Jessica Fostekew
Jessica Fostekew | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 July 1983 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Website | jessicafostekew |
Jessica Alice Fostekew (born 5 July 1983) is an English actor and stand-up comedian.[1][2][3][4][5]
Biography
[edit]Fostekew was born in Sheffield in 1983 and grew up in Langton Matravers, Dorset.[6][7] She is of one-quarter Austrian ancestry. She earned an LL.B. from the London School of Economics.[4]
Fostekew has written for Mock The Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The News Quiz.[8] She has co-hosted The Guilty Feminist podcast.[9] In 2019, her show Hench was nominated for the Main Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Also, in 2019, she appeared on Live at the Apollo and on the BBC Radio 4 comedy talk show The Museum of Curiosity. She has appeared on QI in 2020 and 2021.[10]
Fostekew is a contributing columnist in The Guardian, covering topics including parenting,[11] body image,[12] and marriage equality.[13]
She launched a new show, Iconic Breath, in October 2025 covering stories about love, family, and middle age with, according to the Guardian, "impressive technique and efficiency".[14] The show tours the UK through February 2026.
Fostekew is a keen weightlifter; whilst it has been claimed that she integrates this hobby into her act, she has clarified in a recent radio interview that this is not the case.[15]
Filmography
[edit]Radio
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sturdy Girl Club | Jessica Fostekew | BBC Radio 4[16][17] |
| 2024 | Sturdy Girl Club | Jessica Fostekew | BBC Radio 4[16][17] |
Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Hallo Panda | Zoo Worker & The General Public | Short (billed as Jessica Fortiskew) |
| 2013 | Battlecock! | Anya Krullmuller | Short (billed as Jessica Fortekew) |
| Timeholes | The Woman | Short | |
| 2019 | Official Secrets | Courtroom Guard | |
| Greed | Sally | ||
| 2023 | Scrapper | Sian |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Three Girls | Sonia | Mini-series, Episode: "#1.2" |
| Motherland | Clare | Episode: "The After Party" | |
| 2019 | Cuckoo | Angela | Episode: "Ivy Nanny" |
| Live at the Apollo | Herself - Special Guest | Episode: "Darren Harriott, Jessica Fostekew, Stephen Bailey" | |
| 2020 | Trigonometry | Mum 1 | Mini-series, Episode: "Viel zu verliebt" |
| The Trouble with Maggie Cole | Betty Jarvis | 2 episodes: "#1.2" and "#1.4" | |
| Out of Her Mind | Laptop Woman | Episode: "I Don't" | |
| House of Games | Herself - Contestant | Episodes: "#4.36" to "#4.40" | |
| 2020, 2021 | QI | Herself - Panellist | 2 episodes: "Revolutions" and "Sensational" |
| 2021 | Hypothetical | Herself - Guest | Episode: "#3.7" |
| Grave New World | Commercial Voice Over (voice) | Mini-series, Episode: "Taxis, Conspiracies, Editors" | |
| Comedians Giving Lectures | Herself - Guest Speaker | Episode: "#2.3" | |
| 2022 | Halo | Borovoi | Episode: "Allegiance" |
| Avoidance | Amanda | Episode: "#1.1" | |
| Sky Comedy Shorts | Mr. Whippy | Episode: "Real Friends" (also writer) | |
| 2023 | EastEnders | DS Gaunt | Episode: "#1.6796" |
| Sorry, I Didn't Know | Herself - Panellist | Episode: "#4.5" | |
| 2024 | World's Most Dangerous Roads | Herself - Guest | Episode: "Colorado" (with Desiree Burch) |
| Pointless Celebrities | Herself - Contestant | Episode: "#16.16" | |
| Travel Man: 48 Hours in... | Herself - Guest | Episode: "Lanzarote" |
References
[edit]- ↑ Healy, Rachael (13 January 2020). "Joy of pecs: Jessica Fostekew, the weightlifting comic shredding body fascism" – via The Guardian.
- ↑ "Q&A: Jessica Fostekew". 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ↑ Fostekew, Jessica [@jessicafostekew] (5 July 2015). "ITS MY BIRTHDAY SO PLEASE COME TO MY PREVIEWS @museumofcomedy on 17th, 18th & 19th. 2for1 with this code: MOC2FOR1 http://t.co/iafwzpiw0i" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 September 2021 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 Best, Steve (21 September 2017). Joker Face: Over 450 Comedians Share Their Best One-liners. Unbound Publishing. ISBN 9781783523399 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Homan, Sidney; Rhinehart, Brian (22 February 2018). Comedy Acting for Theatre: The Art and Craft of Performing in Comedies. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350012783 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "A Moment's Peace: Dancing Ledge, Dorset". 3 December 2014.
- ↑ "Hoovering: A Sea Breeze". 10 March 2015.
- ↑ "About Me".
- ↑ Frances-White, Deborah (31 December 2019). The Guilty Feminist: You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Overthrow the Patriarchy. Basic Books. ISBN 9781580059534 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Stream Jessica Fostekew stand-up comedy". The Home of Stand-Up Comedy | NextUp Comedy. 1 March 2019.
- ↑ "I'm trying to be a better listener – but there's only so much six-year-old I can take | Jessica Fostekew". The Guardian. 22 March 2022.
- ↑ "II've got big, muscular legs – and I'm finally proud of them | Jessica Fostekew". The Guardian. 8 August 2022.
- ↑ "Maureen from Lewisham doesn't approve of queer parents like me. That's my vote lost | Jessica Fostekew". The Guardian. 24 April 2022.
- ↑ "Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath review – furious, frustrated yet cheerfully funny". The Guardian. 17 October 2025.
- ↑ "Gavin Richards: Jessica Fostekew". Cambridge 105 Radio. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- 1 2 "Jessica Fostekew: Sturdy Girl Club". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- 1 2 "Jessica Fostekew: Sturdy Girl Club - Radio 4 Stand-Up". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 29 July 2025.