
Francesca Martinez
Named one of Britain’s most influential women by BBC Woman’s Hour in 2014, top stand-up comedian and motivational speaker Francesca Martinez is in demand for events of all sizes.
Francesca Martinez's videos
What Francesca Martinez's clients say
"Francesca was a host worth waiting for. After several false starts due to Covid, she presented our annual awards ceremony in Newcastle and was a huge hit with all of our attendees. She was funny, warm, engaging and genuinely seemed to enjoy herself while presenting too. She was an absolute professional, and had obviously taken the time in advance to get to know our organisation and her role on the evening. A real pleasure to work with!"
"Francesca was incredible – like we knew she would be. There was some amazing feedback, mainly about her positivity, energy and passion. Everyone loved it."
"Francesca, as the headline event at Gibraltar Pride 2014, not only punctured glass ceilings, but warmed and lovingly bruised our hearts, too. In so doing, she successfully demonstrated that human solidarity not only knows no bounds, but can actively transcend them, whilst allowing us all to militantly fall in love with each other! In short, Gibraltar and its LGBTI, disabled and many other communities love Ms.Martinez. And, as a personal level, I am no exception, either. My fondness and respect for her humanity and many evident talents are impossible to conceal!"
"Francesca's speech was the hit of the evening funny, personal and very inspirational. Everyone singled her out and said what a great speaker she was. Her impact was amazing and wed love her to come back next year."
"When I was at Unilever I organised an event around the theme of creative courage. All artists display varying degrees of courage but Francesca walked on stage and changed the atmosphere. She made them more courageous from that moment. It was like a euphoria - it took them a while to come down."
"Francesca was laugh out loud funny. She was definitely a star of the show and, along with Alan Carr, she had the audience in stitches."
"In all our years of annual conferences, Francesca is the first speaker to receive a standing ovation! Francesca had told us 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' – this young woman has it in abundance! Pearls of wisdom flowed from her mouth and her act was both hilarious and inspirational. A refreshingly different take on comedy, she wise-cracks her way through prejudice and disability, using everyday events seen from a disabled person's angle, as the butt of her jokes. A big-hearted lady with a zest for life, from whom everyone could learn a lesson."
"Francesca was fantastic. The laughter was non-stop for the full hour. She expertly mixed the comedy with the motivational. I will definitely be recommending her in the future."
"Everybody loved Francesca's performance – she was the highlight of an evening of exciting performances. Her warm, friendly, easy-going personality endeared her to those who worked with her at the event."
"Thank you again so much to Francesca for hosting our London Book Fair event. We knew she would be good, but had no idea quite how powerful and engaging (not to mention almost painfully funny) her contribution would be - it was just incredible. I don’t know how to express how spot-on it was - everything we wanted and more...."
"Francesca is one of the most inspiring women I have met and her approach to her life and work is one that is well worth sharing with others. Our delegates were enthralled with her performance, and I shall always remember her phrase “perfectly me” which we should all strive to adopt as our personal motto. And the bonus is that she is incredibly funny!"
"Francesca brought the house down. We had lots of disabled young people in the audience and they were all cracking up. The crowd even managed to bend her arm for a little more time than planned! Please do thank her again from us. It was a great start to the festival and totally along the awareness-raising but fun vibe we wanted!"
"It was an absolute honour to meet with, and listen to, Francesca in Dublin… She received a standing ovation - deservedly so. Not only is Francesca approachable, friendly and intelligent, but she is someone one that can interact with any audience, delivering amazingly sharp humour. Her expert presentation is valuable for health and all other professionals to hear, and so hilarious and entertaining. I am a long-standing and great fan - even more so now that I have met her and witnessed such an amazing performance!"
"Our thanks to Francesca for doing such a wonderful hosting job. Her charm, skill, and brilliant irreverence really made the evening go with a swing and set exactly the tone and spirit I was hoping for."
"It is very seldom in life that as a sensitive and spiritual person I am moved to stopping in my tracks and reassessing my life. In the 20 minutes Francesca spoke to us, she looked into my heart, my subconscious, my brightest and darkest being - and she gave me a shake, a slap and the heartiest laugh I’ve had in months. She’s the most confident, assertive, unassuming, apolitical, pragmatic, honest, hilarious person I’ve ever had the opportunity to be in a room with. I take my hat off to her. She’s an inspiration - who wears fabulous boots!"
"Francesca was a great success and I have received very good feedback from our staff."
"It was a real pleasure to have Francesca perform at UBS last night. Her approach to life is very refreshing and her humour is absolutely hilarious. The impact she had on everyone was powerful and unforgettable. The event sold out all of its 600 tickets in just 27 seconds which is a record - we are already planning on having her back."
"Francesca presented a powerfully articulate, inspirational, refreshingly honest and politically incorrect, highly humourous, frank, sensitive self-portrait, that challenged, educated and entertained a captivated audience of delegates."
"When I invited Francesca Martinez to speak to a group of second year undergraduates as part of a communications module, I was hoping for a different approach to the topic. I was not disappointed. The session was well received by the students, thoroughly enjoyed by all and fulfilled all the learning objectives. The session also reinforced my belief that humour enhances learning. Any effect will be long lasting and influence the students long after leaving the theatre. It was an education in itself."
"Francesca was an incredible speaker and our staff were really impacted by her presentation. She is the perfect speaker for medical professionals and her message will have a deep effect on the way we approach difference."
"We were delighted to invite Francesca to perform her Comedy as part of our Diversity Week activities, this being the 3rd year we have had a comedy night during the week. Francesca gave us a really entertaining night with her insight and made people really think about the person rather than the disability. We laughed along with her and came out all the better for being more disability aware. Employees are still talking about her - weeks after her performance!"
"Francesca’s talk was absolutely fantastic, a massive hit with the delegates. She was most certainly the topic of conversation and left everyone with food for thought!"
Available for
Languages:
- English
Francesca Martinez's 2025 biography
About Francesca Martinez
Francesca* is a comedian, author, actress, playwright and speaker who has toured the globe with her award-winning stand-up shows. She launched her comedy career in 2000, when she became the first and only woman to win the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has performed in Australia, Ireland, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, in Hollywood, on Broadway, and alongside Emma Thompson at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
From 2003 to 2008, Francesca toured her hit Edinburgh solo shows I’mperfect and In Deep around the UK. In 2011, she won the Edinburgh Fringe Media Network Award for her solo show What The *** Is Normal?!, and embarked on a 140-date world tour. In 2016, she supported Frankie Boyle on his sell-out UK tour, and was commissioned to write and perform in a new solo show, Francesca Martinez’s Wobbly Manifesto.
Since starring in five series of BBC1’s Grange Hill in the 1990s, Francesca has made numerous TV appearances including BBC2’s Extras opposite Kate Winslet and Ricky Gervais, BBC3’s Russell Howard’s Good News and CBBC’s The Dumping Ground. On ITV, she headlined The Jonathan Ross Show and guested on The Frank Skinner Show, Lorraine, Loose Women and This Morning. She has appeared on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, Channel 4’s Very British Problems, and on Sky One’s The Russell Howard Hour. Francesca opened Series 11 of BBC2’s Live at the Apollo.
Francesca’s radio credits include several hugely popular appearances on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz alongside the late, great Jeremy Hardy, and writing and performing for The Verb and Shakespeare’s Centenary on BBC Radio 3. In 2018, she wrote and starred in her first radio play How We’re Loved for BBC Radio 4.
Francesca’s best-selling book, also called What The **** Is Normal?!, was published by Penguin Random House in 2014. It garnered rave reviews and was nominated Best Book in the Chortle Comedy Awards and runner-up in the Bread & Roses Book Award. In 2021, she contributed to the anthology This Is How We Come Back Stronger for & Other Stories, and wrote the CBBC comedy-drama How I Found My Two Best Friends, which aired that same year.
Francesca’s first stage play All of Us was commissioned by the National Theatre and directed by Ian Rickson. It ran from 29th July to 24th September 2022 with Francesca starring in the lead role. The play received multiple five star reviews and standing ovations every night, and Francesca was nominated for the prestigious George Devine Award.
Francesca delivers motivational and after-dinner speeches across the globe. In 2005, she was nominated for the Motivator of the Year Award along with Sir Bob Geldof. She was awarded Public Affairs Achiever of the Year 2013, nominated a Top Ten Game Changer in BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour Power List 2014 and Hero of the Year in the European Diversity Awards. She has Honorary Doctorates from both the Open University and Bradford University.
*Francesca has cerebral palsy but much prefers the word ‘wobbly’.