Jen Brister



Jen (Jennifer) Brister, born on 3rd February 1975, is a stand-up comedian from South London.

Brister studied theatre at Middlesex University, where she took a course in stand-up comedy in the mid 90s, which was the only course of its kind at the time in the UK. Other famous graduates include Alan Carr, Renton Skinner of theDutch Elm Conservatoire and Shooting Stars and Clare Warde of the Runaway Lovers. Brister's first gig was a showcase for course and held at the Kings Head in Crouch End.

Since then, she has performed in London venues that include Comedy Camp, Banana Cabaret Comedy Store The Kings Head and ED Comedy as well as hosting her own nights that include Hysterics at Shaun & Joe and CatFlap Comedy at the Player Bar, Soho.

She is also a comedy writer has and performed alongside Doug Faulkner & Clare Warde, as part of the comedy sketch group, The Loose Connection. They appeared regularly at the Hen & Chickens Theatre, Etcetera Theatre, Sketch Club and The Enterprise in the mid-2000s.

Brister is a lesbian and has been dubbed the "poor man's Rhona Cameron".

2006: Brister appeared at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with her show "Me, My Mother and I." In Time Out, March 2006, Jen stated "'It's really an exploration of my relationship with my mum. It's an analysis, as well, of where I am at this point in my life. I'm 31. I'm single. I don't own a house. Or a car. I don't have kids. Or any solid financial security. At 31, my mother had three children and a fourth on the way. She was married and she had a mortgage." Source: Hay, Malcolm (March 22, 2006). "Comedy - Mother's Day - Jen Brister" Time Out, p. 52.

2007 - 2008: She worked for BBC 6 Music as a stand in presenter  and in 2008 took a show to Edinburgh called Reception with her comedy partner at the time Clare Warde.

2009: Brister appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe again in 2009 doing a stand up show as well as appearing in a play called "The One and The Many" by Trevor Lock.