Francesca Martinez

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Francesca Martinez is an English stand-up comedian. The majority of her set deals with her disability, cerebral palsy. Her jokes typically consist of a setup regarding her doing an activity that you would not usually associate with someone who has cerebral palsy, before turning the joke on its head with hilarious consequences – for example, actually cutting a genuine volunteer's hair live on stage! Some critics have claimed that the laughter arising from her act can be born of sympathy and an audience's unwillingness to offend someone with a disability.

Before becoming a stand-up, Martinez appeared in the BBC children's drama serial Grange Hill for several years, and has acted in other drama series such as Casualty. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She has also appeared as a guest on Frank Skinner's chat show, as a talking-head pundit and in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy series Extras. She has organised charity shows with top names of British comedy on the bill, including Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas and Al Murray the Pub Landlord.

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