Fatiha El-Ghorri is having an exceedingly good year. Last month the hajib-wearing Londoner picked up a Best Newcomer nomination at the Edinburgh Fringe despite hardly being new, having been a stand-up for a decade and appearing on TV shows including Live at the Apollo and Taskmaster. Her Hackney show had the feel of a celebratory homecoming. The 45-year-old was born and raised a mile from the venue and peppered her set with fan-pleasing local references.
El-Ghorri is not short on attitude, whether dissing gentrification ("when I'm rich I'm gonna buy a house here just to bring the prices down") or discussing her penchant for having a potty mouth ("I can be clean for the right fee"). You definitely wouldn't want to mess with her. She talks about being banned from the mosque for fighting and it's not hard to believe.
