{{Short description|English alternative comedian and writer}} {{Use British English|date=September 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox comedian | name = Helen Keen | image = Helen Keen Bright Club 1.jpg | caption = Helen Keen at Bright Club in 2011 | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Yorkshire, England | death_date = | death_place = | medium = Stand-up, radio | active = | genre = | subject = | notable_work= It Is Rocket Science | signature = | website = {{URL|http://www.helenkeen.com/}} | footnotes = | emmyawards = | britishcomedyawards = }} '''Helen Keen''' is an English alternative comedian and writer born in Yorkshire, now living in London. She suffered with SM (Selective Mutism) as a child but overcame this before becoming a comedian.
==Career== Keen was raised in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite news|first=Emily|last=Jupp|url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/28/helen-keen-i-had-high-expectations-that-we-would-be-living-on-mars-when-i-grew-up/|title=Helen Keen: I had high expectations that we would be living on Mars when I grew up|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|date=31 May 2012|accessdate=4 July 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704213340/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/28/helen-keen-i-had-high-expectations-that-we-would-be-living-on-mars-when-i-grew-up/|archivedate=4 July 2015}}</ref> In 2005, along with writing partner Miriam Underhill, she won the first Channel 4 New Comedy Writing Initiative award.<ref name=c4award>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/comedy/microsites/N/newcomedywriters/introduction.html|title= Channel 4 announcement}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://writersguild.blogspot.com/2005/09/channel-4-comedy-winners.html|title= Writers' Guild announcement}}</ref> Judges included station executives, as well as Annie Griffin, Victoria Pile and Arthur Mathews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/9894/one-off-kelly-drama-cold-blood-ready-for|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051021001930/http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/9894/one-off-kelly-drama-cold-blood-ready-for|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 October 2005|title= The Stage}}</ref> She also reached the 2005 UK Funny Women final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/misc_live_shows/f/11509/funny_women_final_2005/review/|title= Review on Chortle, UK comedy industry website}}</ref> In 2006, she was a finalist for the hotly contested Hackney Empire New Act of the Year title.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helen Keen CV|url=http://www.avalonmanagement.com/assets/files/Helen_Keen_CV.pdf|website=Avalon Management|accessdate=1 December 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125713/http://www.avalonmanagement.com/assets/files/Helen_Keen_CV.pdf|archivedate=8 December 2015}}</ref> In 2007, she performed in the second annual tribute to Malcolm Hardee.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article1303169.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517053506/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article1303169.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 May 2011|title= Review in The Times (London), 30th January, 2007 | first=Dominic | last=Maxwell | date=30 January 2007 | accessdate=4 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/misc_live_shows/m/15055/malcolm_hardee_charity_cabaret_2007/review/|title= Review on Chortle, UK comedy industry website}}</ref> Her broadcast writing has included regular credits on BBC Radio 1's late-night experimental comedy show ''The Milk Run'' and BBC Radio 4's long-running ''The Now Show'' as well as the ''Dog Almighty'' edition of Channel 4's ''Comedy Lab'' series and the 2007 series of Channel 4's ''The Friday Night Project''.
==Live shows== Keen's subject matter tends towards the unusual and esoteric.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/h/568/review?original=1 |title= Review on Chortle, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Kettle">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/mar/20/comedy-picks-of-the-week |title= Guardian Review, 2010 | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=20 March 2010 | accessdate=4 May 2010 | first=James | last=Kettle}}</ref> Her solo shows are also unusual in that they have all toured both arts festivals (including music festivals) and science festivals.<ref name="Kettle"/>
At the Buxton Festival Fringe in July 2008, her first full-length solo show ''It Is Rocket Science!'' (a stand-up comedy lecture about the history of the space rocket) was nominated as Best Show and she won the Best Individual Performer award.<ref name=buxtonaward>{{cite web|url=http://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/awards2008.html|title= List of Buxton Festival Fringe finalists}}</ref> She then performed the show throughout the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2008. The show then toured science festivals across the UK and Ireland. For many festivals<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dundee.com/events/primitive-methodist-guide-artic-survival.html|title=Dundee Science Festival webpage|accessdate=25 October 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929190703/http://www.dundee.com/events/primitive-methodist-guide-artic-survival.html|archivedate=29 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/NSEW/NSEW_archive/NSEW+2009/NSEW2009Archive/NSEWEvents/Events/York+Festival+of+Science.htm|title=Article about York Science Festival|accessdate=25 October 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829071745/http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/NSEW/NSEW_archive/NSEW+2009/NSEW2009Archive/NSEWEvents/Events/York+Festival+of+Science.htm|archivedate=29 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrexhamsf.com/Whatson/EarthandtheUniverse2011/ItisRocketScience/|title=Wrexham Science Festival webpage|accessdate=25 October 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927020843/http://www.wrexhamsf.com/Whatson/EarthandtheUniverse2011/ItisRocketScience/|archivedate=27 September 2013}}</ref> this was the first time that they had booked a comedy performer.
Her second full-length show ''Helen Keen: The Primitive Methodist Guide to Arctic Survival'' (the true story of an ancestor trapped overwinter on an arctic whaling ship) ran throughout the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2009 before embarking upon a similar tour of science festivals. Also in this show and in interviews<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/h/568/review?original=1 |title= Interview on Woman's Hour, Jan 2010}}</ref> Keen, a postman's daughter, discussed her working-class family background and her early experience of selective mutism.
In 2011 Keen was a guest on several performances of ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' "Uncaged Monkeys" live tour alongside Brian Cox, Simon Singh, Robin Ince and Ben Goldacre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8490225/Uncaged-Monkeys-New-Theatre-Oxford-and-touring-review.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507124157/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8490225/Uncaged-Monkeys-New-Theatre-Oxford-and-touring-review.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 May 2011|title=Uncaged Monkeys, New Theatre Oxford & touring, review|first=Dominic|last=Cavendish|date=3 May 2011|accessdate=25 October 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref name="The Infinite Monkey Cage.rss">{{cite web|url=https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/b00snr0w.rss|title=The Infinite Monkey Cage|publisher=BBC|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>So You Want To Be An Astronaut? 06/12/2011 "Robin Ince and Brian Cox are joined by comedian Helen Keen ("It is Rocket Science") and space medicine expert Dr Kevin Fong, to discuss the future of human space travel. As NASA's space shuttle program comes to a close, what does the future hold in terms of humans bid to leave the confines of earth, and what has human space travel provided in terms of scientific understanding back at home? Brian Cox acknowledges the importance of the Apollo moon landings in inspiring him, and many like him, to take up careers in science – so what will the next big scientific inspiration be?" Producer: Alexandra Feachem.[https://web.archive.org/web/20150618184741/http://ic.a2f34914.062e0e.aod-pod-ww-live.bbcfmt.vo.llnwi.net/mpg_mp3_med/podcast_migrated/p02qhzv1-timc_20110613-1700b.mp3?s=1434631660&e=1434674860&h=58f1707615654a5b0f54618c2c56fd51 So You Want To Be An Astronaut.mp3]</ref>
Keen also curates and comperes ''Spacetacular!'', a space-themed comedy quiz night along with ''Londonist'' editor Matt Brown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/02111590-review-out-world-museum-science-and-industry-%E2%80%93-281011|title=Review: Out of this World @ Museum of Science and Industry – 28 October 2011 – Mancunian Matters|website=mancunianmatters.co.uk|accessdate=25 October 2017|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026054056/http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/02111590-review-out-world-museum-science-and-industry-%E2%80%93-281011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://londonist.com/2012/02/preview-spacetacular-the-roxy-bar-and-screen.php|title=Preview: Spacetacular! @ The Roxy Bar And Screen|date=9 February 2012|accessdate=25 October 2017}}</ref> In 2012 ''Spactacular!'' received a UK Space Agency Space For All award.
Keen hosted the first Comedy Night at the CERN lab in August 2013, the show proved to be CERN's most successful webcast since the discovery of the Higgs boson there, and was followed from 105 countries by nearly 10,000 browsers.<ref>[http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2013/09/06/18622/the_only_officially_non-racist_comedian Chortle.com piece about the CERN comedy night]</ref><ref>[http://home.web.cern.ch/cern-people/updates/2013/09/cern-stand-stands-out-crowd CERN update about their first comedy night]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lhcomedy.web.cern.ch/|title=Comedy Collider Presents: LHComedy|accessdate=25 October 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916200845/http://lhcomedy.web.cern.ch/|archivedate=16 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1597883|title=LHComedy: CERN after dark stand-up comedy evening|date=30 August 2013|accessdate=25 October 2017}}</ref>
In 2013 Keen was a guest on ''The Infinite Monkey Cage''.<ref>''Science and Spin'' 12/22/2013 04:00 PM "This week on the Infinite Monkey Cage, Brian Cox and Robin Ince take to the stage at Manchester University, to discuss the state of science communication. Is the public engaged enough with the complexities of science? Are scientists engaging enough with the hoi polloi or still stuck in their ivory towers? And when was the 'golden age' of TV science, if it ever existed? Joining our presenters are scientists Matthew Cobb and Sheena Cruikshank, comedian Helen Keen and legendary science TV presenter and writer, James Burke, whose classic series 'Connections' captivated audiences around the world." Producer: Rami Tzabar. [http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/5/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download/proto/http/vpid/p02qhwd5.mp3 Science and Spin.mp3]{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="The Infinite Monkey Cage.rss"/>
==Radio== In December 2010 Keen recorded her first BBC Radio 4 series, ''It Is Rocket Science''. She created, wrote and performed in the 4-part series based on her 2008 Edinburgh show ''It Is Rocket Science!'' Alongside Keen, the show starred Susy Kane and Peter Serafinowicz and was produced by Gareth Edwards. The first episode was broadcast on 9 March 2011. A second series was broadcast in 2012 and a third series aired on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
''Big Problems with Helen Keen'', which applied the same format to a broader range of scientific issues, was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2015.
==Awards== Keen won the Channel 4 New Comedy Writing Award 2005.<ref name=c4award/>
She won the Buxton Festival Fringe Best Comedy Performance 2008.<ref name=buxtonaward/>
From 2010 to 2012 she was Comedian in Residence at the Newcastle Centre for Life science village, the first time the position had been awarded.
In 2013 her BBC Radio 4 series ''It Is Rocket Science'' won the WISE Media Award.<ref name="WISE Campaign Awards 2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/about-us/wise-awards/2013-wise-awards|title=WISE Awards 2013|last=WISE|website=wisecampaign.org.uk|accessdate=25 October 2017|archive-date=6 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406040820/http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/about-us/wise-awards/2013-wise-awards|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was presented by Princess Anne in a ceremony at the Science Museum, London. The show was also nominated for the 2014 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Radio Comedy. It was shortlisted for the 2015 Association of British Science Writers Royal Society Radio Prize.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.absw.org.uk/news-and-events/absw-news/absw-science-writers-awards-shortlists-european-science-writer-of-the-year-award-winner.html |title=ABSW Award nominations 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607215206/http://www.absw.org.uk/news-and-events/absw-news/absw-science-writers-awards-shortlists-european-science-writer-of-the-year-award-winner.html |archivedate=7 June 2015 }}</ref>
In 2015 Keen was made a ''Wired UK'' Innovation Fellow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wiredevent.co.uk/wired-2015-innovation-fellowships |title=2015 Wired Innovation Fellowships |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624084648/http://www.wiredevent.co.uk/wired-2015-innovation-fellowships |archivedate=24 June 2015 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.helenkeen.com/ Helen Keen's website] * [http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/h/568/helen_keen/ Her page on chortle.co.uk] * [http://www.comedycv.co.uk/helenkeen/index.htm Her page on comedycv.co.uk] * [https://myspace.com/helenlkeen Helen Keen] on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keen, Helen}} Category:Living people Category:Comedians from Kingston upon Hull Category:English women comedians Category:Year of birth missing (living people)