{{Short description|French writer and comedian}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Celya AB | image = Celya AB at Soho Theatre in London - 2025 - 04 (cropped).jpg | other_names = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|09|08}}<ref>[https://twitter.com/abcelya/status/1554940042321207297 Tweet by Ceyla AB]</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | education = | occupation = Comedian | known_for = | website = {{URL|celya-ab.com}} }}
'''Celya AB''' (born 8 September 1995) is a French stand-up comedian, writer and actress based in England. She won the Best Newcomer Chortle Award in 2022.
== Biography == thumb|Celya AB at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Celya AB was born and brought up in Paris in a French-Algerian family.<ref name="scot">{{cite web |date=3 August 2022 |title=Celya AB: 'I'm not always nice about the British. But it's always with love' |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/celya-ab-im-not-always-nice-about-the-british-but-its-always-with-love-3791747 |author=Richardson, Jay |website=The Scotsman |language=en}}</ref> Her family lived in the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis.<ref name=guard2022>{{Cite web |date=12 July 2022 |title=Celya AB: 'I got a couple of laughs and couldn't think about anything else for weeks' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jul/12/celya-ab-standup-interview-french-comedian |author=Pape, Liam |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> She moved to Birmingham in 2014.<ref name=guard2022/>
She discovered stand-up on a trip back to Paris and did her first gig in Birmingham.<ref name=guard2022/> She made her stand-up debut at Sutton Coldfield's Comedy Junction in early 2017, encouraged by local comedian Karen Bayley.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birmingham's Celya AB scoops major comedy award |url=https://www.whatsonlive.co.uk/birmingham/news/birminghams-celya-ab-scoops-major-comedy-award/45617 |access-date=5 August 2022 |website=Whats On Live |language=en |archive-date=5 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805151640/https://www.whatsonlive.co.uk/birmingham/news/birminghams-celya-ab-scoops-major-comedy-award/45617 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2019 she won the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award, and was a finalist at the Funny Women awards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celya AB page at Chortle |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/c/34540/celya_ab|website=Chortle |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dessau |first=Bruce |title=Tour Dates For Celya AB |url=https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/15317/tour-dates-celya-ab |access-date=9 April 2026 |website=www.beyondthejoke.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
In 2022 she won the Best Newcomer Award from Chortle.<ref name="scot" /> She has appeared on BBC One as a finalist in the BBC's New Comedy Award 2021, which was won by Welsh comedian Anna Thomas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Steve |title=Anna Thomas wins the BBC New Comedy Award : News 2021 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2021/11/06/49592/anna_thomas_wins_the_bbc_new_comedy_award |access-date=3 August 2022 |website=www.chortle.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic she did not make her debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until August 2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=Debutante's Ball: Edinburgh Fringe Debuts - The Skinny |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/comedy/edinburgh-fringe-debuts |access-date=7 August 2022 |website=www.theskinny.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> with her show ''Swimming''. In 2023 she performed the show ''Second Rodeo'' and in 2024 - ''Of All People''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-city-is-so-filled-with-everyones-memories-its-like-wading-through-water-edinburgh-fringe-qa-celya-ab/ |title='The city is so filled with everyone's memories, it's like wading through water': Edinburgh Fringe Q&A – Celya AB |author=Crae, Ross |date=6 August 2024|website=The Sunday Post}}</ref>
In March 2026, Celya AB was confirmed to be part of the writing team for the first series of ''Saturday Night Live UK''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team |url=https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/saturday-night-live-uk-announces-writing-team |website=Sky Group |access-date=3 March 2026 |date=2 March 2026}}</ref>
== Comedy style == Celya AB has cited Dylan Moran and American actress and comedian Maria Bamford, as well as French trio Les Inconnus and the late humourist Pierre Desproges, as formative influences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview with comedian Celya AB of The Bush Comedy Festival |url=https://www.culturecalling.com/uk/news/an-interview-with-comedian-celya-ab-of-the-bush-comedy-festival |website=Culture Calling |date=July 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== *{{Instagram|abcelya}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Celya}} Category:1995 births Category:Living people Category:People from Seine-Saint-Denis Category:Comedians from Paris Category:French expatriates in England Category:French people of Algerian descent Category:French stand-up comedians Category:French women comedians Category:French LGBTQ comedians Category:French bisexual women Category:French bisexual entertainers Category:Bisexual women comedians Category:21st-century French comedians Category:21st-century French LGBTQ people Category:French women television writers