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Janey Godley

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Janey Godley
Godley in 2013
Born
Jane Godley Currie

(1961-01-20)20 January 1961
Campsie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Died2 November 2024(2024-11-02) (aged 63)
Glasgow, Scotland
Other namesJaney Currie
Janey Storrie
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actress
  • writer
Years active1994–2024
Spouse
Sean Storrie
​
(m. 1980)​
ChildrenAshley Storrie
Websitejaneygodley.com

Janey Godley (born Jane Godley Currie; 20 January 1961 – 2 November 2024) was a Scottish stand-up comedian, actress, writer and political activist. She began her stand-up career in 1994, and won various awards for her comedy in the 2000s.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she made a series of voice over clips of politicians and other well known personalities. The following year, she was dropped from a pantomime performance of Beauty and the Beast after a series of controversial racist tweets emerged, for which Godley later apologised.[1][2] She was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, from which she died in 2024.

Early life

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Godley was born in Campsie, East Dunbartonshire,[3] on 20 January 1961.[4] The youngest of four children born to Annie and Jim Currie, she was raised on Kenmore Street in Shettleston, a district in the East End of Glasgow, and attended Eastbank Academy. Living in poverty, which was rife in the East End during that time, Godley left school at 16 with no qualifications.[5] Her parents were alcoholics and her mother was also addicted to tranquilisers.[6][7] Her uncle molested her and her sister for a number of years during their childhoods, crimes for which he was charged in 1993, being sentenced to two years in prison in 1996.[8]

Career

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Godley began her stand-up career in 1994[4] using her middle name as both the Storrie and Currie families had disappointed her[9] and changed her name from Jane Godley Storrie to Janey Godley the following year.[10] She won an award for the "Best Show Concept" at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2002 and the "Spirit of the Festival" in 2006.[4] She published her autobiography Handstands in the Dark in 2005.[11] In 2006, she was a finalist for the Edinburgh Evening Times' "Scotswoman of the Year" award.[12] In 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2009, she was nominated as "Best International Guest" by the New Zealand Comedy Guild.[13] Her TV appearances include River City, Sam Delaney's News Thing, The Alex Salmond Show, Have I Got News for You, and Traces, and she appeared in the film Wild Rose. Godley often made spoof voice-overs of videos.[14][15]

In 2020, Godley wrote and starred in a series of short films titled Alone, about a recently widowed housewife whose abusive husband has died of COVID-19, as part of the National Theatre of Scotland's Scenes for Survival webseries.[16] In December 2020, the Royal Society of Edinburgh commended Godley's voice-overs of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's COVID-19 briefings for helping engage the public with the warnings.[17] That year, she won the Scots Language Award's Speaker of the Year Award.[18][19]

In September 2021, tweets Godley had sent in 2011 were publicised by The Daily Beast, leading MSP Douglas Lumsden to question the decision to cast her in a pantomime performance of Beauty and the Beast. Some of these tweets included insults based on the Chernobyl disaster and disabilities, and racial insults towards African American musicians Kelly Rowland, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg in 2011.[20][21] Godley apologised for the tweets[22] and Public Health Scotland dropped her from a campaign.[20]

Political activism

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Godley was a strong advocate for the transgender rights movement, actively supporting protections for the international transgender community. She was also a supporter of Scottish independence.[23] Initially a supporter of the Conservatives in her youth, once going so far as to meet Margaret Thatcher at a Scottish Conservative Party Conference in Perth,[24] she later became a supporter of the Scottish National Party and toured the UK in February 2016 in support of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.[23]

Godley went viral that year after being pictured standing outside Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf resort holding a sign stating "Trump is a Cunt", having been prevented from approaching her subject by Police Scotland,[25] and organised a protest in Glasgow just prior to the election of Trump as president.[26]

Personal life

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Godley married Sean Storrie in 1980.[27] Storrie, who is autistic[28] was born into a Glasgow gangster family.[29] Their daughter, Ashley Storrie (born 1986), who also has autism spectrum disorder, is a stand-up comedian and BBC Radio Scotland presenter.[30][31]

Godley ran a public house in Calton, Glasgow, with her husband and his family for 14 years during the 1980s and 1990s.[17] In 1982, when Godley was 21, her mother died after drowning in the River Clyde. Godley believed that her mother was murdered by her mother's boyfriend, who she claimed was violent. He was never charged by police for Annie Currie's death despite calls from her family for an investigation.[5] On 31 December 2010, her brother Mij Currie died from a drug-related illness.[32]

Illness and death

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In November 2021, Godley announced via Twitter the cancellation of the last weekend of her tour, explaining that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was being treated in hospital,[33][34] and underwent a full hysterectomy in January 2022. In June that year, she announced that she was cancer-free. In December, she announced that her cancer had returned and that she would need further chemotherapy.[35] After her cancer spread, she began to receive palliative care and moved into a hospice in September 2024.[36][37] She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow on 31 October 2024.[38]

Godley died at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, on 2 November 2024, aged 63. Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to her.[39]

Books

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  • Godley, Janey (2005). Handstands in the Dark. London: Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-190877-5. OCLC 61175808.
  • Godley, Janey (2020). Frank Get the Door!. Illustrated by Christina Connelly. Edinburgh: Luath Press. ISBN 978-1-910022-14-6. OCLC 1198558126.
  • Godley, Janey (2022). Nothing Left Unsaid. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-5293-5712-7. OCLC 1308460883.

References

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  1. ^ Duffield, Scott. "Janey Godley: 'I'm ashamed of tweets but I'm not a racist'". STV. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  2. ^ Webster, Laura. "Janey Godley issues statement as 'racist' tweets about black celebrities emerge". The National. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  3. ^ Healy, Rachael (2 November 2024). "Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Janey Godley, comedian reviews". Chortle: The UK Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b Brooks, Libby (19 August 2019). "'I joked about my life – Ma's murder, child abuse, gangsters': how Janey Godley became the queen of comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Next to Godley". The Scotsman. 15 July 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  7. ^ Wilson, Louise (5 May 2021). "Black comedy: Interview with Janey Godley". Holyrood. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Prison term for uncle marks an end to the ordeal women had kept to themselves; Abused sisters' 30-year secret". The Herald. 5 November 1996. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  9. ^ Glover, Gillian. "Working in a rough Glasgow pub gave Janey Godley the front to make a success of stand-up comedy – and put dark memories of a troubled childhood behind her, says Gillian Glover". www.janeygodley.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  10. ^ Delaney, Zoe. "Janey Godley shares poignant wedding anniversary celebration on the ward amid end of life care". Mirror. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Handstands in the Dark listing at Random House". Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  12. ^ Robertson, Linda (18 October 2006). "Last chance to vote for Scotswoman of the Year". Evening Times. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Janey Godley". Scottish Comedy Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  14. ^ Aiken, Gregor (16 November 2018). "Brexit breakdown as Prime Minister dwells on Snapchat group with Arlene Foster and Nicola Sturgeon".
  15. ^ "Janey Godley – Loud and Live, The Soup Pot Sessions". Glasgow Life.
  16. ^ "Scenes For Survival – Alone Part II". nationaltheatrescotland.com. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  17. ^ a b Williams, Martin (11 December 2020). "Royal Society of Edinburgh acclaims Janey Godley's medicine for helping curb Covid-19 spread". The Herald. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  18. ^ Ferguson, Brian (24 October 2020). "Comedy star Janey Godley named 'Scots Speaker of the Year'". The Scotsman. JPI Media. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  19. ^ Hannan, Martin (26 October 2020). "Janey Godley and Stuart Paterson muckle winners o' Scots awards". The National. NewsQuest. NewsQuest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  20. ^ a b Brooks, Libby (9 September 2021). "Janey Godley dropped from Scottish Covid ads after 'unacceptable' tweets". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  21. ^ Webster, Lauren (8 September 2021). "Tory MSP writes to theatre with 'concerns' over Janey Godley's panto role". The National. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  22. ^ Cochrane, Angus (8 September 2021). "Janey Godley apologises for 'horridly offensive' historic tweets". The National. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Janey Godley: Comedian on tour to make Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister admits to being an SNP member". The Independent. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  24. ^ Godley, Janey (2005). Handstands in the dark : a true story of growing up and survival. London: Ebury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4481-1754-3.
  25. ^ "Comedian Janey Godley plans Glasgow Against Trump rally in George Square". The National. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  26. ^ Gilbert, Julie (6 November 2016). "Glaswegian Janey Godley threatened with rape after George Square Trump protest". glasgowlive. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  27. ^ "'I'm rebelling against my upbringing': Ashley Storrie on being the daughter of a comedy legend". HeraldScotland. 30 July 2017.
  28. ^ Banim, Julia. "Janey Godley's selfless act for husband as he struggled with her cancer treatment". Daily Record UK. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Mum was murdered and my in-laws are gangsters".
  30. ^ Donaldson, Brian (8 June 2016). "Interview: Ashley Storrie – 'I have been known to go a bit Tonto'". The List. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  31. ^ Hinds, Alice (30 May 2021). "Comedian Ashley Storrie on why playing an autistic young woman in her first dramatic role has helped her open up about her own diagnosis". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  32. ^ English, Paul (27 December 2020). "Janey Godley is an artist at the peak of her vocal powers". The TImes. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Comedian Janey Godley reveals she has ovarian cancer". BBC News. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Janey Godley: Scottish comedian reveals she has ovarian cancer and cancels final tour dates". Sky News. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Janey Godley tells fans that her cancer has returned". The Independent. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  36. ^ Franklin, Beth (25 September 2024). "Janey Godley receiving 'end-of-life' care after cancer spreads". STV News. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Comedian Janey Godley receiving end-of-life care". BBC News. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  38. ^ "Comedian Janey Godley given honorary doctorate in hospice bed". BBC News. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  39. ^ "Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63". Sky News. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
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