Deborah Frances-White | |
|---|---|
_(54100762670)_(cropped).jpg) Deborah Frances-White at the68th BFI London Film Festival premiere ofThat Christmas on 19 October 2024 | |
| Born | (1967-12-10)10 December 1967 (age 57)[1] Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia[2] |
| Alma mater | Harris Manchester College, Oxford |
| Notable work | The Guilty Feminist |
| Spouse | Tom Salinsky |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Medium | Stand-up,improvisation,Podcast |
| Genres | Observational humour,Self-help,storytelling |
| Subjects | Feminism, religion |
| Website | www |
Deborah Frances-White (born 10 December 1967[3]) is a London-based comedian, author and screenwriter.[4] She has both British and Australian citizenship.[5] She hosts the podcastsGlobal Pillage andThe Guilty Feminist.[6] She wrote the 2018 comedy filmSay My Name.
Frances-White was born in Australia andadopted at ten days old.[7] She grew up inBrisbane,Queensland. Her family converted toJehovah’s Witnesses when she was a teenager; Frances-White has since left the community and describes herself as anatheist.[8] During her gap year, she moved to London and later studied English atHarris Manchester College,Oxford University.[9]
Frances-White is one of three directors at theimprov theatre companyThe Spontaneity Shop, which she co-founded with Tom Salinsky in 1996.[10] After developing a number of improvisation formats at The Spontaneity Shop (including the improvised romantic comedyDreamDate which had a pilot made for ITV[11]), Frances-White turned to stand-up comedy. Her first significant solo show wasHow to Get Almost Anyone to Want to Sleep With You which she performed at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007[12] and at The Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2008[13] where she also hosted The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow.[14]
Frances-White's recent shows have been more personal.Cult Following (2012) dealt with her experiences as a teenage Jehovah's Witness,[15]Half a Can of Worms (2013) was about tracking down her biological family[16] andFriend of a Friend of Dorothy (2015) was about feminism, sexism and homophobia.[17]
Frances-White has continued to develop new improvisation formats.Voices in Your Head is a show which allows comedians, improvisers and actors to create comedy characters while the audience watches. Guests have includedPhill Jupitus,Sara Pascoe,Russell Tovey,Mike McShane andHannibal Buress.[18] In 2015 she createdThe Beau Zeaux a long-form improvised comedy featuring a rotating cast includingMarcus Brigstocke,Thom Tuck,Rachel Parris, Brendan Murphy, Ed Coleman, Milly Thomas andPippa Evans.[19] Guests have includedRussell Tovey[20] andDan Starkey.
Her BBC Radio 4 seriesDeborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice was first broadcast in spring 2015[21] and featured stories about her adoption,green card marriage, and the quest to find her biological family. The episodes were titled "Half a Can of Worms", "Cult Following", "Visa Issues" and "Who's Your Daddy"? In January 2016, the show won Frances-White theWriters' Guild of Great Britain award for "Best Radio Comedy".[22] A second series was first broadcast in autumn 2016.[23]
On television, Frances-White has appeared as a guest onMock the Week,Politics Live andTonight With Vladimir Putin.[24]
WithSofie Hagen, she created the podcastThe Guilty Feminist. She is also the creator and host of the podcastGlobal Pillage, a long running comedy panel show that blends comedy, intersectional feminism and politics. In 2019,The Guilty Feminist andAmnesty International joined forces for theSecret Policeman’s Tour, consisting of three shows with comedy, music and discussion, all in support of human rights.[25] In 2023,The Guilty Feminist also launchedMedia Storm, a news podcast hosted by journalists Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia.[26] Deborah also created and hosted the intersectional comedy panel show Global Pillage, which pits teams of comedians and commentators against each other and the hive mind of the audience.
Frances-White regularly appears at corporate events speaking about confidence, charisma, diversity and sexism.[27] HerTEDx talk on Charisma vs Stage-Fright[28] was cited byJames Caan as the secret of his presenting skills.[29]
With her writing partner Philippa Waller, Frances-White contributed two episodes ofYoung Dracula in 2014.[24] She has co-written two books:The Improv Handbook with Tom Salinsky[30] andOff the Mic with Marsha Shandur,[31] both published byBloomsbury. She writes forStandard Issue Magazine.[32] In 2018,Virago publishedThe Guilty Feminist, a spin-off from her podcast.[33] Her debut feature film, the comedy thrillerSay My Name,[34] premiered on 19 March 2019. In April, 2025 her bookSix Conversations We're Scared To Have came out.
Frances-White became aJehovah's Witness while still a teenager. Her years in the religion and how she left it were the focus of her 2012Edinburgh Fringe stand-up comedy show and two of the episodes of herBBC Radio 4 showDeborah Frances-White Rolls the Dice.[21][35]
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