Where to see the Janey Godley documentary and what she's famous for

A new documentary about the life of Scottish comedian Janey Godley is coming out this month.

The Glasgow Film Festival is set to close with a gala screening of Janey - a new documentary about the Scottish comedian Janey Godley.

The film will then be released in some cinemas, including some screenings featuring a standup set from the comedian herself.

Here's everything you need to know.

Who is Janey Godley?

Former Glasgow publican Janey Godley started performing standup in 1994 and quickly became a familiar face on Scotland's standup curcuit. A regular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she's won several awards including prizes for the 'Best Show Concept' and 'Spirit of the Festival at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, a Fringe Report Award for ‘Best Performer’, two Nivea Funny Women Fringe Awards, the Scots Language Award's Speaker of the Year Award, and the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Award. She's also been a finalist in the annual 'Scotswoman of the Year' award on multiple occasions.

TV appearances include River City, Sam Delaney's News Thing, The Alex Salmond Show, Have I Got News for You and Traces. She also featured alongside Jessie Buckley in the film Wild Rose.

On radio she is a regular on BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute.

She has also written a bestselling autobiography titled 'Handstands in the Dark' which tells the story of her tough upbringing in Glasgow, including living in poverty in the East End of the city, her parents' issues with addictions, the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle, marrying into a family of gangsters, and the suspicious death of her mother.

What is Janey Godley famous for?

Apart from her successful standup, acting and writing career to date, Godley found wider fame when she was pictured holding a sign criticising Donald Trump with a four-letter expletive during a visit to his Trump Turnberry hotel and golf course.

The picture went viral, as did a number of her voiceover videos of Nicola Sturgeon's Covid briefings during the pandemic.

What was the Janey Godley controversy?

In 2021 Janey Godley was forced to apologise for a series of Tweets she had made - including insults based on Chernobyl disaster victims, race and disability. As a direct result of the Tweets she was dropped from fronting a Public Health Scotland Campaign.

Is Janey Godley ill?

In November 2021 Janey Godley revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent a hysterectomy in January 2022 and announced she was cancer-free, only for it to return later that year meaning she required chemotherapy. She has since said that the cancer is terminal, but that it is being managed to extend her life as much as possible.

What's the film about?

The publicity material for the film is as follows:

"An honest, moving and often hilarious documentary about comic Janey Godley, interweaving stories from her life with footage from her Not Dead Yet tour in the wake of her cancer diagnosis. "Janey Godley takes centrestage in John Archer’s engaging and insightful documentary about the fearless and funny comic. Janey found fame for her sweary anti-Trump placards and became a social media sensation as she revoiced First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid briefings. “First I was cancelled, then I got cancer,” Janey notes as she recalls being called out for racist historic tweets, apologising and then trying to rebuild her career before receiving her diagnosis.

"That didn’t stop her from going on tour and Archer interweaves fly-on-the-wall footage with interviews from people such as Jimmy Carr, Nicola Sturgeon, and Janey's daughter, Ashley, that reveal details of a difficult Glasgow childhood."

When is the film released?

The film is set to released in limited cinemas on March 15

Where are the special screenings being held?

Janey Godley will be touring the film, with a 45 minute standup set after the screening, and will visit the following venues:

March 16: Younger Hall, St Andrews
March 20: Beacon Theatre, Greenock
March 23: GFT, Glasgow
April 5: Macrobert, Stirling
April 6: Queens Hall, Edinburgh
April 7: Hippodrome, Boness
April 12: Eden Court, Inverness
April 13: Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkaldy
April 14: Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld
April 20: Gardyne Theatre, Dundee

How much are tickets?

Tickets for the special screening of Janey followed by a live standup set are £25/£20 concession.

Where can I buy tickets?

Janey Godley's website has links to buy ticket for every venue here.

Janey Godley documentary: Where to see the new film about the Scottish comedian and what she's famous for