Janey Godley
Stand-up comedian · 1961–2024

Janey Godley

Who Janey Godley is

Janey Godley was a Scottish stand-up comedian, author and actor from Glasgow's east end. After years behind the bar of a Glasgow pub, she was invited to an open-mic comedy night in her thirties and went on to international stand-up tours, with spots on BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute and on Have I Got News For You, and acting roles in the Scottish soap River City and the drama Traces.

From 2019 her comedy voice-over videos brought her a new wave of fans, and in 2022 she published her first novel, Nothing Left Unsaid, a murder mystery set in 1970s Glasgow. She won the first Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in 2023, and the University of Glasgow made her an honorary graduate in 2024. Her daughter, Ashley Storrie, is also a comedian. She died in November 2024, aged 63, and her funeral at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow ended with her catchphrase, 'Frank, get the door'.

At a glance

Born
1961
Died
2024
Books
Handstands in the Dark, Frank Get the Door! and Nothing Left Unsaid
On screen
Just a Minute, Have I Got News For You, River City and 6 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

On screen

Books and writing

Comedians like Janey Godley

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Their stand-up

Godley began her stand-up career in 1994; she won the Best Show Concept award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2002 and its Spirit of the Festival award in 2006, and in 2020 she was named Speaker of the Year at the Scots Language Awards.

Career timeline

  1. 1961Born
  2. 2004Kings of Comedy (television special, 2004) On screen
  3. 2005Handstands in the Dark (book, Ebury Press, 2005) Book
  4. 2018Wild Rose (Jackie, film, 2018) On screen
  5. 2018Super November (Donna, film, 2018) On screen
  6. 2019The Last Mermaid (Pearl, 2019) On screen
  7. 2020Frank Get the Door! (book, Luath Press, 2020) Book
  8. 2021Dregs (2021) On screen
  9. 2022Nothing Left Unsaid (book, Hodder & Stoughton, 2022) Book
  10. 2024Died

Questions and answers

Did Janey Godley write a book?

Yes:Handstands in the Dark, Frank Get the Door! and Nothing Left Unsaid.

What TV shows and films are they in?

Just a Minute, Have I Got News For You, River City, Traces, Kings of Comedy and Wild Rose, among 9 credits.

Who are some comedians like them?

Ed Byrne (also in Have I Got News for You), Gianmarco Soresi (also in Have I Got News for You), Ian Smith (also in Have I Got News for You), Kiri Pritchard-McLean (also in Have I Got News for You) and Madeleine Brettingham (also in Have I Got News for You).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 9 October 2026 · the record checked 8 October 2026