Born in Dagenham in 1981 and raised in Romford, Sara Pascoe is one of the UK’s leading standup comedians. Known for weaving whimsical comedy into routines about science and politics, she began on the comedy circuit in 2007, and was nominated for the Edinburgh award in 2014. Pascoe went on to become a TV panel show fixture on shows such as QI and 8 Out of 10 Cats, and starred in her own series, Last Woman on Earth, in 2020. She has written two books, 2016’s Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body, and Sex Power Money, in 2019. Pascoe’s new live show, Success Story, is touring from November and into 2023.
This is a photo of my first time on stage, playing Glinda the good witch in The Wiz. Behind me is Sophie, a fellow member of the drama group. There was a lot of talk about weight backstage, and as a result I remember thinking I looked fat, which is tragic really. Other than that, I was just excited to get my hands on a bit of frosted lipstick – it was a Rimmel classic from the 90s. We were performing at a small theatre, but still slathered the orange foundation and eyeliner on thick so the people at the back could see our facial features; as if we were Laurence Olivier or something.
