Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British stand-up comedian, actress and television presenter.

Life and career

Osho was born in Plaistow, East London,In an interview for BBC Radio 4 Extra's ''MacAuley & Co'' in 2011 at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

, broadcast on 16 August 2011, Osho confirmed her age to be 38 on several occasions. to Nigerian parents. After working in television production, Osho turned to acting in 2003. By 2006, she decided to go into stand-up comedy. Osho spent a number of years working as a receptionist by day, while improving her stand-up comedy routines in the evenings. In 2006, Osho starred as Alma in American playwright

Dael Orlandersmith Dael Orlandersmith (born Donna Brown, 1960–) is an American actress, poet and playwright. She is known for her Obie Award-winning ''Beauty's Daughter'' and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Drama, ''Yellowman (play), Yellowman''. Early life Or ...

's drama ''

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

'' at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

's Everyman Theatre. Other theatre work includes a performance in the title role of ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' ( Barons Court Theatre, 2005), Amanda in ''Cigarettes, Coffee and Paranoia'' (

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

, 2005) and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an exile Faith in the devised piece ''Qabuka'' (

Oval House Theatre Ovalhouse, formerly called Oval House Theatre, was an Off-West End theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth, located at 52–54 Kennington Oval, London, SE11 5SW. It closed in 2020, and moved to Brixton, becoming the Brixton House theatre (located ...

, 2005). Osho's

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

roles include Lin Colvin in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', Adeola Brooker in '' Doctors'', Dr Rogers in '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'' and Angela Parker in '' Sea of Souls''. She has also appeared in '' Waking the Dead'', '' EastEnders'', Comedy Central's '' @midnight'', '' Night and Day'', '' Kiri'', and ''Russell Brand and Friends'' for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. In 2020 she appeared in '' Death in Paradise''. Osho is also a playwright and one of the founding members of the London writers' group, Vowel Movement. She has contributed to ''News Review'' at London's Canal Cafe Theatre and in 2008, she co-devised a scratch performance of the stage play ''Up the Café de Paris'' for the Pulse Fringe Festival. In 2007, Osho wrote the comedy ''CSI: Nigeria'', in production for

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

. Osho has performed at various comedy clubs and festivals across Britain, including Jongleurs,

the Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy S ...

, the

Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

, the

Pleasance Dome The Potterrow Mandela Centre or Potterrow Student Centre is operated by Edinburgh University Students' Association in Edinburgh, Scotland. Site and architecture The name "Potterrow" recalls a medieval suburb which stood outside the town wal ...

, the Chuckle Club, the Leicester Festival (Summer Sundae), the Comedy Café, the Shoreditch Comedy Festival, Comedy Camp and the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...

. Osho won the 2007 Nivea

Funny Women Funny Women is an online and in-person workshop community dedicated to the support of female comedians. It was founded by Lynne Parker in 2002 as a reaction to misogynistic comments from a comedy promoter. Funny Women helps women find their voice, ...

award. Osho co-hosted '' Tonightly'' on

and appeared in an E4 pilot, ''The Andi O Show''. She has also appeared on ''

Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...

'', ''

Ask Rhod Gilbert ''Ask Rhod Gilbert'' is a British comedy panel show produced by Green Inc for the BBC. It began on 27 September 2010 and ended on 9 November 2011 on BBC One, it is presented by Rhod Gilbert with Greg Davies and Lloyd Langford as regular panelists ...

'', and is a regular performer on '' Stand Up for the Week''. On 26 February 2011, Osho participated in '' Let's Dance for Comic Relief'', performing a dance routine to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's " Bad". Despite positive comments from the judges, she did not progress to the final round after a public vote. Osho has won two episodes of '' Celebrity Mastermind''. In 2011, she won the

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

episode with ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

'' trilogy as her specialist subject and then in 2012, she took part in a regular episode choosing host

John Humphrys Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...

as her specialist subject. Osho also takes an occasional presenting role for the comedy club section on BBC Radio 4 Extra. On 19 June 2012, Osho made her debut in BBC television medical drama '' Holby City'' as medical student Barbara Alcock for three episodes. In July 2014, she appeared in '' Finding Carter'' as Susan Sherman. Between 2016 and 2018 she presented ''Supershoppers'' with

Anna Richardson Anna Clare Richardson (born 27 September 1970) is an English television presenter, writer and journalist. She has presented various television shows for Channel 4, including '' Supersize vs Superskinny'' (2008–2009), '' The Sex Education Show ...

, being replaced with Sabrina Grant. She took part and won £7,000 for charity in a celebrity edition of '' The Chase'' on ITV. Osho appears in David F. Sandberg's '' Lights Out'' and '' Shazam!'' as the same character, a social worker named Emma Glover. In 2021, Osho appeared in the sixth series of the police procedural drama series '' Line of Duty'' as journalist and investigative reporter Gail Vella, a murder victim whose case is supervised by DCI Joanne Davidson (

Kelly Macdonald Kelly Macdonald (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles in '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Intermission'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), ''Boardwa ...

). Osho's debut novel, ''Asking for a Friend'', was first published in 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osho, Andi Living people 1973 births Alumni of the Academy Drama School Black British actresses Black British women comedians Black British television personalities English dramatists and playwrights English soap opera actresses English stage actresses People from Plaistow, Newham English people of Yoruba descent 21st-century English actresses