Wikipedia

Jen Brister

Jennifer Helen Brister(born 9 February 1975) is a British stand-up comedian, writer and actor fromLondon.[1]

Jen Brister
Born
Jennifer Helen Brister

(1975-02-09)9 February 1975(age 49)
Kingston upon Thames,London,England
Alma materUniversity of Middlesex
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • writer
  • actor

Life and career

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Early life

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Brister was born inKingston upon Thames,Greater London, in 1975 to an English father and a Spanish mother. She has three brothers.[2]Brister was raised as aCatholic[3]and went to all girls'Ursuline High School, Wimbledon.[4]She then went on toRichmond College.[5]Her Spanish-born mother is a frequent target of her comedy shows.[6][7]

Stand-up career

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Brister studied drama atMiddlesex University,London, where, in the mid-1990s, she took a course in stand-up comedy, the only one of its kind at the time in the UK. Other famous graduates includeAlan Carr,Dan Renton Skinnerof the Dutch Elm Conservatoire andShooting Stars,and Clare Warde of the Runaway Lovers. Brister's first gig was at the end of her third year at university in 1996,[8]at the King's Head inCrouch End,London.

She has performed internationally including at theMelbourne Comedy Festivalin 2011 and 2014, at theAdelaide Festivalin 2011 and 2012, as well as numerous times at theEdinburgh Festival.She regularly performs at clubs around the UK including Banana Cabaret,The Comedy Store (London),the Glee Clubs, Frog & Bucket, and Up the Creek. She toured the UK for the first time in 2018 with her showMeaningless.Since 2022 she has been touring the UK again with her showThe Optimist.[9]

Her comedy hero isVictoria Wood.[10]

In 2006, Brister appeared at the2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringewith her first showMe, My Mum and I.[11]InTime Out,March 2006, Jen stated "It's really an exploration of my relationship with my mum. It's an analysis, as well, of where I am at this point in my life. I'm 31. I'm single. I don't own a house. Or a car. I don't have kids. Or any solid financial security. At 31, my mother had three children and a fourth on the way. She was married and she had a mortgage."[12]

In 2007–2008, Brister worked forBBC Radio 6 Musicas a stand-in presenter, and in 2008 she took a show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival calledReceptionwith her comedy partner at the time, Clare Warde. In 2009, Brister appeared at theEdinburgh Fringe,again doing a stand-up show as well as appearing in a play calledThe One and The Manyby Trevor Lock. In 2011, Brister took her second solo showBritish(ish)to Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh festivals.

In 2012, Brister performed her third solo showNow and Thenat the Adelaide and Edinburgh festivals, and in 2013, she performed a sell-out run atSoho Theatre,London. In 2014, Brister took her fourth showWishful Thinkingto the Free Fringe at Edinburgh, and performed it at Soho Theatre. In 2016, Brister performed her fifth showThe Other Oneat theCamden Fringecomedy festival, and in 2017 she performed it at Soho Theatre.

In 2017, Brister performed atBBC Two'sLive at The Apollo,aired on 14 December 2017.[13]

In 2018, Brister took her sixth showMeaninglessto the Edinburgh festival, where she had a sell-out run. This was the first show she had toured around the UK.

She gave aTED talkat Brighton TEDx in 2018 titled "Changing the way we bring up our boys", addressing the cultural and gender norms taught to children.[14]

Brister supportedFrankie Boyleon his 2018 tour[15]and was a panellist onFrankie Boyle's New World Orderon BBC Two in 2019.[16]She was a panellist onBBC Radio 4'sThe News Quizin September 2018 and May 2019.[17]She is a regular guest onpodcastslikeThe Guilty Feminist,Global PillageandDrunk Women Solving Crime.She also does her own podcast together with comedian Maureen Younger.[18]

Her 2019 Edinburgh show was calledUnder Privilege.[19]

In 2020 she was due to take her UK tour[20]ofUnder Privilegeto the Machynlleth Comedy Festival atThe Tabernacle, Machynlleth.[21]In May 2020 Brister appeared on the TV panel showWho Said That?.[22]

In November 2021, Brister was a panellist on the BBC showMock the Week.In January 2022, Brister was a panellist on the BBC showQI.

Writing

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Brister is also a writer and has contributed toDiva,g3,Standard Issuemagazine andThe Huffington Post.She has also written forBBC Scotland.[23]

Her first book,The Other Mother - A wickedly honest parenting tale for every kind of family,was published byPenguinin 2019.[24]

Acting

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Brister's first role in a feature film was in the horror filmLair,directed by Adam Ethan Crow.[25]

Personal life

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Brister and her partner Chloe Martin have twin boys, born in September 2014.[26]They live inBrighton.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Cutting Edge Of Comedy - competition review".Metro.co.uk.12 August 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2012.
  2. ^Paskett, Zoe (5 December 2018)."Jen Brister interview: 'I was strangling my career, but I don't give a f*** anymore'".Evening Standard.Retrieved28 May2019.
  3. ^"Wracked with guilt. Kind of".jenbrister.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2019.Retrieved28 May2019.
  4. ^Burns, James (6 August 2012)."Review: Jen Brister, Now and Then".funnywomen.Retrieved4 July2023.
  5. ^"Jen Brister".backyardcomedyclub.co.uk.13 December 2013.Retrieved28 May2019.
  6. ^Chamberlain, Julia; Bennett, Steve (1 January 2006)."Jen Brister: Me, My Mum & I".chortle.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  7. ^Logan, Brian (3 June 2020)."Jen Brister: Meaningless review – a furiously funny blast of rage".The Guardian.Retrieved6 November2024.
  8. ^Hawkins, Si (8 November 2018)."First Gig, Worst Gig - Jen Brister".comedy.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  9. ^"Jen Brister - The Optimist".littlewander.co.uk.Retrieved9 April2023.
  10. ^Donaldson, Brian (26 October 2018)."My Comedy Hero: Jen Brister on Victoria Wood".list.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  11. ^"Jen Brister".sgfringe.wordpress.20 July 2012.Retrieved28 May2019.
  12. ^Hay, Malcolm (March 22, 2006). "Comedy - Mother's Day - Jen Brister"Time Out,p. 52.
  13. ^"BBC Two - Live at the Apollo, Series 13, Episode 3".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  14. ^"Changing the way we bring up our boys - Jen Brister - TEDxBrighton".youtube.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.Retrieved28 May2019.
  15. ^Matthews, Nammie (31 May 2018)."BN1 chats to… Jen Brister".bn1magazine.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  16. ^"Frankie Boyle's New World Order - Series 3, Episode 3".comedy.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  17. ^"BBC Radio 4 - The News Quiz, Episodes".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  18. ^"Jen Brister & Maureen Younger".soundcloud.Retrieved28 May2019.
  19. ^"Jen Brister - Under Privilege".edinburghfestival.list.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  20. ^2020 Under Privilege UK Tour
  21. ^Machynlleth Comedy Festival 2020 - Under Privilege
  22. ^Who Said That? Episode 7 with James Acaster, Jen Brister, Fin Taylor and Esyllt SearsonYouTube
  23. ^"Biography".jenbrister.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  24. ^"Jen Brister, The Other Mother".penguin.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2019.
  25. ^"Lair".imdb.Retrieved28 May2019.
  26. ^Brister, Jen [@JenBrister] (23 September 2014)."I really want to go but gf is having twins on Thursday so might be optimistic on my part..."(Tweet).Retrieved28 May2019– viaTwitter.
  27. ^Gilson, Edwin (1 June 2018)."Brighton comedian Jen Brister on #MeToo:" I found out things I never knew "".The Argus.Retrieved28 May2019.
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