Since first appearing at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival, London-based Australian Sarah Kendall has performed at many of the world’s leading comedy festivals – including Montreal, Kilkenny, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Hong Kong – and has won and been nominated for many of the industry’s most prestigious stand-up comedy awards.
Her writing and performing credits include Beehive (Channel 4) and Comedy Cuts (ITV) and she was a regular cast member of Clare in the Community. She has made numerous appearances on television and Radio 4, including As Yet Untitled with Alan Davies, Russell Howard’s Good News, Best Behaviour, The Now Show, and Dilemma.
Sarah regularly returns to Australian shores. In 2014 she toured Touchdown to all the major comedy festivals in Australia and was awarded the comedians’ choice “Piece of Wood Award” at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Her show, Shaken, also garnered glowing reviews at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, and at the 2017 MCF.
Touchdown, A Day in October and Shaken were all recorded for a series on BBC Radio 4 called “Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy.” Her recording of A Day In October, won her the best scripted comedy prize at the BBC Audio Drama Awards. A second radio series is now available on BBC Radio 4, and in 2019 she performed Paper Planes – weaving together tales from Greek mythology and the account of a work trip to Los Angeles to take her audience on a search for meaning in a world which is out of control.
Sarah created and wrote Frayed, a new series produced by Merman Television (Motherland/BBC, Catastrophe C4/Amazon), in association with Guesswork Television (Please Like Me, Rosehaven). Frayed has screened to universal acclaim on Sky in the UK and debuted on the ABC in Australia in October 2019. Season 2 of Frayed aired in 2021.
She also recently competed in the eleventh season of smash hit British comedy game show Taskmaster. No spoilers! Except to say that putting a llama suit on backwards in the nail biting final episode was… a career highlight.
2019 – Paper Planes
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2017-18 – One-Seventeen – Solo Show
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Soho Theatre London, UK Tour
2016-17 – Shaken – Solo Show
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival
2015 – A Day In October – Solo Show
Edinburgh Fringe, Canberra Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Soho Theatre London
You can download a full list of Live Show credits below.
2020 – ABC TV: Spicks and Specks Special (Guest)
2019 – ABC TV / SKY UK: Frayed (Creator, writer, actor)
2017 – BBC: Motherland (Lindsey)
2017 – ABC TV: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Opening Night Gala (Stand up)
2015 – Dave (UK): Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled (guest)
2013 – ABC TV: Tractor Monkeys (guest panellist)
2012 – Network Ten: MICF Gala (Guest spot)
2012 – ABC TV: The Unbelievable Truth
You can download a full list of Television credits below.
2015: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Opening Night Gala (spot)
2014: Just for Laughs Sydney
2014: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Opening Night Gala (spot)
2009 – Huge (Role – Gong Show Winner): Director. Ben Miller
2010: Caveman Films My very First Kidnapping – Film Script
2010: E4 School of Comedy – television
2008: E4/Channel 4 Beehive, Series 1 – television
2016: Radio 4 Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy (Stand up)
2015: Radio 4 Best Behaviour (panellist)
2010: 15 Radio 4 Clare In The Community (Libby)
2013: Radio 4 Dilemma (panellist)
2012: Radio 4 The Now Show (panellist)
2010: 5Live: 7 Day Sunday (panellist)
2009: Radio 4: Act Your Age (panellist)
2009: BBC Radio 4: I Guess That’s Why They Call It The News (Guest)
2009: BBC Radio 4: Look Away Now (Guest)
2007: Radio 2: Alan Carr and Friends (performer)
2006: Radio 2: Parson & Naylor Pull Out Sections (performer)
2006: Radio 4: The News Quiz (contributor)
2020: BAFTA – Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme – NOMINEE
2018: Chortle Awards – Best Radio Award – Australian Trilogy – NOMINEE
2017: BBC Audio Drama Awards – Best Scripted Comedy – A Day In October (Australian Trilogy) – WINNER
2017: UK Writers Guild Ceremony – Best Scripted Comedy (Radio) Australian Trilogy – WINNER
2017: Best Fictional Storytelling – WINNER
2015: Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award – Best Comedy Show – NOMINEE
2014: Piece of Wood, Melbourne International Comedy Festival -WINNER
2007: Three Weeks, Editor’s Choice Award – WINNER
2006: Time Out Comedy Award – NOMINEE
2004: Perrier Award – NOMINEE
2003: Herald Angel – WINNER