Jessica Fostekew

Jessica Alice Fostekew (born 5 July 1983) is an English actor and stand-up comedian.

Biography Fostekew was born in Sheffield in 1983 and grew up in Langton Matravers, Dorset. She is of one-quarter Austrian ancestry. She earned an LL.B. from the London School of Economics. She has co-hosted The Guilty Feminist podcast. In 2019, her show Hench was nominated for the Main Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Also, in 2019, she appeared on Live at the Apollo and on the BBC Radio 4 comedy talk show The Museum of Curiosity. She has appeared on QI in 2020 and 2021.

Fostekew is a contributing columnist in The Guardian, covering topics including parenting, body image, and marriage equality.

She launched a new show, Iconic Breath, in October 2025 covering stories about love, family, and middle age with, according to the Guardian, "impressive technique and efficiency". The show tours the UK through February 2026.

Fostekew is a keen weightlifter; whilst it has been claimed that she integrates this hobby into her act, she has clarified in a recent radio interview that this is not the case.

Filmography

Radio Year Title Role Notes 2023 Sturdy Girl Club Jessica Fostekew BBC Radio 4

Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Hallo Panda Zoo Worker & The General Public Short (billed as Jessica Fortiskew) 2013 Battlecock! Anya Krullmuller Short (billed as Jessica Fortekew) Timeholes The Woman Short 2019 Official Secrets Courtroom Guard Greed Sally 2023 Scrapper Sian

Television Year Title Role Notes 2017 Three Girls Sonia Mini-series, Episode: "#1.2" Motherland Clare Episode: "The After Party" 2019 Cuckoo Angela Episode: "Ivy Nanny" Live at the Apollo Herself - Special Guest Episode: "Darren Harriott, Jessica Fostekew, Stephen Bailey" 2020 Trigonometry Mum 1 Mini-series, Episode: "Viel zu verliebt" The Trouble with Maggie Cole Betty Jarvis 2 episodes: "#1.2" and "#1.4" Out of Her Mind Laptop Woman Episode: "I Don't" House of Games Herself - Contestant Episodes: "#4.36" to "#4.40" 2020, 2021 QI Herself - Panellist 2 episodes: "Revolutions" and "Sensational" 2021 Hypothetical Herself - Guest Episode: "#3.7" Grave New World Commercial Voice Over (voice) Mini-series, Episode: "Taxis, Conspiracies, Editors" Comedians Giving Lectures Herself - Guest Speaker Episode: "#2.3" 2022 Halo Borovoi Episode: "Allegiance" Avoidance Amanda Episode: "#1.1" Sky Comedy Shorts Mr. Whippy Episode: "Real Friends" (also writer) 2023 EastEnders DS Gaunt Episode: "#1.6796" Sorry, I Didn't Know Herself - Panellist Episode: "#4.5" 2024 World's Most Dangerous Roads Herself - Guest Episode: "Colorado" (with Desiree Burch) Pointless Celebrities Herself - Contestant Episode: "#16.16" Travel Man: 48 Hours in... Herself - Guest Episode: "Lanzarote"