Letters
Alone
Dear Ann,
As you know from my incessant forwarding of tweets and videos, I’m a devoted fan of the comedian/writer/actor Janey Godley, whose 2020 voiceovers of Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid-19 briefings have provided comic relief and solid advice in equal measure.
Godley also does hilarious voiceovers of animal videos—I promise you that Glasgow’s supposed squirrels, otters and beavers are the most reliable medicine around. Thanks to Janey Godley, my comprehension of the Glasgow accent and vocabulary has made great leaps forward. I know I didn’t laugh at anything in 2020 as much as I laughed at and with Janey Godley—except maybe with you at dumb things we did or said that we can no longer remember. (I’m grateful for every dumb thing that made us laugh. I mean, why are we here if not to laugh like loons?)
One of the things Janey Godley did in 2020 is very special. As part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s “Scenes for Survival” project, she wrote and performed in a series of four short video plays called Alone. In the series, Godley plays Betty, a Glasgow housewife. It starts out funny, sad, and a bit mysterious, and then it goes deep, and deftly, into the topic of coercive control, in this case by Betty’s husband of 40 years, Jim.
I’ve linked the first one up top, in which Godley appears alone, with just her “wee dug” Bobo (played by Godley’s real-life wee dug, Honey, who shows real range). In the three episodes that followed the first (all now on YouTube), a different actor appears on a Zoom call with Betty; each plays an important person in Betty’s life. Awareness dawns, as in real life, and keeps growing. It’s masterful.
I can’t wait to see what Janey Godley has in store this year.
Love,
Kay
Janey really is a genius isn’t she! It always takes me by surprise when I hear nicola sturgeon speak and she doesn’t actually sound like janey lol.
Brilliant. I’d seen her Nicola Sturgeon videos but not this. I’ll watch the others on YouTube but I can see that I’ll need to arm myself with a cup of tea and hot toast first.
Wow.. I had not heard of Godley, and I watched the video before reading your letter. It never occurred to me that this was an actress; I thought she really was Betty. Now I’ll have to look up more of her work, especially her comic routines. Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful actress.
Yet another triumph! I so enjoy your recommendations, I knew of Janey Godley but hadn’t heard of this series, I absolutely loved them, chock full of humour and humanity, a real find, thank you!
Thank you for this recommendation. I know what rabbit hole I will be going down today.
For many years, a friend of mine, who was a sailor, has been blamed for my “colorful” vocabulary. Now I have seen Janey Godley a few times, I see it is genetic. She sounds just like my family in Scotland after a “wee hof”. I am glad to be reminded that I am truly on my family tree, the branch that swears, and sings.
I just heard about Jane, but hadn’t seen any of her videos yet. Thanks to you, I’ve spent half the morning scrolling through her work. She’s amazingly talented. Thanks again.
Powerful, sobering, deft, subtle. My word!
Love love love Janey!!❤️❤️
Oh wow, definitely going to check this out, but hey guys, if you haven’t seen it yet, you have GOT to check out the Yarn Harlot blog post from the 21st, where one of your blanket designs is part of a wonderful story.
Cheers!
I was so so thrilled to see that! The Moderne Log Cabin lives!
Thank you for sharing this. Absolutely wonderful. Down the rabbit hole I go.
I discovered Janey Godley during the lockdown last March. She and her daughter Ashley Storrie do Facebook livestreams several times a week and they never fail to brighten my day. Funny, silly, but also wise and compassionate.
Glasgow girl here! Janey is one of our own. She has also written a book about her difficult childhood. What I love is that Nicola sometimes retweets her videos, she says Janey says the things she can’t
Oh thank you so much for this introduction – I never knew her before. I watched these 4 episodes of Alone one after the other and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry – and ended up doing both at the same time. She is brilliant!
This is so real, I was near tears after binge-watching the whole series. Thank you, thank you for sharing this!
Thank you, started with her voicing the thoughts of the beavers & possums and otters, and Nicola Sturgeon – hilarious with lots of heart. Then watched Alone – brilliant! She can do anything – hope there are more episodes!
That was wonderful! I just loved it.
Absolutely brilliant! I love Janey, she’s a genius! Thanks for sharing these!
That was awesome. I’d not heard of her before but I watched them all and will look for more from her. Thank you!
Thanks for the intro to Janey. Her “Alone” made me laugh and cry. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her, soon. I’m so glad for Betty (and Stephen and Martin) that they get that triumphant finish. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing Kay! I love her wit. I am a new fan! Touching and hilarious in equal measure❤️
I just watched these…so lovely. Thank you for the introduction to Ms. Godley.
Previously I had seen Alone part 4 when Kay posted it on her Instagram feed. Tonight I got around to watching 1-4 in order. Delightful and moving.
Thank you for linking this powerful work! I had not heard of Janey Godley and was moved to tears and then joy from her stunning performance. I was so engrossed I forgot to knit!