Helen Keen

Helen Keen
Helen Keen performs at the Hackney Empire, London, on 28 January 2007
Born	Yorkshire, England
Medium	stand-up, radio
Nationality	British
Notable works and roles	It Is Rocket Science
Website	Official Website

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.

Keen was raised in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. In 2005, along with writing partner Miriam Underhill, she won the first Channel 4 New Comedy Writing Initiative award. Judges included station executives, as well as Annie Griffin, Victoria Pile and Arthur Mathews. She also reached the 2005 UK Funny Women final. In 2006, she was a finalist for the hotly competed Hackney Empire New Act of the Year title. In 2007, she performed in the second annual tribute to Malcolm Hardee. 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.

Keen's subject matter tends towards the unusual and esoteric. Her solo shows are also unusual in that they have all toured both arts festivals (including music festivals) and science festivals.

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. 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 this was the first time that they had booked a comedy performer.