Angela Barnes - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)

Raised in Maidstone, Kent, Barnes was educated at Invicta Grammar School and the University of Sussex.

Barnes' professional career initially began in the fields of health and social care, but when her father, who had always encouraged her comedic talent, died in 2008, she took the plunge and decided to pursue a career in comedy. It would prove a wise decision, as after attending a 23-week comedy workshop in Brighton, she soon achieved almost instantaneous success. In 2011 alone she would win BBC New Comedy Award and be a finalist at the Latitude Festival New Act of the Year.

Known for a straight-talking, down-to-earth delivery style and an openness about life, work, sex, food, and politics, Barnes is a recognisable face on the British comedy circuit.

In 2013 Barnes reached a national audience through a blogpost she had written for The Guardian that explored how modern society treats people it deems 'ugly'. Written from the perspective of someone who self-identified as such, it struck an emotional nerve with many, and Barnes would return to the subject in 2015 with her Edinburgh Fringe live show Angela Barnes: Come As You Are.

In 2013 Barnes joined the cast of topical stand-up show Stand Up For The Week and began appearing on The Now Show and The NewS Quiz, where she has become a regular panellist.

In 2016 Barnes began her own BBC Radio 4 show entitled Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You, a stand-up show about mortality and humanity's place in the world. In part it is a tribute to her father, who, amongst other things, was a sex shop manager and a naturist. The show takes its name from his motto.

In December 2018 Barnes was named as one of Britain's hardest working comedians, having driven 30,000 miles (and visited 91 venues and over 100 shows) for gigs up and down the country. Following the violent murder of Australian comedian Eurydice Dixon in 2018, Barnes decided to establish The Home Safe Collective, a scheme whereby members of vulnerable groups could avail themselves of a free taxi/cab service after a gig to ensure they reached home safely. Her forward-thinking, proactive proposition would be awarded with the 2018 panel prize award at the Edinburgh comedy awards.

Since 2016 Barnes has been a regular panellist on long-running topical panel show Mock The Week. Barnes has featured on prime-time comedy shows Live At The Apollo, The NewS Quiz, and Stand Up For The Week. In 2017 Barnes took over as host of BBC Radio 4 Extra's long-running political sketch show Newsjack.

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