Sara Patricia Pascoe (born 22 May 1981) is an English comedian, actress, presenter and writer. She has appeared on television programmes including ''

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of '' Countdown'', but presented in a comedy panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...

'' and '' Taskmaster'' for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

and '' QI'' for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

Early life

Pascoe was born to Gail (''née'' Newmarch) and Derek Pascoe, a jazz musician. Her great-grandmother was Rosa Newmarch, a poet and writer on music. Born in

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

, Pascoe grew up in nearby

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

. Her parents divorced when she was seven and she was raised by her mother. She attended Eastbury Comprehensive School in

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking, 1965–1980 ** Municipal Borough of Barking, 1931–1965 ** Barking (UK Parliament constituency) ** Barking (electoral division), Greater ...

, and later attended Gaynes School in

Upminster Upminster is a suburb of east London, England, in the London Borough of Havering, northeast of Charing Cross. Historically a rural village, it formed an ancient parish in the Chafford hundred of the county of Essex. The economic history of ...

. When she was 16, she became pregnant, and had an abortion on her 17th birthday, an experience detailed in her memoir, ''Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body''. Pascoe studied English at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, where she met (and became friends with)

Cariad Lloyd Katie Cariad Lloyd (born 21 August 1982) is a British comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster. She is a member of the improvisational comedy group Austentatious, the host and creator of '' Griefcast'', and an improv teacher. Lloyd was nominate ...

. After graduation, she worked as an actor and supplemented her income with

temporary work Temporary work or temporary employment (also called gigs) refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time-based on the needs of the employing organization. Temporary employees are sometimes ...

, but found work "hard to come by" and declared herself bankrupt.

Career

Before her comedy career, Pascoe was a tour guide in London. Pascoe has appeared in many television programmes and

panel show A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

s, including '' Stand Up for the Week'', ''

The Thick of It ''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government. It was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially ...

'', ''

Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. Presenter Dara Ó Briain and pan ...

'', '' The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret'', ''

Campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

'', '' Being Human'', ''

Twenty Twelve ''Twenty Twelve'' is a BBC television comedy series written and directed by John Morton. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes and Amelia Bullmore, the programme is a spoof on-location mockumentary following the organisation of the 2012 Summe ...

'', '' QI'', ''

Have I Got News For You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...

'', ''

Would I Lie to You ''Would I Lie to You?'' (abbreviated as ''WILTY'') is a British comedy panel show aired on BBC One, made by Zeppotron for the BBC. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007, starring David Mitchell and Lee Mack as team captains. The show was ...

'', ''

Hypothetical A hypothesis (: hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations and make a testable and reproducible prediction about reality, in a process beginning with an educated guess or tho ...

'', and '' W1A'' as well as all-female sketch show ''Girl Friday'' (part of Channel 4's '' Comedy Showcase''), which she co-wrote. Pascoe began performing

stand up comedy Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehearse ...

in 2007. In the following year, she was a runner-up in the

Funny Women Funny Women is an online and in-person workshop community dedicated to the support of female comedians. It was founded by Lynne Parker (Funny Women), Lynne Parker in 2002 as a reaction to misogynistic comments from a comedy promoter. Funny Women h ...

award in 2008 with Rachel Stubbings. Katherine Ryan won the award that year. In August 2010, she performed her first show 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 ...

, ''Sara Pascoe Vs Her Ego''. In 2012, she appeared in episode 11 of the '' Comedian's Comedian Podcast'' hosted by Stuart Goldsmith, and in '' Live at the Apollo''. She appeared on the

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...

'' QI'' in 2013. XIMG 2241

In 2014, she performed at the

and toured the UK for the first time with the show ''Sara Pascoe Vs History''. The show was nominated for the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award 2014 for Best Comedy Show. In October 2014, she appeared in ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...

'' and stood in line at the identity parade round as a former dancer and back-up singer for the entertainer (and

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

's father) Pete Conway. Also that month, she appeared on the topical panel quiz ''

Have I Got News for You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...

'' as a panellist and in one of the sketches of the Channel 4 charity night ''

Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable organization that was established as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). In 2022, SU2C was separately incorporated and was recognized by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) public charit ...

''. In 2015, she appeared as a panellist on two Radio 4 programmes, the science discussion programme ''

The Infinite Monkey Cage ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' is a BBC Radio 4 comedy and popular science series. Hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince, ''The Independent'' described it as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science". Since 2 ...

'' in February, and the comedy quiz programme '' The Unbelievable Truth'' in September. In 2016, along with numerous other celebrities, Pascoe toured the UK to support

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

's bid to become

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. She has written two books. The first, ''Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body'', was published in 2016. Her second book, ''

Sex Power Money ''Sex Power Money'' is a 2019 book by Sara Pascoe and the name of a related podcast which Pascoe hosts. The book discusses sex through the medium of evolutionary psychology, sex work and public perceptions towards it and the role of money and capi ...

'', was published in 2019, which explores (mostly heterosexual) sexual relations, with particular focuses on male sexuality and on sex work. It is informed by evolutionary biology and social research, and by her own experiences and feelings. She also hosts a related podcast of the same name, in which she interviews people who have experience around sex work, stripping and porn. In 2016, she went on tour again with the show ''Animal''. She participated in series 3 of the comedy challenge show, '' Taskmaster'', which was broadcast on

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

in October and November 2016. She has appeared in all three of

Frankie Boyle Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. Boyle first gained widespread recognition as a regular panellist on the comedy show '' Mock the Week'' from 2005 until 2009. He then created and starred in t ...

's ''Autopsy'' BBC programmes (2014–2016), discussing political issues. From 2017 until 2020, she was a regular guest on his topical series '' Frankie Boyle's New World Order''. She also performed a half-hour stand-up set in episode 1 of series 2 of ''

Live from the BBC ''Live from the BBC'' is a British stand-up comedy series that has aired on the online BBC Three service since 17 February 2016. Three series have aired, both with six episodes. Series one has two comedians per episode (three in episode 5) and s ...

'' in 2017. On 27 October 2017, she appeared in an episode of the British travel documentary series '' Travel Man'' on

. In February 2018, she started a

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 called ''Modern Monkey''. In April 2018, she appeared as a panellist in two episodes of the

panel show ''

Just A Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...

''. In May 2018, she starred in a BBC comedy short entitled "Sara Pascoe vs Monogamy". In 2019, she was announced as the host of

series '' Comedians Giving Lectures'', in which comedians deliver a stand-up presentation in the guise of a lecture. In February 2020, Dave announced that they were commissioning two further series, with series 2 scheduled to be filmed and broadcast in 2020 and series 3 in 2021. However, the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

caused the project to be delayed, and both series were filmed at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in London in summer 2021. Series 2 was broadcast in November 2021 and Series 3 in April 2022. In March 2019, she appeared in ''Travelling Blind'' with

Amar Latif Amar Latif (born December 1974) is a Scottish entrepreneur, television personality and professional traveller. His blindness is due to the incurable eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. By his late teens he had 95 per cent sight loss. Educati ...

on BBC2. In April 2019, a live recording of Pascoe's ''LadsLadsLads'' tour at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

was shown on

. In November 2020, she hosted ''An Evening With Yuval Noah Harari'', a livestream book launch held by How to Academy and

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

Books. Pascoe's six-part comedy series '' Out of Her Mind'' premiered on

in October 2020. Exploring "heartbreak, family and how to survive them", the series is loosely based on her own life, with Pascoe playing a version of herself. Co-stars include

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Le ...

and

. Pascoe's three-part

series called ''Last Woman on Earth with Sara Pascoe'' premiered on 27 December 2020. In May 2022, the series was recommissioned for a second series, which premiered on 9 April 2023. She has hosted the panel show '' Guessable'', broadcast on

Comedy Central UK Comedy Central is a British pay television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and broadcast syndication, syndicated. This channel is specific to audiences within the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is aligned with ...

, since October 2020. She hosted series 8 (2022) and

series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial ...

(2023) of '' The Great British Sewing Bee''. In March 2025, she starred in the first series of '' LOL: Last One Laughing UK'', hosted by

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...

& Roisin Conaty, alongside

Richard Ayoade Richard Ayoade ( ; born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director and presenter. He played the role of socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), for which he won the 2014 Br ...

Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, author, television presenter, writer and actor. He is one half of the comedy double act Reeves and Mortimer with Jim Moir, Vic Reeves, and appears in the ''Mortimer & Whitehouse ...

, Lou Sanders,

Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain ...

, Judi Love,

Joe Wilkinson Joseph Roland Wilkinson (born 11 February 1975) is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour. In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of ...

Joe Lycett Joe Harry Lycett (born 1988), also known by the self-given moniker "Mummy", and officially self-renamed briefly as Hugo Boss in 2020, is a British comedian, television presenter, and painter. He has appeared on many TV shows, including '' Live ...

Daisy May Cooper Daisy May Cooper (born 1 August 1986) is an English actress and writer. She won the 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for playing Kerry Mucklowe in the BBC Three series '' This Country'', which she co-created and co-wrote w ...

& Harriet Kemsley

Other television appearances

In 2010, Sara Pascoe appeared as "Kathleen" in series 2, episode 5 of the

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 ...

series '' Being Human''. In 2017, Pascoe was one of four contestants on series 7, episode 8 of '' The Celebrity Chase'', progressing to the episode's Final Chase. Pascoe was one of the four competitors on a Christmas edition of '' The Great British Sewing Bee'' broadcast on

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

2020 on

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

. Her fellow competitors were Denise Van Outen,

Shirley Ballas Shirley Annette Ballas (née Rich, formerly Stopford; born 6 September 1960) is an English dancer and television personality. She specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the n ...

and Ranj Singh. In 2025, Pascoe appeared on ''A Bite To Eat With Alice'' (Australia).

Personal life

Pascoe lives in

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, England, from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described as one of "a new breed of urban villages" in London ...

, north London. From 2013 to late 2016, she dated the comedian John Robins. Her reflections on that relationship and its aftermath were the basis of her 2017 show ''LadsLadsLads'' at the

. In 2020, she married fellow comedian

Steen Raskopoulos Steen Raskopoulos (born 3 July 1987) is an Australian comedian, actor and improviser. He is best known for his live character solo sketch shows, playing Nick Fletcher in ''The Office'' (Australia), playing Dr. Evan in '' The Duchess'' (Netfli ...

. In November 2021, she announced that she was pregnant. In February 2022, Pascoe gave birth to her first son, Theodore, announcing it on

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

. Her second son, Albie, was born in October 2023. She is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

Bibliography

* 2016, ''Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body'' * 2019, ''

'' *2023, ''Weirdo''

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pascoe, Sara 1981 births Living people 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English non-fiction writers 21st-century English women writers Actors from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Actors from the London Borough of Havering Actresses from London Alumni of the University of Sussex Comedians from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Comedians from the London Borough of Havering English feminist writers English humanists English stand-up comedians English television actresses English women comedians English women non-fiction writers People from Dagenham People from Romford Writers from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Writers from the London Borough of Havering