Janey Godley, the pub landlady turned stand-up comic, has died at the age of 63.
Following a difficult childhood in the east end of Glasgow, she ran a pub in the Calton area of the city with her husband and his family during the 80 and 90s.
But it was Godley’s career switch to the stage in 1994 – by then in her mid 30s – that saw her rise to prominence in the public eye.
Unafraid to tackle difficult subjects – nothing was off limits for Godley.
She said: “I thought I didn’t have anything else I could do because when I left the pub I had no O Levels or anything. I left school at 16 so I thought ‘what else could I do’ and I just decided to become a comedian.
“Looking back, I want to go back and meet her and go: ‘Get a job that’s no that difficult, you’re middle-aged, you’re working class, you swear a lot and you’re a woman, why would you pick the most difficult job?’ But I did.”
Getty ImagesAway from the comedy circuit, Janey’s infamous “unwelcome” sign for Donald Trump went viral during the then US President’s visit to Turnberry.
Then, during the coronavirus pandemic, it was her take Nicola Sturgeon’s daily Covid briefings that gained her a new following.
Godley found viral fame with her dubbed pastiches of the former first minister – including her catchphrase ‘Frank, get the door’.
But then scandal hit. Janey was dropped from a Scottish Government health campaign after a series of offensive racist tweets that she made a decade earlier emerged.
The comic said sorry for the language she used.
Within weeks of her apology – as she fought to rebuild her career and reputation – she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2021.
She told STV News in an interview: “I apologised. If you know better, do better. There are words that I said on stage back then that I wouldn’t use now. The world has changed.”
In 2023, Janey won the inaugural Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award, named in honour of a comedian who she had always admired.
Janey was also an author and actress, appearing in movies including Wild Rose and The Last Mermaid, as well as the TV series Traces.
A short play she wrote for the National Theatre of Scotland – called Alone – was filmed during the lockdown.
A documentary of Janey’s life premiered at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. On-screen and on-stage, she spoke candidly of the abuse, trauma and poverty she experienced growing up in the 1960s in the Shettleston area of Glasgow.
Janey GodleyAmong all the highs and lows of her life, Janey told fans an order from doctors to stop work during her cancer journey was one of the most difficult moments.
While in the midst of earlier treatment, she said it was fellow comedian Jimmy Carr who played a key role in convincing her to continue performing.
But in September, the comedian cancelled her autumn tour and issued a video from her hospital bed while being treated for sepsis.
Janey GodleySocial media became her way of openly sharing her thoughts in the final weeks of her life.
In one of her videos, Godley thanked the NHS and all those who have helped her throughout her treatment.
Janey’s first novel detailed a woman’s struggle with cancer. She described it as a love letter to all the women she grew up with.
Its title “Nothing Left Unsaid” summed up the way the comedian lived and approached her own diagnosis and treatment.
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