Who is queer comedian and Richard Osman’s House of Games star Sophie Duker?

Queer comedian Sophie Duker can be seen on BBC Two this week in trivia gameshow Richard Osman’s House of Games. 

In a fun new twist on the format, called Redemption Week, contestants who failed to win on their previous appearance are getting another chance at success. This week’s line-up features Babatunde Aléshé, Gaby Roslin, Jeff Stelling and LGBTQ+ comedian Sophie Duker.

Here’s everything you need to know about former PinkNews Awards winner Sophie Duker.

Who is Sophie Duker?

Sophie Duker is a London-based comedian. She entered comedy through the Oxford Imps (an improvised-comedy troupe) during her time at Oxford University.

In 2015, she established herself as one to watch after making the finals of the prestigious Funny Women Award. She went on to win the Funny Women Best Comedy Writer gong in 2021.

The British comedian, who has West African heritage through her parents, has maintained anti-racist and pro-LGBTQ+ ethos as her career has grown over the past decade. This has led to the creation of her comedy club, Wacky Racists, which regularly hosts shows across London.

Duker debuted her solo stand up show, Venus, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, securing rave reviews and a nomination for the Best Newcomer award.

Her second solo show, Hag, brought similar success after a sell-out Fringe run, followed by a popular year-long UK tour.

Duker has written for hit TV shows including Spitting Image, Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle and CBBC series Horrible Histories. She’s also turned her hand to podcasts, appearing in The Guilty Feminist, Everything I Know About Love and I May Destroy You.

Sophie Duker identifies as queer and bisexual

Sophie Duker identifies as both queer and bisexual and has long been vocal about LGBTQ+ issues. At the PinkNews Awards in October, she took aim at comedians who make fun of minority groups in their routines.

“I don’t really have anything to say to comedians who are using their platforms to punch down on LGBTQ+ people and minorities,” she said.

“I think the reason they are doing it is because they know we are funnier than them. They’re scared and I don’t consider them a threat.”

In an interview with DIVA magazine, Duker talked about how pursuing comedy has helped her understand and accept her identity as a queer woman.

“Stand-up has been a space where I can be more myself, speak up about things and have some power,” she said. “Comedy has been the route to accepting myself as a queer woman. I came out to my mum via a comedy show.”

Two years before, as one of the few Black bisexual people prominent within the comedy industry, the performer reflected on the urgent need for more representation.

“It’s getting easier to find pockets of magic, but as a queer woman of colour it’s still so rare to see or hear myself either on stage or in the audience,” she said about attending the Fringe, a festival previously criticised for its lack of diversity.

Sophie Duker on The Festive Pottery Throw Down

Sophie Duker previously turned her hand to ceramics when she appeared on The Festive Pottery Throw Down on Christmas Day 2023.

The annual holiday special for Channel 4’s hit reality series, The Great Pottery Throw Down, saw four celebrities go head-to-head as they attempted to wow judges with their amazing pottery skills (or lack thereof).

Pottery experts and TV judges Rich Miller and Keith Brymer Jones returned for the festive special, while Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney presented.

In a statement about filming the special, Duker said: “I didn’t expect to be moved by clay, but the tears at the end – and not just from Keith – were really special.”

Which other TV shows has she appeared in?

Sophie Duker has appeared in some of the biggest comedy shows on TV, included 8 out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order.

In 2022, she won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind. This was followed by her high-profile appearance on season 13 of Taskmaster which she also went on to win.

Richard Osman’s House of Games airs on BBC2 on January 29 2024, at 6:00pm.