Famed comedian and disability advocate, Francesca Martinez, is one of the UK's leading entertainers. She has performed at countless sell-out shows across the country, a testament to Francesca's natural talent as a comedian. When Francesca steps onto the stage, she is not just entertaining thousands of audience members, but actively normalising the presence of disabled people in the media too. Regularly booked for events, her cheeky comedy style will resonate with audiences of all demographics, making her the ideal entertainer for every occasion. Ensure that your event is truly unforgettable with this show-stopping comedian.
From the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the Melbourne Comedy Festival, Francesca has been rewriting stereotypes on a global scale. With every punchline, she is proving to all that a disability does not dictate someone's success, and that, in her own right, she is a truly hilarious comedian. Francesca has enjoyed sustained success on the circuit, since she was named the first female comic to win the 2000 Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award. The prestigious accolade is reserved for only the most talented comedians, positioning Francesca as one of the greats.
Only a year later, she was listed in The Observer's 50 funniest acts in British comedy 2001. An event featuring Francesca benefits from an award-winning comedian, whose professionalism and unrivalled talent stays with audiences long after the curtains have closed. In 2008, Francesca performed at the World Economic Forum, a reflection of her diverse career as a performer. Taking to the global stage, she toured the world with her show What The **** Is Normal?, entertaining audiences at 140 events. The show was awarded the Fringe Media Network Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, for its boundary-pushing qualities.
Francesca's show was later reimagined as a best-selling book in 2014, and was nominated for the Chortle Comedy 'Best Book' Award. In the same year, she was celebrated by The Guardian as one of Britain's Five Funniest Women. Francesca has also diversified her career to appear on the screen, starring in popular British television shows like Russell Howard's Good News and Question Time.
In 2021, Francesca contributed to the anthology This Is How We Come Back Stronger for & Other Stories and the Feminist Press, and wrote the CBBC comedy-drama How I Found My Two Best Friends, which aired that same year. Francesca’s first stage play All of Us was commissioned by the National Theatre, and ran from 29th July to 24th September 2022 with Francesca starring in the lead role. The play received multiple five-star reviews, and standing ovations every night and has been nominated for the George Devine Award 2022.
In 2005, she was nominated for the Motivator of the Year Award along with Sir Bob Geldof. She was awarded Public Affairs Achiever of the Year 2013, nominated a Top Ten Game Changer in BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Power List 2014, and Hero of the Year in the European Diversity Awards. She has an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University “for making Britain a more compassionate and fairer society”, and a second honorary doctorate from Bradford University “for her contributions to equality, inclusive thought and social commentary”.Aside from her comedic career, Francesca delivers motivational and after-dinner speeches across the globe. She has also been a vocal supporter of the disabled community, using her platform to critique welfare reform. As an inclusion speaker, Francesca shines a light on issues surrounding disability in a light-hearted, thought provoking manner.
How to hire Francesca Martinez
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Francesca Martinez for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
"Francesca was brilliant last week- I think the attendees all really enjoyed her talk" - Saul, Analyst in Corporate Finance, Ernst & Young
“Francesca’s speech was the hit of the evening – funny, personal and very inspirational. Everyone singled her out and said what a great speaker she was. Her impact was amazing and we’d love her to come back next year.” - World Economic Forum
"Francesca was fantastic. The laughter was non-stop for the full hour. She expertly mixed the comedy with the motivational. I will definitely be recommending her in the future." - Oracle
"When I was at Unilever I organised an event around the theme of creative courage. All artists display varying degrees of courage but Francesca walked on stage and changed the atmosphere. She made them more courageous from that moment. It was like a euphoria - it took them a while to come down." - Unilever
“It was a real pleasure to have Francesca perform at UBS last night. Her approach to life is very refreshing and her humour is absolutely hilarious. The impact she had on everyone was powerful and unforgettable. The event sold out all of its 600 tickets in just 27 seconds which is a record - we are already planning on having her back as soon we can so that more of our employees can see her” - UBS
“Francesca was a great success and I have received very good feedback from our staff.” - Accenture
"Francesca has a unique gift and it's amazing to see the impact she has on her audience. They have not stopped talking about her and many have said how much she has changed their attitudes and inspired them to be happier people. She has had a profound effect and her message is both important and life-affirming. She really changes people's lives" - British Council
“Francesca was brilliant - a real tonic for just after lunch.” - Leonard Cheshire
“In all our years of annual conferences, Francesca is the first speaker to receive a standing ovation! Francesca had told us 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' - this young woman has it in abundance! Pearls of wisdom flowed from her mouth and her act was both hilarious and inspirational. A refreshingly different take on comedy, she wise-cracks her way through prejudice and disability. A big-hearted lady with a zest for life, from whom everyone could learn a lesson.” - Inner Wheel Association Of Great Britain
“It was an absolute honour to meet with, and listen to, Francesca in Dublin… She received a standing ovation - deservedly so. Not only is Francesca a very approachable, friendly and intelligent lady, but she is someone one that can interact with any audience, delivering amazingly sharp humour. Her expert presentation is valuable for health and all other professionals to hear, and so hilarious and entertaining. I am a long standing and great fan - even more so now that I have met her and witnessed such an amazing performance!” - Baby Lifeline
“It is very seldom in life that as a sensitive and spiritual person I am moved to stopping in my tracks and reassessing my life. In the 20 minutes she spoke to us she looked into my heart, my subconscious, my brightest and darkest being - and she gave me a shake, a slap and the heartiest laugh I've had in months. She's the most confident, assertive, unassuming, apolitical, pragmatic, honest, hilarious person I've ever had the opportunity to be in a room with. In trying to retell some of her jokes, and the way she told them, later that evening and since, I've made a fool of myself - I'm just not a funny person, and I don't have her class. I take my hat off to her. She's an inspiration - who wears fabulous boots!" - Head of Healthcare, Beauchamp Solicitors
“When I invited Francesca Martinez to speak to a group of second year undergraduates as part of a communications module, I was hoping for a different approach to the topic. I was not disappointed. The session was well received by the students, thoroughly enjoyed by all and fulfilled all the learning objectives. The session also reinforced my belief that humour enhances learning. Any effect will be longlasting and influence the students long after leaving the lecture theatre. It was an education in itself.” - St George’s University Hospital
“Francesca was great - as ever! And we look forward to an opportunity to work again with her soon.”- Live Group
“Francesca brought the house down. We had lots of disabled young people in the audience and they were all cracking up. The crowd even managed to bend her arm for a little more time than planned! Please do thank her again from us. It was a great start to the festival and totally along the awarenessraising but fun vibe we wanted!” - Disability From A Different Angle Film Festival
“Francesca went down fantastically with lots of positive feedback.” - Unison
“Everybody loved Francesca's performance - she was the highlight of an evening of exciting performances. Her warm, friendly, easy-going personality endeared her to those who worked with her at the event.” - Harrow Borough Council
“Francesca presented a powerfully articulate, inspirational, refreshingly honest and politically incorrect, highly humorous, frank, sensitive selfportrait, that challenged, educated and entertained a captivated audience of delegates. On behalf of everyone who attended the conference I would like to thank Francesca Martinez for her most memorable performance” - Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin
“The seminar was a success - thanks in no small way to Francesca’s fantastic performance; on which we got great feedback. Thanks again to Francesca for coming over and making it memorable.” - Holohan Leisure Group
"Excellent fun - fantastic! I haven't laughed so hard for ages and it's brilliant that the council has included the comedy night as an awareness raising event which gave us all a giggle! Francesca’s performance was top notch." - Woking Borough Council
“Francesca is one of the most inspiring women I have met and her approach to her life and work is one that is well worth sharing with others. Our delegates were enthralled with her performance, and I shall always remember her phrase “perfectly me” which we should all strive to adopt as our personal motto. And the bonus is that she is incredibly funny!” - Association of Graduate Recruiters
“We were so lucky to have had Francesca on our bill. She was the highlight of the evening” - War On Want
"We were delighted to invite Francesca to perform her Comedy as part of our Diversity Week activities, this being the 3rd year we have had a comedy night during the week. Francesca gave us a really entertaining night with her insight and made people really think about the person rather than the disability. We laughed along with her and came out all the better for being more disability aware. Employees are still talking about her - weeks after her performance! Thank you Francesca - it was great fun!" - Citi Group
“Thank you so much to Francesca. She was just perfect for the event - she pitched it all just right and seemed"
"Francesca was just fantastic, she took time to understand what we wanted from the event, planned the content to support our objectives and could not have been more helpful or professional. The performance itself was hilarious, educational and engaging. I would highly recommend using Francesca to any organisation. We hope to have her back very soon." - Merrill Lynch and Bank of America
"The Comedy event was excellent...top notch. Francesca is an inspired comedienne and speaks with an eloquence seldom seen in stand-up comics. As well as being simply genuinely funny, her honest answers during the Q&A reflected a depth of thinking and sincerity that is seldom seen in responses from performers in such circumstances. Well done to all concerned." - BNP Paribas
"As a tiny community of just over 32,000 people, moving the agenda forward in Gibraltar on not only LGBTI issues, but on a wide spectrum of progressive, anti-discrimination concerns was no easy task. It has taken almost 17 years of hard, dedicated work to make inroads. As Founder/Chairman of Equality Rights Group (ERG), I can testify to the difficulties I mention. Humour and a comic vein can breach all barriers, however. Francesca, in presenting her show 'What The **** Is Normal?!' as the headline event at Gibraltar Pride 2014, not only punctured glass ceilings, but warmed and lovingly bruised our hearts, too. In so doing, she successfully demonstrated that human solidarity not only knows no bounds, but can actively transcend them, whilst allowing us all to militantly fall in love with each other! In short, Gibraltar and its LGBTI, disabled and many other communities love Ms. Martinez. And, as a personal level, I am no exception, either. My fondness and respect for her humanity and many evident talents are impossible to conceal!” - Felix Alvariz OBE, Equality Rights Group
"It was sensational! Francesca is a brilliant speaker- very inspiring and funny... Even as she was leaving, students were coming up to her to say how much they enjoyed the talk." - Joan Kelly, The King's Hospital (School), Dublin
"Francesca Martinez was a fantastic host for the diversity in finance awards. Her engagement with the audience during her welcome speech was faultless and focused around the main topic of diversity. Francesca created humour around each award category which helped with the entertainment around such a small awards. Francesca was on hand for photos and chats after she had presented the awards which was appreciated by all of the delegates. Thank you Francesca for making our first diversity in finance awards one to remember!" - Hannah, Financial Times
