Sophie Duker is a rising star on the British comedy scene.
She also earned headlines and an investigation last year after a controverial comment made on a panel talk show.
So what happened? And what’s next for Sophie?
Find out all about her below…
Who is Sophie Duker?
Sophie, 31, is an English stand-up comedian and writer.
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Raised in London, she is the daughter of first-generation immigrants from West Africa.
At 18 she attended the prestigious Wadham College at Oxford University. Here she studied French and English.
While at uni she started stand-up and by 2015 was shortlisted for the Funny Woman Award.
She went on to continue hosting comedy nights and touring the stand-up circuit.
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Simultaneously she worked as an assistant producer on the Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and also as a researcher on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
And by 2019, she began appearing as herself on such comedy panelists shows.
What has Sophie been on?
You’ve likely seen Sophie as a panelist on various comedy and news discussion shows in recent years.
She’s appeared on the likes of: Mock The Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Dog Ate My Homework, Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club, Richard Osman’s House of Games and Roast Battle.
What was the ‘kill whitey’ controversy?
In September 2020 Sophie made a controversial joke on an episode of Frankie Boyle’s New World Order.
While discussing systemic racism and Black Lives Matter she made a joke about the expression ‘kill whitey.’
Sophie said: “When we say we want to kill whitey – we don’t really want to kill whitey.”
Before adding: “We do” and then “not today.”
The BBC received over 1,000 complaints but dismissed the matter.
Some interpreted this as a hate crime and Greater Manchester Police went on to investigate the issue.
However, in January the police confirmed that they would not be pursuing the matter any further.
In a statement they said: “We received a report and the crime has been closed with no further action taken.”
Sophie responded to the backlash by saying that she didn’t regret her comments.
While writing for Bustle she penned: “The bullies wanted me sacked, shamed, silenced. But what actually triggered the poor dears wasn’t me riffing on a borrowed phrase, it was race being discussed with maturity and without self-consciousness.”
She went on to conclude: “Life is short, puns are fun, and mama wants to roast some gammon.”
What’s next for Sophie Duker?
Sophie continues to appear on comedy panels and will likely tour once it is safe to do so this year.
When is The Last Leg on with Sophie Duker?
The Last Leg is on Channel 4 this Friday at 10pm.
Once aired the episode will be available to stream on All4.
Will you be watching? Let us know on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.