Who is Harriet Kemsley? Comedian steals the show on 8 Out of 10 Cats! Wed 29 January 2020 11:41 Eve Edwards

Comedy panels on the telly are a fantastic way to open up the tight-knit comedy circuit to viewers across the nation.

Shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week et al. have made household names of Michael McIntyre, Alan Davies, Hugh Dennis and also propelled their careers toward stadium tours and acting roles.

But in last night’s episode (Tuesday, January 28th) of 8 Out of 10 Cats, it was the lesser-known comedian who outshone the bigger names such as Rob Beckett, Katherine Ryan and reality star Gemma Collins.

So, who is Harriet Kemsley? Find out about the rising star here!

Screenshot: 8 Out of 10 Cats S22 E4 – 4oD

Meet Harriet Kemsley

Harriet is a 32-year-old stand-up comedian and actress hailing from Canterbury, Kent. She was born on June 21st, 1987.

After graduating from Kingston University with a degree in English Literature, it wasn’t long before Harriet decided comedy was the career she wanted to pursue.

Harriet began her stand-up career in 2011, performing at the Laughing Horse. Just a year later, she was raking in big awards. Six months into her career as a stand-up, Harriet won the nationwide female comedy contest Funny’s Funny.

In 2012, Harriet was awarded the Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year, Brighton Comedy Festival New Act of the Year, and named by comedian Rhod Gilbert as one of the Ten Must See Comics of 2012 in The Mail on Sunday.

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Harriet’s comedy couple

It’s not unusual that many couples are formed on the comedy circuit. Many comedy and TV stars are in long-term couples, and the same goes for Harriet Kemsley.

She met her partner, Canadian comic Bobby Mair, back in 2012.

In an interview with The Guardian, Bobby said it was love at “third sight,” as he didn’t remember their first two interactions. And although they’ve been together for many years, their relationship is far from perfect. In fact, Bobby’s alcoholism and drug use has led to his infidelity on occasion, as they revealed in the article.

But that hasn’t stopped the comedy couple from turning their troubles into good material, as both have used Bobby’s actions in their stand-up shows.