Kate Cheka

Kate Cheka
Born
Katherine Cheka Holland

1989 (age 35–36)
Alma mater
Years active2019–present
Websitekatecheka.co.uk

Katherine Cheka Holland (born 1989) is an English comedian. She won the 2023 Funny Women Award.

Early life

Cheka was brought up by a single mother in South London and then Wiltshire.[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Wolfson College, Cambridge[2] and a Master of Arts (MA) in Global Studies from Humboldt University of Berlin. She also studied abroad at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.[3]

Career

Cheka began her career in the English-language comedy scene in Berlin, starting the Shows B4 Bros open mic night.[4] She was nominated for the 2019 Berlin New Stand-up Award and competed for the BBC New Comedy Award.[5] In 2020, she hosted a podcast titled Love in the Time Of for THF Radio Berlin as well as Mixtape Menage.[6]

Cheka collaborated with Suzie Preece on a show for the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Festival titled Katie and Suzie: Split-Billed Platypus. That same year, Cheka signed with the agency Comedy Store.[4] Cheka won the 2023 Funny Women Award for her live stage work.[7][8] Cheka was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2024 Chortle Awards.[9]

Cheka premiered her debut solo show Kate Cheka: A Messiah Comes at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Rachael Healy of The Guardian named her one of the "funniest comedians at the fringe".[10] Cheka subsequently brought the show on tour to the Leicester Comedy Festival, Brighton Fringe, Cambridge Fringe Festival, and the Exeter and Hastings Comedy festival in 2025.[11]

Personal life

Cheka is bisexual.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Logan, Brian (19 January 2025). "Kate Cheka: A Messiah Comes review – barbed jokes and trenchant anecdotes". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Degrees Awarded" (PDF). The Wolfson Review. October 2018. p. 90. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Season 1 Episode 9: Beyond Survival: The (Post)colonial Comedian". Decolonization in Action. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b Dessau, Bruce (4 October 2021). "Comedy Store Agency Signs First New Talent In Three Years". Beyond the Joke. Archived from the original on 22 April 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Kate Cheka". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  6. ^ "love in the times of Corona w/ Kate Cheka". THF Radio. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Kate Cheka crowned Funny Women Winner 2023". Comedy in Your Eye. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Meet 2023 Stage Winner: Kate Cheka". Funny Women. 24 December 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. ^ Bennett, Steve (17 March 2024). "Who won at the 2024 Chortle Awards?". Chortle. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  10. ^ Healy, Rachael (24 July 2024). "Edinburgh festival 2024: six of the funniest comedians at the fringe". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  11. ^ Walsh, James (30 May 2025). "Brighton Fringe: Kate Cheka – A Messiah Comes". The Reviews Hub. Retrieved 11 June 2025.