JoJo Smith started her working life, first on the punk rock fanzine The Ligger, where she interviewed The Clash, Ian Dury and the Sex Pistols, and then music papers including Smash Hits, NME, The Face and Record Mirror. It was a positive review in the latter that led to her being invited to work for Dexy's Midnight Runners as their PA.

After Dexy's she became a bingo caller at Butlins, before returning to journalism, becoming a showbiz feature-writer job at the Evening Standard.

Being diagnosed of Repetetive Strain Injury, combined with an interview with Bill Hicks, inspired JoJo to leave journalism to become a stand-up in the early Nineties.

But she combined comedy with her previous job for a 42-part late-night ITV series, Funny Business, about the art of comedy in which she interviewed everyone from Jimmy Cricket to Jo Brand.

JoJo made her TV stand-up debut on Craig Charles' late night ITV show, The Funky Bunker, and she also supported the Red Dwarf star on his national tour.

As well as being an established circuit act, she has also played in South Africa, Shanghai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and both the Sydney and Melbourne comedy festivals.

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I've seen JoJo a couple of times and she is without doubt my favourite compere and indeed female uk comedienne. She has a fabulous ability to unite and engage an audience without and keep them laughing. She can be filthy... Yes, but she's charming too. I'm a fan, and I'd happily pay to see a gig :)

Ni Tle, May 2010

I see JoJo on TV & thought she was out of this world.

DebbyMeredith, August 2007

JoJo Smith is extremely talented and funny lady, Ive seen her many times over the years and she still makes me laugh! I agree totally with all the other positive comments! You review is totally wrong!

Lisa Taylor, August 2007

I have been manager of several comedy clubs over the past eight years and Jo o Smith has performed on many occasions, both as an act and as a compere at my venues. I have read your review and find it hard to believe that you are talking about the same person. JoJo has never failed to be a hit with the audience and with myself, she is one of the best and funniest female comedians on the circuit. If you found her act to be utterly dull and her routine very empty then maybe your lacking a sense of humour and the wrong person to be writing reviews. In case you forgot, comedy is about making people laugh and feeling happy and that is exactly what Jo Jo does when she performs. I take note of the comments and reactions from my guests who come to watch the shows as they are the true reviewers of comedy not someone who gets paid to go around and slag comics off for not fitting in to their perception of comedy. That's why I have never really taken reviews on face value because at the end of the day the audience are the best indicator on how funny a comic is and not one person's opinion, thank god !

Patrick (Comedy Club Venue Manager), July 2007

I try to make it a point of principle (like most comics) to pretend not to spend hours pouring over Chortle even though we all do. And I never write in. But. JoJo is not rewriting the rule book, she may in fact be a filth obsessed harridan with no right whatsoever to foist her vulgarity upon an unsuspecting world. However, having watched the entire room stand up to go for a pee at Leicester Jongleurs between the first and second acts, seeing her deal with it, mostly at the expense of her own laughs, and then bringing me on to a wonderful audience that minutes earlier were a baying mob was like watching an exercise in proper comedy professionalism, even if that sounds like damning with faint praise. Totally unselfish, and a masterclass in compering. Although having said that, I quite liked the first Kajagoogoo single, so who am I to judge. (I didn't, that was a joke. I preferred Limahl's solo work)

Never Ending Story, June 2007

JoJo compered a black night - it was only after the gig reading her blog I realised how nervous she was about playing to a predominantly black audience. I would never have guessed she was so brave

Ava, June 2007

People who make their living from staring in from the outside, never really get it. They can be sitting in a room filled with people pissing themselves, and still write you a shit review. JoJo has been making a very good living out of comedy for many years-and that's because she's FUNNY! Intellectualize comedy all you want, but my question is: is the audience laughing their asses off? Job done. You can get up on stage and wow the audience with your surrealism and superior intellect, but if they aint laughing..u aint a comedian. There is room for ALL types of comedy in this business. Chortle, stop trying to marginalize the types you don't like.

Gina Yashere, June 2007

Couldn't agree with review more, I have had the sorry experience of being lumbered with her as a compere on several visits to various Jongleurs, does nothing to add to the enjoyment of the night

michelle, June 2007

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