JANEY: The Woman That Won't Shut Up

by Janey Godley

'A great comedian and an extraordinary life' - Billy Connolly

'Properly laugh-out-loud funny' - The Times

Comedy legend and national treasure Janey Godley shares her extraordinary life with candour and humour as she faces cancer head-on.

Janey has been a determined fighter all her life - from her tough Glasgow childhood to becoming the much-loved comedian she is now. It was the strength she needed to survive as a sweary-mouthed woman in the male-dominated comedy clubs of the 1990s.

She needed it again when she brought a case against the uncle who'd abused her as a child. A terrifying ordeal - but she won.

From rocky beginnings, Janey started to gain big audiences at home and internationally. Awards rolled in for her acting and writing too. She was at her height, and with a soaring online following for her hilarious political voice-overs, when in 2021 hurtful, historic tweets were unearthed which shook her to the core. In the eye of the media storm, her spirit was nearly broken, but her fanbase stayed strong.

At the end of the long sell-out tour which followed she received the devastating news she had ovarian cancer. Her future hung in the balance, but even in treatment, a new tour went ahead, called Not Dead Yet. Janey now faces her fears head on and shares the tumultuous journey she's on, continuing to find humour even in her darkest moments.

Inspiring, funny, open-hearted, Janey celebrates everything this hilarious and defiant woman is - against the odds - and confirms just why we'll never want her to shut up.

Genres: Biography

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2024

About the author

Janey Godley was a Scottish stand-up comedian, actress, writer and political activist. She began her stand-up career in 1994, and won various awards for her comedy in the 2000s.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she made a series of voice over clips of politicians and other well known personalities. The following year, she was dropped from a pantomime performance of Beauty and the Beast after a series of controversial racist tweets emerged, for which Godley later apologised. She was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer, from which she died in 2024.

Reviews

[Gemma Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about more recent events in Janey’s life. It is still radical to be a female comedian. She was always told to stop swearing (bet nobody said that to Billy Connolly) and I’m glad she didn’t listen. She was also always the lone woman in male spaces. The book delves into how she made it in comedy, an industry very hostile to women especially working-class women.

I was not expecting a ghost story in there, but I was very much enjoyed that!

This autobiography also covers her performing in New Zealand, Glastonbury, sell-out shows, dealing with trolls, meeting Billy Connolly, getting her abuser uncle jailed, living with cancer and so much more.

Honest, emotional, funny, and uplifting. Janey inspires me to be the kind of woman who doesn’t shut up.

[Emma Creasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note I listened on audiobook but this wasn't available in the list (come on Goodreads, update your site!)

Carrying on where Handstands in the Dark left off, this gives an account of how Janey made it in stand-up after years of hard graft, her constant fights with online trolls, her 'cancellation' when said trolls dug up some unfortunate tweets (for which she has very sincerely apologised) and her latest challenge, ovarian cancer. It also includes details of how Janey prosecuted her child abuser uncle - I felt this should have been included in the previous book, but better late than never! As with the previous book there are funny moments in the darkness and I loved having Janey read it to me on audiobook in her wonderful Glaswegian accent. I admire her hugely.

[A.M. Swink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully honest, raw, and an utter celebration of life. I so appreciated Janey’s honesty with the difficulties of her terminal cancer diagnosis, and the emotional perseverance marking the book’s final chapters. But the book is so much more than that - it’s a look at her decision to enter comedy, and the incredible highs and dastardly lows her career entailed. Always told candidly, holding nothing back. Her family, sitting at the center of her story, are portrayed lovingly with all their many flaws intact. Janey was an incredible, flawed, amazing human being. What a talent we have lost.

[Ben Tilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Another brilliant book by Janey Godley following on from her first autobiography after escaping her husbands criminal family it gives on to explore how she started in comedy and grew to be a global success.

[Linda Lawrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book about Janey’s life. It’s open, honest and courageous.
Read it in one day as it had me hooked

[Katie deHaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating. And devastatingly funny. What else did I expect? The recent years. Even more poignant knowing in every sentence that she’s no longer here with us. Get the door Frank.

[Alison Draper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartlifting

What a strong woman. You can tell that that she loved life and life loved her. She will be missed.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

R.I.P. Janey 😢

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than previous book, had it as audio book, she articulates well the stress of cancer scans and dealing with treatment.

[Tracey Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never seen Janey's stand up however I did think her voiceovers during lockdown were so funny. She got cancelled over an offensive tweet years ago which i have not seen. however the amount of death and rape threats she got over this was disgusting. I really enjoyed the book