Chesire:

“Francesca was brilliant - a real tonic for just after lunch.”

Unison

“Francesca’s performance went down fantastically with lots of positive feedback.”

Harrow Borough Council:

“Everybody loved Francesca’s performance - she was the highlight of an evening of exciting performances. Her warm, friendly, easy-going personality endeared her to those who worked with her at the event.”

Live Group:

“Francesca was great - as ever! And we look forward to an opportunity to work again with her soon.” 



Holohan Leisure Group: 

“The seminar was a success - thanks in no small way to Francesca’s fantastic performance; on which we got great feedback. Thanks again to Francesca for coming over and making it memorable.”

Woking Borough Council:

"Excellent fun - fantastic! I haven’t laughed so hard for ages and it’s brilliant that the council has included the comedy night as an awareness raising event which gave us all a giggle! Francesca’s performance was top notch. ”

 

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For all work and press enquiries

Please email Kristina Forrester with any queries about:

Kristina Forrester
Tel: +44 (0)7758 280 418
Email: francesca.ma.nosp@m.il@phonecoop.coop

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