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Janie Godley, who died after a long illness in 2019
Janie Godley, who has died aged 63, turned an early life of pain and tragedy into a successful comedy career.
A tough upbringing in Glasgow’s East End was the thread that ran through her sense of humour. She was often angry, and specialized in extracting laughter from unexpected material.
Her behavior reflects the city that shaped her: working class, foul-mouthed, angry and passionate at the same time. She delivered her comedic diatribes at high speed, hitting her points home like a street fighter.
To her fans, she was one of them — and as her reputation grew, so did her influence. The former pub landlord has become close friends with Nicola Sturgeon, the former First Minister, after her videos of the Foreign Secretary’s coronavirus press conferences became a viral sensation.
Jane Godley Currie was born on 20 January 1961 in the Shettleston area of Glasgow, the youngest of four children. Her parents were alcoholics and the family home was chaotic and very poor.
When she was a little girl, she was sexually abused by her uncle. Thirty years later, in 1996, she and her sister came out publicly about the abuse after their evidence condemned David Percy. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
In an interview at the time, she said: “We waited 30 years but we did it, and we did it together. Anyone who has been abused knows you can’t get rid of the guilt. But the guilty one was Percy.”
There was more tragedy. In 1982 her mother Annie was found dead in the River Clyde. Godley was convinced she had been killed by her violent boyfriend, although the man was never charged, despite calls from the family for an investigation.
By then, Godley had married and was running a pub with her husband in the Calton area of Glasgow. They had a daughter, Ashley Story, who would later follow her mother into comedy.
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Ashley Story followed her mother into comedy
Her in-laws became an integral part of her comedy act. She often spoke of her criminal connections and it was a family feud that led to her taking to the stage in her mid-30s.
The split forced them to leave the bar, leaving them homeless and unemployed.
She performed at open mic nights occasionally but started taking it more seriously. Years of honing her comedic style behind the bar helped and she quickly became established on the comedy circuit.
Her theatrical work was relentless. In 2019 she spoke to The Guardian about her material.
“I talked about my mother being murdered, child abuse, gangsters. At the time, even the comics were like, ‘You shouldn’t talk about that.’ But I’m so glad I did.
“The number of people who have come up to me and said, ‘I’ve been abused and I’ve never laughed before.’
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Janie Godley was close to former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
As her fame increased, she wrote a memoir and a novel and became a regular performer in group shows. She appeared with Billy Connolly and the late Anthony Bourdain, and played a waitress in Wild Rose.
There are two things that introduced her to a global audience and brought her into politics.
In 2016, she was photographed at Turnberry Golf Resort holding a sign with the offensive word written on it, in protest against the visit of the club’s owner, President Trump. The photo went viral.
Then, during the coronavirus lockdowns, she began making videos in which she voiced Nicola Sturgeon’s briefings, portraying the First Minister as a straight-talking, sometimes foul-mouthed figure, exhausted by the demands of the pandemic and angry with the media. Questions.
A committed supporter of independence, she has appeared on stage with Alex Salmond and been praised by Nicola Sturgeon.
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Godley was a committed and ardent supporter of Scottish independence
That connection was tested in September 2021 when comments she made on social media a decade ago came back to haunt her.
She has been dropped from the front of the Scottish Government’s health campaign and admitted the tweets had “shocking and horrific undertones”.
Two months later, Godley revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She documented her illness and treatments on social media and on tour.
For a while she was considered disease-free but announced in December 2022 that it was back.
She was told she might die within a year but she continued to work. She presented a BBC radio show about her condition and remains present on Twitter.
In April 2023, she won the inaugural Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award.
“She’s a great girl, a great comedian and an extraordinary life story,” he said.
“I can’t believe I won this. I won an award from a guy I’ve admired since I was a kid,” Godley said.
“This will be my tombstone,” she said as she held up the award.
