Madeleine Brettingham is a comic writer-performer working across stage, page and screen.
A writer first, she’s recently become one to watch on the stand-up circuit, scooping a string of competition wins including winning the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny 2025 and taking silver in Funny Women in the same year, a unique double. In 2025, she also won Bath New Act of the Year, West End New Woman Comedian of the Year, Beat the Frog World Series and took silver in West End New Act of the Year, an extraordinary sweep.
She’s been praised for her “distinctive worldview” (Chortle), “tight and gag-packed” writing (Bruce Dessau), and “knack for blending offbeat observations with pacey, unexpected punchlines” (The List). Chortle says she has “a suffer-no-fools attitude that owns the stage, a formidable gag rate and a precision with language that conjures up the perfect images.”
Her solo work-in-progress has appeared at the Leicester, Machnylleth, Brighton, Camden and Edinburgh comedy festivals.
You can find selected gigs here.
Performance
Her play, Dear Martin, premiered at the Arcola Theatre in 2025, earning an Offie Assessors’ Choice. Reviews called it “a surreal thought-provoking comedy” that “bristles with verbal and visual energy.” It’s now in TV development.
Performance
On screen and radio, Madeleine’s credits are a who’s who of British comedy: Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, Would I Lie To You?, Have I Got News For You, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Horrible Histories, and more. She’s written solo, in rooms, as lead writer, and is currently developing multiple pilots for the BBC, Sky and independent production companies.
Broadcast
Broadcast
Her writing’s also appeared in The Times Literary Supplement, The Fence, and on Twitter, where viral posts have been picked up by The Sun, The Times, and The Washington Post. She’s been a BAFTA and Writers’ Guild judge, guest lectured at the National Film & Television School, and was a finalist for Best Comedy Writer at the Funny Women Awards.
Praise
“Razor-sharp wit and hilarious anecdotes.”
“Blends dark humour with thought-provoking themes.”
“A feisty and fearless performer with a definite edge.”
“See her before she becomes rich and famous.”
Selected links