Josie Long

Last updated

Josie Long
Josie Long 2013.jpg
Long at Long Division Festival in June 2013
Born (1982-04-17) 17 April 1982 (age 42)
Sidcup, London, England
MediumStand-up, television, radio, film
Alma mater Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Years active1990s–present
Partner(s) Jonny Donahoe
Children2
Website www.josielong.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Josie Isabel Long (born 17 April 1982) is an English comedian. [1] She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.

Contents

In 2006, Long won the If.comeddies Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her show Kindness and Exuberance. She has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show three times. In 2012, Long and director Doug King produced two short comedy films in Glasgow called Let's Go Swimming and Romance and Adventure, which were nominated for a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award.

Early life and education

Long was born in Sidcup and spent her early life in Orpington, London, [2] where she attended Newstead Wood School for Girls. She began performing stand-up comedy at 14, winning the BBC New Comedy Awards at the age of 17. Long attended Michael Knighton's comedy course in Beckenham, London. At 18 she gave up stand-up whilst attending Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, ran experimental comedy clubs, and graduated with a degree in English. [3]

Career

After graduating Long returned to live stand-up, supporting Stewart Lee on his spring 2005 tour. [4] In March that year, Long was named Best Newcomer at the 2005 Chortle Awards. [5]

She contributed sketches and one-liners to BBC Radio 1's 2004/5 comedy show, The Milk Run [1] with Andrew O'Neill. One edition of the show was entirely given over to a script she co-wrote with her friend Dan Harkin, entitled The Adventures Of Marco Polo .

In 2005 she began publishing a fanzine, Drawing Moustaches in Magazines Monthly Magazine (Bi-Monthly), which is distributed for free, and has featured contributions from Robin Ince, Kevin Eldon and Stewart Lee, as well as Danielle Ward and Isy Suttie. [6]

She appeared in the show An Audience With Dan Nightingale & Josie Long with Mancunian comic Dan Nightingale, at the Café Royal, at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe. In 2006 she won the If.comedies Best Newcomer award at the Fringe for her show Kindness and Exuberance. In her 2007/2008 tour Trying is Good her act often involved drawing a sea scene on her arms and stomach. Long has a love of appliqué and the V&A Museum, and live Boggle contests sometimes form a part of her performances.

Long in 2010 Josie Long (cropped).jpg
Long in 2010

As of 2014 she has performed seven solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and performed five subsequent UK tours in the spring of 2007, 2008 and 2009, autumn 2010 and spring 2012. She has appeared at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2007–10), the Adelaide Fringe Festival (2008), the New Zealand Comedy Festival (2008, 2010) and the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival (2008). Her show, Trying is Good was nominated for the Barry Award in Melbourne 2008. In 2009 she toured her show All of the Planet's Wonders, playing 14 dates during February and March. Her radio series based on the show, Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in early 2009. [7]

Long has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show three times, with her 2010 show, Be Honourable!, 2011's The Future Is Another Place and 2012's Romance & Adventure. [8] Recordings of the former two were released on a cassette album entitled Lost Cats. [9]

Along with fellow comics Hils Barker, Steve Hall and James Sherwood, she founded the All-Singing, All-Dancing Competitive News Bonanza, a live topical panel show that ran at the Red Lion pub in Soho in 2004/05, and at the Arts Theatre Club in Soho in 2006. In 2006 she also launched her own monthly comedy clubs, the Sunday Night Adventure Club, at the ABC Café in Crystal Palace, London (later at the Black Sheep pub), and The OK Club at the Boogaloo pub in Highgate, North London. Between 2011 and 2017 she ran and hosted "The Lost Treasures of the Black Heart" comedy club at the Black Heart pub in Camden Town, [10] which was recorded and made available as a podcast.

Josie Long and "Sew to Bed" craftivists with her on stage at Soho Theatre London in 2010 Josie Long and craftivists.jpg
Josie Long and "Sew to Bed" craftivists with her on stage at Soho Theatre London in 2010

Long has written for the Channel 4 teen comedy-drama series Skins . She has also appeared in an online webisode and episodes five and 10 of the second series of the show, in which she plays a college careers adviser, and appeared again in episode five of the third series, reprising that role, this time, however, in another career. She makes a return appearance in series six as the college guidance counsellor in episode one.

Since 2013 Long has been the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 short documentary series and podcast Short Cuts, [11] which was won multiple awards including the Gold for Best Radio Podcast at the British Podcast Awards in both 2017 [12] and 2018. [13]

She has also been involved in BBC Switch, on a weekly mini-feature called Josie Long's Confuse the Teacher Feature, where a word is read out by Long for young people listening to the show to include in their homework, which was formed after her suggestion of the idea during an interview on the show with Annie Mac.

She also appeared regularly in Robin Ince's podcast Show & Tell, now called Robin and Josie's Utter Shambles, co-hosted the Resonance FM show I, DJ with Danielle Ward and Isy Suttie, and guested on Answer Me This! podcast. She has also DJ-ed at the London indiepop club night Scared To Dance. [14] She appeared on the Jon Richardson Show on 27 July 2008 and again on 15 February 2009. On 28 September 2008, she performed at the HungaMunga Festival at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. On 9 October 2008 she appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in the second programme of the 22nd series. On 19 January 2009 she appeared on the radio panel game Just a Minute . [15] She appeared in Australian improvised-comedy show Thank God You're Here twice, the first of which aired on 6 May 2009. On 5 July 2009 she appeared on Sunday Night Show on Absolute Radio with Iain Lee. On 14 and 28 July 2009 she appeared on Charlie Brooker's Channel 4 show You Have Been Watching .

On 21 and 23 August 2009 Long performed at the Green Man Festival. On 15 November 2009, Long was the guest on the Dave Gorman radio show on Absolute Radio and the subsequent podcast of the show, before making her second appearance with Iain Lee, this time on Iain Lee's 2 Hour Long Late Night Radio Show, on the same station eight days later. She occasionally wrote for Alan Moore's underground magazine Dodgem Logic .

On 15 January 2010 she was a contestant on Channel 4's panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats . On 18 March 2010 she appeared on the BBC Two comedy quiz TV programme show The Bubble , during which she notably wore a garment displaying Nye Bevan-related witticisms. She wrote and performed three short plays as part of BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play series, including one about apostrophes.

Since 2010, Long has been involved with the anti-tax-avoidance activist group UK Uncut, and in 2011 co-founded The Arts Emergency Service, [16] a charity helping young people in education. She has on occasion promoted these groups through her stand-up and has also performed stand-up at protests and occupations, including the 2011 Hetherington House Occupation.

Long presented a Saturday morning radio show with Andrew Collins on BBC 6 Music [17] and runs a monthly comedy club at The Black Heart in Camden Town, recordings of which are used for her new podcast The Lost Treasures of the Black Heart. [18]

Josie Long performing at Lost Treasures of the Black Heart in London in September 2013 Josie Long performing at Lost Treasures of the Black Heart in London on the 11th of September 2013 2.JPG
Josie Long performing at Lost Treasures of the Black Heart in London in September 2013

In 2012, Long toured the UK with Grace Petrie, Tom Parry and the activism group UK Uncut to protest against public-sector government funding cuts. [19] Long and director Doug King also produced two short comedy films in Glasgow called Let's Go Swimming and Romance and Adventure, which were nominated for a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award. The pair toured independent cinemas across the UK during Autumn 2013. [20]

Long has been a Doctor Who fan since she was a child [21] and she is interviewed for the special features of several classic series DVD releases, including Nightmare of Eden and Dragonfire .

In 2018, Long and Jonny Donahoe performed a comedy show together based around parenting and expecting the birth of their daughter. [22] They subsequently turned the show into a podcast, Josie & Jonny Are Having a Baby (With You!). [23] Drawing on this, Long's show at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, Tender, discussed the subject of childbirth and optimism about the future. A review in Chortle noted that "[the] whole act is well refined with funny voice breaks,  emotional act-outs, exaggerations and unexpected callbacks. .... So much is covered in this hour, without it becoming wordy, overlong or a chore. And certainly without losing the funny, which it has in abundance." [24] [25]

Also in 2019 Long and Liam Williams wrote and starred in Perimeter, a dystopian play about a city divided into rich and poor areas by a giant fence. The play was broadcast as part of Radio 4's Dangerous Visions series. [26] The same year, Long also presented a new podcast for English Heritage, Speaking with Shadows; the podcast won in the 'Contribution to Heritage' category at the UK Heritage Awards. [27] [28] In 2020, Long took her show Tender on tour around the UK. [29]

During the week beginning 14 December 2020, Long appeared as one of the week's contestants on Richard Osman's House of Games . In 2022 she appeared in Champions Week House of Games which had been recorded while Long was pregnant with her second child.

Personal life

On 28 May 2018, Long had a daughter with her partner, comedian Jonny Donahoe. [30] She gave birth to a second daughter on 27 November 2021.

Live credits

Radio credits

Television credits

Collections

The University of Kent holds material by Long as part of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. [40] [41] The collection includes set lists, promotional material, stage props for performances and zines. [40] [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Herring</span> English comedian and writer (born 1967)

Richard Keith Herring is an English stand-up comedian and writer whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring. He is described by The British Theatre Guide as "one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Ince</span> English comedian and writer

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Porter</span> English actress, presenter and comedian

Lucy Donna Porter is an English actress, writer, presenter and comedian. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel shows, including Quote... Unquote and The Personality Test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isy Suttie</span> English comedian and actress (born 1978)

Isobel Jane Suttie is a British musical comedian, actress and writer. She played Dobby in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show Pearl And Dave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Law</span> Canadian stand-up comedian (born 1969)

Tony Law is a Canadian stand-up comedian. Originally from Lacombe, Alberta, he has been based in London, United Kingdom since the age of 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Watson</span> British comedian and writer

Mark Andrew Watson is an English comedian, novelist and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Millican</span> English comedian

Sarah Jane Millican is an English comedian, writer and presenter. Millican won the comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and in the same year she married fellow comedian Gary Delaney. Her first book, How to Be Champion, was published in 2017. Millican has performed on various tours, mainly across the United Kingdom, over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Walsh</span> English comedian

Holly Dione Walsh is an English comedian and comedy writer.

Sarah Kendall is an Australian comedian from Newcastle, New South Wales. She won the Raw Comedy competition in 1998 and appeared regularly on Australian television. She moved to the United Kingdom in 2000 at the age of 24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridget Christie</span> English writer and comedian (born 1971)

Bridget Louise Christie is an English stand-up comedian, actress and writer. She has written and performed comedy tours, in addition to radio and television work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Martin (comedian)</span> English comedian

Chris Martin is an English stand-up comedian and writer. He currently lives and works in America with his wife, writing on The Late Late Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Barnes</span> English comedian

Angela Barnes is an English stand-up comedian, mostly known for her appearances on Mock the Week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robins (comedian)</span> English stand-up comedian and presenter

John Michael David Robins is an English stand-up comedian and radio presenter.

Barry Ferns is a British stand up comedian, writer, director, and a trained physiotherapist. Barry is also one of the founding members of Angel Comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofie Hagen</span> Danish comedian

Sofie Hagen is a London-based Danish comedian, author, podcaster, fashion designer, and fat acceptance campaigner. She has toured with comedy shows, released a book and hosted and co-hosted a number of podcasts.

Mat Ewins is an English actor, writer and stand-up comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie Jones (comedian)</span> British comedian and actress (born 1990)

Rosie Luisa Jones is a British comedian, writer and actress. After starting her career as a writer on panel shows, she went on to appear as a guest on The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, QI and Hypothetical. She attended the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo as a roving reporter for The Last Leg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Pattison</span> English stand-up comedian

Lauren Pattison is an English comedian from Newcastle. She was nominated for the Best Newcomer award at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her debut show Lady Muck, and for Best Show in 2022 for It Is What It Is.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Bohart</span> Irish comedian, writer and actor

Catherine Bohart is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in the United Kingdom.

Amy Stella Gledhill is an English comedian. She has been nominated for Best Show at the UK National Comedy Awards and for Best Show and Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, winning the former in 2024. She performs solo and as half the duo The Delightful Sausage with Chris Cantrill.

References

  1. 1 2 "Josie Long". The Guardian. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Philby, Charlotte (31 July 2010). "My Secret Life: Josie Long, comedian, 28" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Katbamna, Mira (14 August 2008). "Celebrities tell us about their first year at university". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "DAA Management Ltd – CLIENTS – JOSIE LONG". Daamanagement.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Dan's the man : News 2005 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Official website of Josie Long, Comedian!". Josie Long.Com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 Extra – Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Awards, Comedy (31 October 2014). "List of Comedy Awards Nominees & Winners". Comedy Awards. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "LOST CAT 005 - Josie Long (TAPE)". Lost Map Records. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lost Treasures of the Black Heart". Josie Long. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Short Cuts". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Winners 2017". British Podcast Awards. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Radio Academy Awards". Archived from the original on 16 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Josie Long's DJ setlist". Scared To Dance. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Just a Minute, Series 54, Episode 4". BBC Radio 4. 25 January 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  16. ↑ Mary O'Hara (19 April 2011). "Stand-up to help students with new charity". The Guardian. London.
  17. 1 2 "Andrew Collins and Josie Long". BBC Radio 6 Music. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "The Lost Treasures of the Black Heart, a podcast by Josie Long & Friends". Losttreasurespodcast.Com. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Interview: Josie Long". Giggle Beats. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  20. ↑ Dipper, Andrew (6 September 2013). "Josie Long in comedy short film tour". Giggle Beats. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  21. ↑ Berry, Steve (31 October 2013). Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who. Orion Books. ISBN   9780575129597 . Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Logan, Brian (15 April 2018). "Comic delivery: Josie Long and Jonny Donahoe on having a baby". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  23. ↑ Hamilton, Chloe (25 March 2019). "5 parenting podcasts you should listen to in 2019". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  24. ↑ Bruce, Alex. "Josie Long". Chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  25. ↑ Long, Josie. "Tender | Josie Long - HAAAII!!!! WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE". Josielong.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Dangerous Visions, Perimeter". BBC. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  27. ↑ Bromwich, Kathryn (13 October 2019). "On my radar: Josie Long's cultural highlights". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  28. ↑ Wilson, Antonia (3 September 2020). "Roman fort and immersive LGBTQ+ show among winners of UK heritage prizes". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  29. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Josie Long announces 2020 tour". Chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  30. ↑ "Perfect delivery". Chortle. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  31. ↑ "Official website of Josie Long, Comedian!". Josie Long.Com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  32. ↑ "The Ultimate Choice - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  33. ↑ "Stand-Up Specials - Josie Long: What Next? - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  34. ↑ "Josie Long's Gambit". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  35. ↑ "Come the Revolution". BBC Radio Wales. BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  36. ↑ "Short Cuts". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  37. ↑ "Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders". BBC Radio 4. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  38. ↑ "Celebrity Fifteen to One | series 1-Episode 1". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  39. ↑ "Was It Something I Said? – Episode 7 – All 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  40. 1 2 University of Kent Special Collections & Archives. "Josie Long Collection". University of Kent Special Collections & Archives Catalogue. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  41. 1 2 "Josie Long Collection". Special Collections and Archives - University of Kent. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
Preceded by Chortle Awards Best Newcomer
2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by Edinburgh Fringe Best Comedy Newcomer
2006		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.