Rest in peace, Janey. You were a total one-off

Janey Godley at the Pride of Scotland awards at Hopetoun House in South Queensferry | PA

Over the past seven days, tributes to Janey have been pouring in, since her untimely death this time last week. This paper had already hit the streets last Saturday morning when her daughter Ashley Storrie took to Instagram to announce the sad news. So this is my first opportunity to put my own thoughts into print.

I had known Janey since she first started performing in the late nineties. She was a true force of nature, who wore her heart on her sleeve. She spoke the truth, warts and all, no matter how uncomfortable that truth could be. You always knew where you were with her. She was very open about the trauma of her early life, yet could still derive laughter from that darkest of places.

That Turnberry protest summed up two particular qualities of Janey. Her plain-speaking and her flair for self-promotion. She was one of the first comedians to see the potential of social media, and she was a master of the medium.

She reached a whole new audience during the pandemic, with her video clips re-voicing Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid press briefings. The former first minister was one of the first people to pay tribute last weekend, along with a number of other political figures. But strangely not the US president-elect. I wonder why?

She was simply one of the most compellingly watchable comedians in Scotland. When she won the inaugural Billy Connolly Award at last year’s Glasgow Comedy Festival, it could not have gone to anyone more appropriate. The Big Yin was effusive in his praise.

Even when she was gravely ill, she still maintained a ubiquitous profile on social media. It is difficult to picture Scottish comedy without her presence. To say that she will be greatly missed is a huge understatement. Our industry is much the poorer without her colossal presence.

Rest in peace, Janey. You were a total one-off. And, by the way, you were right about Trump.