Sophie Willan

Willan was born and grew up in Bolton, and spent time in care as a child,[2][3] as her mother was a heroin addict.[4] She later worked as an escort, and sex work is chronicled in her show Branded.[4]

Both brutally honest and gloriously unpredictable, Sophie's stand up takes inspiration from her unusual life experiences, which makes for a razor sharp and totally authentic comic voice. A force to be reckoned with, she exudes confidence and northern charm.

In 2015 powerhouse Sophie Willan's refreshing comic style took her to several competition finals including the Magners New Comedian of the Year, where she was crowned the winner.

In 2016 she took her debut stand up show On Record, based on her experiences of growing up in and out of the care system, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A total sell out run and phenomenal critical acclaim followed with in smash hit nationwide tour in 2017, including 10 dates at London's Soho Theatre and a commission to adapt the show into a BBC Radio 4 series, with a second series green light following quickly after.

Sophie's second show Branded was one of the big hits of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017, achieving a total sell out run, a Herald Angel Award and a nomination for Best Show.

Sophie is the narrator of Channel 4’s The Circle and joined the cast of Still Open All Hours (BBC One) and Click and Collect (BBC One). She played Carol in Series 4 of sketch show Class Dismissed (CBBC) and has performed comedy on Live from The Comedy Store[5] (Comedy Central) As Yet Untitled (Dave) and The Last Leg Correspondents (C4).

She has also been nominated as a Chortle Best Newcomer, honoured on the BBC New Talent Hot List and became the first ever recipient of the BBC’s Caroline Aherne Comedy Bursary[6] and a South Bank Sky Arts Award Best Breakthrough Nominee.

In 2020 Sophie's sitcom Alma's Not Normal was commissioned for a full series by BBC Two, following the success of the pilot. The pilot attracted more than a million viewers and a slew of four and five-star reviews. The Mirror called it ‘Phoenix Nights meets Fleabag, guided by the spirit of Victoria Wood’;[7] The Times said, ‘Willan's writing is skilled and clearly very personal...uplifting and strangely enchanting’.[8]

The full series of Alma's Not Normal will be released in 2021.

In 2015 Sophie secured funding of over £100k to create the dynamic multi-platform literary project Stories of Care, creating and curating short stories written by fellow care leavers. Working with Producer and Editor, Oliver Sykes and Youth Liaison Officer, Rod Kippen, Sophie recruited Care Leavers across the North West to take part in the creation of published children's anthology for Looked After Children.[9]

• Official website
• UTC Artist Management website