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Press

Click on the relevant poster for reviews and articles.
hk hk
Poster design by Vincent Lewis
hk





Press about "It Is Rocket Science!"

(Please scroll down - and click on logo/image to be taken to full article)


Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
***** “It's a spellbinding hour. Her passion for the subject is genuine and she has an uncanny ability to turn obscure details into hilarious anecdotes.”
the skinny

Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
**** “This show was of such a high standard I would be hard pushed to find a show I have been as fully engaged with and liked as much as this one. You come to the fringe to get entertained and there are hundreds and thousands of shows out there to pick from, what Helen Keen does is become your space obsessed, stamp collecting best friend, she’s honest, smart and funny. A 1st class performance.”
the new current

Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
****½ “I completely loved this studious show”
fringeguru

Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
“For the stargazing science geek in all of us… Keen is a joy to watch”
big on glasgow

Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
**** "Charmingly witty... Experience the space race for yourself!"
threeweeks

Edinburgh Fringe August 2010:
**** "Keen’s stand-up is flawless, and her endearing naivety of presence means the shards of adult humour interspersed in the show stab us between the eyes.  That’s a good thing! As is Helen’s audience interaction, which from the beginning has the audience enthralled."
Scotsgay

Camden Fringe July 2010:
"The loveliest thing about fringe festivals is when you discover a truly great new act that, if there’s any justice in the world, is going to be huge in a few years."
Spoonfed

Camden Fringe July 2010:
"If you like Robin Ince's School for Gifted Children you should love this show. Keen mixes fascinating offbeat facts about rockets and space travel with funny and wry observation, as well as throwing in some Struwwelpeter-esque shadow puppetry."
Londonist

Buxton Fringe July 2010
"Edinburgh needs shows like this - comedy with a purpose, inventively staged"
FringeGuru

Interview about the show on the Little Atoms podcast July 2010
Little Atoms

**** "Wonderful imagination... it's charming, interesting, funny and one of the most original shows on the Fringe"
3 weeks

**** "Packed with gags, silliness and science... a fun, fast-paced, gag-filled show"

broadway baby

**** "Refreshingly different... skilful knowledge of visual humour." 
fest

"Startlingly fine entertainment throughout... crisp, sophisticated comedy"
guardian

"a jolly hour of geeky fun, part way between the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, QI, Blue Peter and some dodgy Sixties Czechoslovakian children's animation... it is, aptly enough, a blast"
chortle

"Science humour really taking off!"
chortle

"Quickfire entertaining and informative"

standard

"She's full of admiration for those involved in the space race. We're full of admiration for her"

london lite

Article I wrote about the show for Time Out. (I sound quite earnest in it.)
time out

Promoting Brighton's Science Festival 2008 on the cover of Latest 7 magazine (free, but it still counts!) (This is not something I would've envisaged aged 11. But then, hey, neither is Photoshop...)
cover latest 7

Interview on BBC6 with Nemone
(3 mins 13 secs)
bbc6

"If you're planning on visiting the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer and fancy some light-hearted space-based silliness, then make sure Helen Keen's show - It Is Rocket Science! - is on your itinerary." - Article in Astronomy Now Magazine
astonomy now

This is me talking very very quickly about space and other things on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
woman's hour



Press about "The Primitive Methodist Guide to Arctic Survival"

(Please scroll down - and click on logo/image to be taken to full article)


"This sophisticated rising star is one to watch"
guardian

**** "Verve and energy... constant and unwavering wit"
fest

**** "Entertaining and eclectic; she starts with a puppet show, riffs some Dickens and ends with T.S. Eliot."
three weeks

**** "Effervescent... bubbly, enthusiastic... This is a show that's had a lot of love put in, and in return a lot of fun is given out."
scotsgay

**** "From the naive to the gruesome... enthusiasm and energy... inventive... innocent"
one4review

Ten very important questions... answered!
londonisfunny

"geekily amusing, enthusiastically presented... truly brought to life by the intriguing tangents of trivia she allows herself to explore, those little footnotes of eccentric behaviour by big-bearded, earnest men... I found myself consistently rapt. QI fans should find plenty to engage them here"
scotsman

One of the Guardian Guide's Pick of the Programme:
"Fiercely intelligent comedy"
guardian guide

One of the Scotsman's Top 100 Shows to See on The Fringe:
"Eccentric historical characters affectionately discussed in humorous detail"
scotsman

Time Out "Critics' Choice" for December 2009 performance
time out

On the front cover of *another* magazine, Helen Keen? Well, I reply modestly, it's the Otley Courthouse Spring Programme 2010 (- but it still totally counts!) They very kindly hosted the (sold out) show in January.
Review here.
cover latest 7

Interview with BBC York about the Arctic show.
BBC York

Some Interviews

(Please scroll down - and click on logo/image to be taken to full article)


Interview about the rocket show on the Little Atoms podcast July 2010
Little Atoms
Sunday Herald Argument of the Week: Should the next Dr Who be a woman?
scotsman

Interview with The Scotsman during the 2009 Fringe at the Edinburgh Royal Observatory (one of my favourite places & a top terrorist target for the Suffragettes...)
scotsman

Interview on BBC6 with Nemone about It Is Rocket Science!
(3 mins 13 secs)
bbc6

Interview in Astronomy Now Magazine about It Is Rocket Science!
astonomy now

This is me talking very very quickly about space and other things on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
woman's hour

Interview with BBC Newcastle about selective mutism.
BBC Newcastle

Interview with BBC York about the Arctic show.
BBC York