Kate Smurthwaite is a British comedian and political activist. She has appeared on British television and radio as a pundit, offering opinion and comment on subjects ranging from politics to religion. She performs stand-up around the UK and overseas including an annual comedy show at the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

and is a patron of

Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent Irreligion in the United Kingdom, non-religious people in the UK throug ...

, formerly known as the British Humanist Association, and vice chair of Abortion Rights UK.

Early life

Smurthwaite studied mathematics at

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

, from 1994 to 1997. After leaving university, she worked in London and Japan as an investment banker, specifically within convertible bond research for UBS Warburg.

Comedy

Smurthwaite began performing comedy in early 2004. In 2008, she was a finalist in the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...

New Act of the Year competition. Smurthwaite has toured internationally, appearing in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, and

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and has appeared several times at the

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

Comedy Festival in Sweden. In 2011, Smurthwaite toured as support for Shazia Mirza and also returned to the town she grew up in and opened the Bury St Edmunds Fringe festival. She performs at many charitable benefit shows such as the '' No More Page Three'' show at the

Harold Pinter Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, and appears at regular benefits for ''Sex Appeal'' at the

Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre located on Gordon Street in Bloomsbury, within the London Borough of Camden. It is owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 541 and offers a professional programme of innovati ...

and for Eaves Housing at

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

and Bloomsbury Theatre. She also regularly performs at the Humanists UK annual convention. Smurthwaite also teaches stand-up comedy through the City Academy in London.

Television and radio appearances

Smurthwaite was a morning show presenter on

Radio Jackie Radio Jackie is an Independent Local Radio station in Kingston upon Thames, England broadcasting news, popular hits, and local information to South-West London and North Surrey from its studios in Tolworth. History Radio Jackie began as a p ...

in 2006, and co-presented a show on Leith FM during the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe. She appears regularly with

Jason Mohammad Jason Mohammad (born 17 September 1973) is a Welsh radio and television presenter currently working for the BBC. He is the host of '' Final Score'' on BBC One on Saturday afternoons. Personal life Mohammad was born and brought up in Cardiff to ...

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...

's lunchtime phone-in show and as part of

BBC London BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London, Surrey and parts of the surrounding areas of the Home Counties. Its output includes the daily '' BBC London'' news bulletin and w ...

's ''Lady Lounge'' with Kath Melandri. In May 2012, Smurthwaite recorded a 15-minute programme for the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

series ''Four Thought'' about sexism in comedy. On 25 October 2013, Smurthwaite took part in the 100 Women event hosted by the BBC. The day featured debate and discussion on radio, television and online, in which the participants were asked to give their opinion on the position of women in the 21st century. And in the end of the year, she was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women. Smurthwaite was a credited writer on the second series of '' The Revolution Will Be Televised'', which was first broadcast on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

on 10 November 2013. Smurthwaite appeared as a panellist on '' Question Time'' on 30 January 2014, which was broadcast from St. Andrew's Hall in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. The other panellists on the show were Ken Clarke,

Emily Thornberry Dame Emily Anne Thornberry, Lady Nugee (born 27 July 1960), is a British Labour politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005. She served as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales from ...

Lord Oakeshott Matthew Alan Oakeshott, Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay (born 10 January 1947), is a British Investment management, investment manager and member of the House of Lords, formerly sitting in Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament as a Libera ...

, and Mark Littlewood. On 26 October 2014, she was included again in the BBC's 100 women. She also appeared on an episode of the Couples edition of ''

Come Dine with Me ''Come Dine with Me'' is a British reality series that has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb. Format The original format features five amateur chefs who live in the same town or area, who each host a three-c ...

'' in 2016 with her partner James.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows

Since 2005, Smurthwaite has performed comedy shows annually at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

*2005 hosted ''Amused Moose Hot Starlets'' *2006 solo show ''Adrenaline'' at Roman Eagle Lodge *2007 musical show ''Sing-Along-A-The-Joy-Of-Sex'' at Mercat Bar, group show ''Comedy Cocktail'' with Lenny Peters and David Mulholland *2008 solo show ''Apes Like Me'' at C-Soco Urban Garden, host of political panel show ''Comedy Manifesto'' at Beehive Inn *2009 solo show ''The News at Kate'' at Voodoo Rooms, host of ''Comedy Manifesto'' political panel show at Beehive Inn, host of ''Midnight Hour'' variety bill show at Canons' Gait *2010 solo show ''The News at Kate 2010'' at Voodoo Rooms, host of ''Comedy Manifesto'' political panel show at Beehive Inn, host of ''Midnight Hour'' variety bill show at Canons' Gait *2011 solo show ''The News at Kate 2011'' at Ciao Roma, host of ''Comedy Manifesto'' political panel show at Voodoo Rooms, host of ''Midnight Hour'' variety bill show at Canons' Gait *2012 solo show ''The News at Kate 2012'' at Ciao Roma, host of ''Comedy Manifesto'' political panel show at Ciao Roma, host of ''Midnight Hour'' variety bill show at Canons' Gait *2013 solo show ''The News at Kate 2013: My Professional Opinion'' at Ciao Roma, host of ''The News at Kate 2013: World Inaction'' a political comedy chat show at Canon's Gait. Guests included

Richard Wiseman Richard John Wiseman (born 16 September 1966) is a professor of the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He has written several psychology books. He has given keynote addresses to The Roy ...

, Rebecca Mordan, Peter Buckley Hill, and Danny Vermont *2014 solo show ''The News at Kate 2014: Leftie Cock Womble'' at Viva Mexico, solo show ''The Evolution Will Be Televised'' at Ciao Roma, host of ''Late With Kate'' late night variable bill show at Canon's Gait. *2015 solo show ''The Wrong Sort of Feminist'' at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 and the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Comedy Festival. In 2013, Smurthwaite was awarded a

ThreeWeeks ''ThreeWeeks'' is a magazine that covers the Edinburgh Festivals in August. It has covered the Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The ...

Editors' Award for her News at Kate shows, citing them as a "Fringe Institution". In 2014, her science show ''The Evolution Will be Televised'' was nominated for a Creative Carbon Scotland Fringe Sustainable Practice Award. Other Edinburgh Fringe shows Smurthwaite has appeared in include ''Spank!'', which she has hosted as well as being a guest performer, ''Political Animal'', ''

Nicholas Parsons Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show ''Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' S ...

' Happy Hour'', and ''SetList''.

Activism and journalism

Smurthwaite is the vice-chair and media spokesperson for British NGO Abortion Rights UK, and a member of London Feminist Network and the

National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. The Soc ...

. She is also on the board of the Edinburgh Fringe Society. She is also patron of

, formerly known as the British Humanist Association. In October 2009, Smurthwaite took a place on

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

fourth plinth The fourth plinth is the northwest plinth in Trafalgar Square in central London. It was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV of the United Kingdom, William IV, but remained empty due to lack of funds. For over 150 years, ...

as part of

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pl ...

's One & Other project, impersonating with permission the Irish

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their ...

campaigner Goretti Horgan who was unable to attend. She used the platform to highlight the disparity between abortion access in England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland. In July 2010, Smurthwaite protested at the lavish funeral of writer

Sebastian Horsley Sebastian Horsley (born Marcus A. Horsley; 8 August 1962 – 17 June 2010) was an English artist and writer. Horsley's writing often revolved around his dysfunctional family, his flamboyant and eccentric behavior, his drug addictions, sex, and ...

with a sign reading "Where are the horse-drawn carriages for the VICTIMS of prostitution?", attracting both praise and criticism. Smurthwaite has spoken at numerous rallies including the Rally for Free Expression, the rally against

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Nadine Dorries Nadine Vanessa Dorries (' Bargery; born 21 May 1957) is a British author and a former politician who served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2021 to 2022. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Bedfordshire ...

abstinence only sex education bill and the abortion rights rally in London following the death of Savita Halappanavar. Smurthwaite performed at the five-year anniversary party for the

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain or CEMB (pronounced as ''see-em-BEE'') is the British branch of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims.Jonathan PetreNew group for those who renounce Islam, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 21 June 2007 It was launched in ...

, and has hosted and spoken at a number of conferences including ''Feminism in London'' in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and ''Intersect'' in Bristol in 2012. Recently she has given talks about sex and about the intersection between atheism and feminism for student groups and branches of Sceptics in the Pub. In June 2014 she was a guest speaker at the 50th anniversary of the

Birmingham Humanists The Birmingham Humanist Group was formed on 23 May 1962 at the Arden Hotel, New Street, Birmingham, England, at a meeting convened by Dr Anthony Brierley. It changed its name to Birmingham Humanists (Brum Hums) in 2000 and voted to become a Partn ...

. In 2014, Smurthwaite was interviewed by the

No More Page 3 No More Page 3 was a campaign that ran in the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2015, aimed at convincing the owners and editors of ''The Sun'' to cease publishing images of topless glamour models on Page 3, which it had done since 1970. Started by Lu ...

campaign describing herself as a "passionate atheist", and not prudish in any way. She went on to talk about her battle with

anorexia Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

in her teens, "a part of me, almost consciously, made that decision that said, "I don't want to look like an adult woman because of the way that adult women are treated, as sex objects, I'm just going to starve myself, and if I don't ever grow boobs then nobody will ever be able to treat me like that and if I just stay looking like a young girl, by being stick thin, I'll be protected from that.", and I remember thinking that very consciously... A few years later I was down to under seven

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

, and I'm quite tall and I was very ill, I didn't have periods for about 18 months, yeah I was very, very sick." On 2 February 2015, Smurthwaite's show ''Leftie Cock Womble'' at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

was cancelled. The college's Feminist Society, who co-organised the appearance, complained about her views on decriminalising prostitution. Ultimately, the show was pulled because of a lack of ticket sales. Smurthwaite has written for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', '' Stylist'' , ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'', ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', ''

New Internationalist ''New Internationalist'' (''NI'') is an international publisher and left-wing magazine based in Oxford, England, owned by a multi-stakeholder co-operative and run day to day as a worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known ...

'', '' The F-Word'', ''

Liberal conspiracy ''Liberal Conspiracy'' was a British left-wing political blog established in November 2007 and edited by Sunny Hundal. Writing in ''The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The ...

'' , '' Progressive Women'' , ''Big Smoke'' and '' London Is Funny'' . She also has a regular column in the

National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...

' official magazine, ''The Teacher'' , as well as making regular posts to her own blog, ''Cruella blog''. Her writing for ''The Independent'' has included articles about her grassroots work teaching English to female

asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...

with the group Women Asylum Seekers Together, supported by Women for Refugee Women.

Awards

* Hackney Empire New Act of the Year finalist 2009 * Platform 51 award April 2011Platform 51
, ''Woman of the week'' * ThreeWeeks Editors' Award 2013

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smurthwaite, Kate 1975 births Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Atheist feminists Articles containing video clips British atheists British feminists British stand-up comedians British women comedians Comedians from London Feminist comedians Radical feminists Living people Women bankers British humanists