Josie Long

Considered the queen of whimsy, a fanzine fanatic, keen charity shopper and part of the defacto alternative comedy scene, Josie Long is arguably one of the best of a new generation of comedy acts in the last decade.

Hailing from Orpington in South East London, Long may only be in her thirties but has a decent comedy career already under her belt.

She began comedy when she was in her early teens and by the age of 17 won the BBC New Comedy Award and had come second in So You Think Your Funny competition at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Comedy took a back seat while Long studied English at Oxford, but she didn't give up the genre completely, and quickly returned to the stage after graduating and finding herself alongside Stewart Lee on his spring tour in 2005.

Long's big break came when she won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2006 for her show Kindness and Exuberance.

Since then Long has returned to the Fringe almost every year, and has recently come runner-up for the main Fringe prize two years in a row.

The whimsy title which has been attached to Long in recent years could be considered as slightly pigeon-holing a comedian who has much more ability than to simply distract an audience with whimsical ideas for an hour.

While she will admit to, in her own words, being 'just a clown' Long is capable of biting political satire when she feels compelled to say something. In fact, in a time when most comedians either ignore politics or take a quick simple swipe at it, Long has been brave enough to delve straight in.

Her political comedy awakening has coincided with the current financial crisis and in her 2011 Edinburgh show The Future Is Another Place she took an astute swipe at the current political climate.

Josie Long is a celebration of the parts of life which are make you feel happier about yourself and your place in the world, that's why she's an SSP favourite.