Francesca's Martinez's comic ability is on target

Francesca describes herself as being “wobbly”, a much better description than cerebral palsy. But as a teenager she struggled hugely with her condition and found school an enormous challenge. A part in Grange Hill aged 14 provided some respite from her teenage angst, until five years later she found herself unemployed and despondent once more. “Then my father asked if he could write me a film script, casting me as a comedian. He said he thought I’d be really good. “So I did some research for the part, did a comedy workshop and then had to do a gig. I felt sick and was absolutely terrified and shaking with fear. But when I got up there, there was this realisation of ‘wow, this is what I’m meant to do. I want to be a comic’. Because in my life the thing I feared most was pity, and I knew if I could make people laugh and be cheeky people would respect me, so I developed a big sense of humour, and being funny was my coping mechanism. I wanted to show people I was clever so that they couldn’t pity me.” Despite this Francesca had never considered comedy until then. “I would never have stumbled into stand-up,” the 34 year-old said. “I saw it as something you had to brace yourself to do, so I can’t thank my dad enough because I absolutely love it and feel very lucky.” Her instant success however had a sting in its tail, because Francesca burned out totally after a few years and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome which took three years to recover from. “After winning the award, I worked flat out because I loved it so much, and I didn’t see comedy as work,” she explained, “I said yes to everything and gigged every night yet every performance whittled away my energy and reserves until there was nothing left. I was convinced I could do everything that a big strong man could when actually I’m a wobbly girl. But it was a real wake-up call because I had to take six months off which turned into three years.” That Francesca came back to find her fans still waiting says more about her performance and material than anything. Dedicating her life to challenging people’s preconceptions, you won’t be disappointed by her show, which sold out last time she came to Oxford. “I have to say stuff I really believe in, something of value for people to take away with them, something beyond laughter.“ Yet this is not an ethos she developed overnight. “In my darkest teenage moments, someone made me realise I was beating myself up for not being normal and that no one is. That little thought transformed my life. Everyone has things they can and can’t do and I wanted to write a show that could make the same shift for the audience, because everyone has pressures to conform, and when most of the world is starving we are worrying about the size of our thighs.” Unafraid to speak out for what she believes in, Francesca turned down her chance to carry the Olympic torch in protest of the Tibetan political situation. You have to live by your choices and use your voice. Anything else is hypocritcal,” she says. Which is no doubt why Ricky Gervais scripted an entire series around her disability for her in Extras. “Ricky and I started out on the circuit at the same time – so he knew my act. I used to come on stage saying ‘the correct name for my condition is sober’ because people always think I’m drunk,” she laughs. “He used that in an episode with Kate Winslet and I was over the moon.” It’s an inspiring story that you can tune into on Saturday at Pegasus, where Francesca is a patron. “Pegasus is what a theatre should be about. It’s for the community to engage in art. I’m honoured to be part of it.” And the film her dad wrote? “It got stuck in production, because they said a wobbly girl would never have a career in stand-up. So it’s funny that even though it never got made I brought her to life anyway.”