Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe: Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 2012
Nicholas Parson’s Happy Hour: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2012
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2017
RCN Foundation NHS Nurses Fundraiser: Up The Creek, Greenwich, London, 2017
Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2019
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2019
Jessica Fostekew: Work in Progress: Firebug, Leicester, 2020
Next Up Comedy Festival: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy Online (2 shows): Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2020
Always Be Comedy Online: Suzi Ruffell All Stars for Young Roots: Online: 2021
Hoovering Podcast Live: Underbelly Festival, Cavendish Square, London, 2021
Always Be Comedy (2 shows): The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2022
Jessica Fostekew: WIP: Battersea Art Centre, London, 2023
Outside The Box Comedy Club 18th Birthday: The Fighting Cocks pub, Kingston, 2023
Leicester Comedy Festival 2024: The Hoovering Podcast Live: The Big Difference, Leicester, 2024
Jessica Fostekew is a charming, likeable British comedian who I have seen several times. She appealed to the lunchtime audience as an act for Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe in 2012 and in the same year was a charming guest on Nicholas Parson’s Happy Hour both of which I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was informative, witty and entertaining at both performances. She was not afraid to talk about things that make her uneasy – bad gigs or bad relationships as she did when she appeared at Always Be Comedy in 2017 and was extremely endearing to the audience. She co-hosted with exuding confidence opposite Lou Sanders the RCN Foundation NHS Nurses Fundraiser that I saw in 2017.
Fostekew was a guest for the Dave Edinburgh Comedy Awards Gala that I saw in August 2019 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then again for Always Be Comedy in September 2019. An extremely confident performer, she delivered twenty-minutes of clever material talking about her young family and skilfully mocking the framework of men and women that was both expressive and hilarious.
I saw the comedian again at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February 2020 where she performed an hour of new work-in-progress show bouncing hilarious ideas off the audience.
Fostekew headlined the Always Be Comedy Online showcase in May 2020. Broadcasting from home with a virtual audience due to a pandemic lockdown, the comedian was an absolute joy to watch. The routine featured body hair, loneliness and the effects of Zoom meetings and was so beautifully written and hilarious.
The comedian appeared for the Next Up Comedy Festival in July 2020. Covering such topics as missing work, not bring able to write comedy, her child, and a trip to the zoo, she was inspired easily making the online crowd howl with laughter. She was an expert at crowd interaction and easily won over the audience during her hour.
In October 2020, the comic headlined Always Be Comedy Online for a second time this time talking about holidays, Boris Johnson, schooling and body hair. The new material was hysterically funny.
I saw Fostekew live for an Always Be Comedy socially distanced show in December 2020 and finally got to say hello after she delivered another hysterical routine. She also produced a hilarious set for a charity show Always Be Comedy online: Suzi Ruffell All Stars for Young Roots that I watched in March 2021. Her ability to effortlessly make an audience continuously be entertained was wonderful to see.
The comedian presented The Hoovering Podcast Live at the Underbelly Festival in London in July 2021. The podcast about food and eating was a glorious hour of testing food from nearby China Town with guests: comedy legend Jo Brand and restaurant critic Jay Rayner. It was wonderful to spend an Hour in their company and the link for the podcast is: https://play.acast.com/s/hoovering
The comedian headlined Always Be Comedy in January 2022 and appeared again for a full preview in May 2022 with a wealth of new material about her son and her relationship. Her delivery and facial expressions to generate a laugh was hilarious.
In May 2023, the comic performed an hour of new material at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. She also appeared on the bill for Outside The Box Comedy Club 18th Birthday show. Ageing and fitness were included in the experimental sets, performed by a comedian who made the art of making people laugh look easy.
I watched a live recording of Fostekew’s hit The Hoovering Podcast Live for the Leicester Comedy Festival in February 2024. A wonderful host talking to guests (Hatty Ashdown and Dalisa Chaponda) about food. This was an Easter special, so all the audience had free chocolate eggs, it was a great hour spent in wonderful company.
Fostekew was born to be a comedian. I have now seen many times and she has made me laugh so much. I am look forward to seeing her again on a comedy bill soon.