Suzi Ruffell (born 18 January 1986)[1][2] is a British comedian, writer, and actress.
Early life
Ruffell was born in Portsmouth to a working-class family.[1] Her father buys and sells lorries and her mother became his assistant after raising Suzi and her older brother.[3]
Ruffell's stand-up comedy tours include: Social Chameleon (toured in 2014–2015),[9][10]Common (2016–2017),[11]Keeping It Classy (2018, her first headlining tour),[3]Nocturnal (2019),[7] and Dance Like Everyone's Watching (2019–2020).[12] After a year and a half hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruffell resumed the Dance Like Everyone's Watching tour in autumn 2021.[13]
Ruffell appeared with five other British female celebrities in the 2021 BBC2 documentary Womanhood, with the guests discussing the evolving status of women over the past 50 years.[18]
Also in 2021, Ruffell was a presenter on the first two episodes of a female-led satirical news show on Comedy Central titled Yesterday, Today & The Day Before.[19][20]
Podcasts
Since October 2015, Ruffell has co-hosted the podcastLike Minded Friends with comedian Tom Allen.[12][21]
Starting in 2020, Ruffell has hosted the podcast Out with Suzi Ruffell.[22][23]
In 2022, Ruffell became the co-host of Wine Times, with Sunday Times Wine Club vice-President Will Lyons.[24]
In 2023, Ruffell became the co-host of the podcast, Big Kick Energy, with fellow comedian Maisie Adam. Having launched the show for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the series transitioned to following the Women's Super League season and other domestic and international football fixtures. Big Kick Energy won a UK Broadcast Sports Award.[25][26]
Personal life
Ruffell found school difficult and says that she became the "class clown" to hide her dyslexia.[27] She has 4 GCSEs and an AS Level in Contemporary Dance.[28]
Ruffell is gay.[29][30] She said that she realised she was gay at the age of 14 but did not come out until she was 21. She said her parents were "absolutely fine" about her announcement.[1] Ruffell married her partner Alice Storey in 2021.[31] They have one child together.[32]
Awards and nominations
Ruffell was nominated for the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2011, making it to the finals,[15] and was awarded second place in the Latitude Festival New Act Competition 2011.[14]
A sitcom pilot collaboration with playwright Jon Brittain in 2012 led to a nomination for the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Award.[14]
In 2017, she was nominated for Chortle's Best Breakthrough Act. In 2019, she won that website's award for Best Club Comic.[33]
In 2020, Ruffell was nominated for a British LGBT Award in the Broadcaster or Journalist category.[34]
In 2023, Ruffell and Maisie Adam won the Broadcast Sports Award for Best Sports Podcast for Big Kick Energy.[26]
^"Janet Jackson, Sam Smith and Cara Delevingne nominated at the 2020 British LGBT Awards". BANG Showbiz (UK). 11 February 2020. p. News section – via Newsbank.