Josie Long

Josie Long is a comedian and spoken-word performer from Sidcup, United Kingdom. She is associated with the “Just a Minute” team and is known for stand-up that mixes observational detail, storytelling and a strongly comic, enthusiastic delivery.

Career

She first gains wider attention in 1999, when she wins the BBC New Comedy Awards and finishes runner-up in So You Think You’re Funny?. She also reaches the semi-final of the Daily Telegraph Open Mic competition that year.

After those early results, she pauses stand-up to attend university. In 2004 she appears in the Edinburgh Festival Big Value Show, and the following year she performs in An Audience with Dan and Josie and supports Stewart Lee on a nationwide tour.

Her first solo show, Kindness & Exuberance, wins the if.comedy Newcomer Award in 2006. She then wins the Chortle.co.uk Newcomer Award in 2005 and the Chortle.co.uk Best Breakthrough Act award in 2007. In 2008, she is nominated for the Barry Award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Television and radio

Long appears in Skins and also writes for the series. Other television and radio credits include Never Mind the Buzzcocks on BBC Two, Big Brothers Big Mouth on E4, The Last Chancers on Channel 4, Brain Candy on BBC Three, and The Milk Run on BBC Radio 1.

She is a regular on BBC Radio 1’s Switch, where she contributes the “confuse the teacher” feature. She also takes part in Robin Ince’s Book Club Tour and appears in Jon Ronson on... on Radio 4, Out to Lunch on Radio 2, 28 Acts in 28 Minutes and Four on the Floor on Radio 4.

Live work

Her live career includes sell-out performances in the UK, Los Angeles, Adelaide, New Zealand and Melbourne. She also appears at the Montreal Comedy Festival and is selected by Stewart Lee for a series of events titled The 10 Best Stand-ups in the World... Ever.

Style and reception

Reviews describe her work as warm, eccentric and full of wonder, with an emphasis on storytelling, charm and enthusiasm. She is also presented as a distinctive female comic in a comedy scene often described as male-dominated.