I first encountered Sophie Willan when she was taking part in the Magner's  New Comedian final at the Greenwich Festival in 2015 (oh, such innocent days...). Willan was the hands down no contest winner in a line-up that also featured Lolly Adefope, Chris Washington, Benji Waterstones and Ingrid Dahle. It was clear Willan had something special, her material about the lengths her heroin-addicted mother went to to score grabbed your attention and also immediately tickled your funny bone. She described herself as “Mowgli with a mullet”. I remember being a judge and writing in my notes - "echoes of Victoria Wood and Caroline Aherne - in a good way." 

 

Since then Willan has had a better haircut and gone to great things, both as a stand-up and as the creator/star of BBC comedy Alma's Not Normal, which like her stand-up, drew heavily on her past and her dysfunctional family. She has been outspoken on issues such as mental health and drug addiction and is a vocal working class female voice in a world still dominated by male Oxbridge types.

 

Willan was also exceptionally entertaining on Taskmaster, so whether she wins House of Games this week or not, I expect that she will be as watchable as ever. But will she be wearing her pink and white Bagpuss-style fake fur coat?