Desiree Burch

{{Infobox person

| name = Desiree Burch

| image = DesireeBurchFW2015.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Burch (left) accepting the Funny Women 2015 Award

| birth_name = Desiree Lea Burch

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|01|26}}

| birth_place = Diamond Bar, California, US

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| occupation = Comedian, actress, television presenter, voice actress

| years_active = 2005–Present

| website = {{URL|desireeburch.net}}

| known_for = {{flatlist|

Flinch
Too Hot to Handle

}}

| notable_works = Neo-Futurists

}}

Desiree Lea Burch{{cite episode|title=Series 2, Episode 2|series=Celebability|airdate=June 28, 2018|publisher=ITV2}} (born January 26, 1979) is an American comedian, actress, television presenter, and voice actress. Originally from Diamond Bar, California,{{cite episode|title=Series 3, Episode 8|series=Don't Hate the Playaz|date=December 8, 2020|network=ITV2}} Burch has also lived in New York,{{cite episode|title=Series 14, Episode 5|series=The Jonathan Ross Show|airdate=March 30, 2019|publisher=ITV}} Streatham, Croydon and Peckham, having moved to London to live with her boyfriend Samy Ouarkoub in 2014.{{cite web|author=Dessau|first=Bruce|date=October 29, 2019|title=Desiree Burch interview: 'My style is highbrow and lowbrow – I'm intellectual and filthy'|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/comedian-desiree-burch-interview-a4273116.html|website=Evening Standard|publisher=|accessdate=October 29, 2019}}

She won the Funny Women title in 2015 having completed an arduous series of gigs around the UK.{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Alice|date=October 2, 2015|title=Funny Women Awards 2015: Desiree Burch leads the charge for next crop of comediennes|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/funny-women-awards-2015-desiree-burch-leads-the-charge-for-the-next-crop-of-comediennes-a6677026.html|accessdate=February 10, 2018}} She followed up this success with five-star reviews and a Fringe First Award for her one-woman, self written show, Tar Baby at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Early life and education

Burch was born in Diamond Bar, California and attended Yale University where she earned a bachelor's degree majoring in Theatre Studies. After university, she moved to New York City where she became a founding member of the New York Neo-Futurists, and performed regularly as a stand-up comedian and actress on the New York comedy circuit.

In 2014 she moved to London, where she achieved wider acclaim in television following her win in the annual Funny Women competition in the following year,{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=British Comedy |date=April 18, 2016 |title=Funny Women Awards |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/feature/funny_woman_awards/ |access-date=August 7, 2022 |website=British Comedy Guide |language=en}} and Fringe First Award for her self written, one-woman show, Tar Baby. She later became the founding Artistic Director of Degenerate Fox Theatre with Kate Jones.{{Cite web|title=Degenerate Fox|url=https://degeneratefox.co.uk/|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=|language=en-US}}

Career

File:Desiree Burch at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 3.jpg

Burch has appeared on Live at the Apollo,{{cite episode |title=Series 13, Episode 6 |series=Live at the Apollo |publisher=BBC Two |airdate=January 4, 2018 }} Have I Got News for You,{{cite episode |title=Series 54, Episode 8 |series=Have I Got News for You |airdate=December 4, 2017 |publisher=BBC One}} QI,{{cite episode |title=Series 15, Episode 16 |series=QI |airdate=February 16, 2018 |publisher=BBC Two}} The Mash Report,{{cite episode |title=Series 2, Episode 4 |series=The Mash Report |airdate=February 8, 2018 |publisher=BBC Two}} The Russell Howard Hour,{{cite episode |title=Series 1, Episode 3 |series=The Russell Howard Hour |publisher=Sky One |airdate=October 5, 2017}} The Fake News Show,{{cite episode |title=Series 1, Episode 3 |series=The Fake News Show |publisher=Channel 4 |airdate=October 5, 2017 }} Chris Ramsey's Stand Up Central,{{cite episode |title=Series 3, Episode 1 |series=Chris Ramsey's Stand Up Central |publisher=Comedy Central |airdate=September 27, 2017 }} Frankie Boyle's New World Order,{{cite episode |title=Series 1, Episode 4 |series=Frankie Boyle's New World Order |publisher=BBC Two |airdate=July 14, 2017 }} Mock the Week,{{cite episode |title=Series 17, Episode 4 |series=Mock the Week |publisher=BBC Two |airdate=June 28, 2018 }} American Autopsy,{{cite episode |series=Frankie Boyle's American Autopsy |publisher=BBC Two |airdate=November 20, 2016 }} Richard Osman's House of Games{{cite episode | title=Series 2, Week 9 | series=Richard Osman's House of Games | publisher=BBC Two | airdate=December 3–8, 2018}} and Would I Lie to You?.{{cite episode |title=Series 16, Episode 7 |series=Would I Lie to You? |airdate=February 7, 2023 |publisher=BBC One}} She also plays Pamela Winchell, the former Mayor of Night Vale and current Head of Emergency Press Conferences, in Welcome to Night Vale.{{cite web |url=http://commonplacebooks.com/live-events/#/past-shows/ |title=Live Shows |work=Welcome to Night Vale }}{{Cite web|title=Desiree Burch — Transcript Archive|url=http://www.nightvalepresents.com/welcome-to-night-vale-transcripts/tag/Desiree+Burch|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Night Vale Presents|language=en-US}} In 2021, Desiree Burch was set to co-star with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Kartoon Channel series Superhero Kindergarten. Later that same year, she was in the Netflix movie A Castle for Christmas starring Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes.

Burch hosts Flinch, a physical game show on Netflix,{{Cite web|last=White|first=Peter|date=November 9, 2017|title=Netflix Orders 'Jackass'-Meets-'Wipeout' Format 'Flinch' From Sony's Stellify|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/netflix-orders-jackass-meets-wipeout-format-flinch-from-sonys-stellify-1202204815/|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US}} alongside Seann Walsh, and Lloyd Griffith,{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Steve|date=August 23, 2018|title=Comedians to host Netflix gameshow|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/08/23/41044/comedians_to_host_netflix|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Chortle|language=en}} which debuted in May 2019.

Desiree's Coming Early was a 31-date UK tour in October and November 2019 with support from comedian Ingrid Dahle.{{Cite web|date=October 17, 2019|title=Ingrid Dahle Announced as Desiree Burch Support Act at Kettering Arts Centre|url=https://ketteringartscentre.com/2019/10/17/ingrid-dahle-announced-as-desiree-burch-support-act-at-kettering-arts-centre/|website=Kettering Arts Centre}}{{Cite web|title=Desiree's Coming Early!|url=https://www.desireeburch.com/desirees-coming-early|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Desiree Burch|language=en-US}}

In 2020, she became the narrator for Netflix's reality television dating show Too Hot to Handle.{{cite web|last1=Smail|first1=Gretchen|date=April 17, 2020|title='Too Hot To Handle' Narrator Desiree Burch Is The Perfect Person For The Job|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/too-hot-to-handle-narrator-desiree-burch-is-the-perfect-person-for-the-job-22794089|website=Bustle|publisher=|accessdate=April 17, 2020}}

In May 2020 Burch appeared as a contestant in BBC’s I'll Get This, in which participants play games during dinner to avoid paying the bill. In January 2021 she was a contestant on the BBC Best Home Cook show. Burch appeared on Series 12 of Channel 4's Taskmaster as a contestant.{{cite web |title=Taskmaster Series 12 Line Up Revealed |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMy05lhlkM |website=YouTube |access-date=May 20, 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Morris|first=Lauren|date=September 23, 2021|title=Taskmaster series 12 {{!}} Release date, cast, trailer and news about the Channel 4 show|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/taskmaster-series-12-release-date/|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Radio Times|language=en}}

Personal life

Burch identifies as bisexual.{{Cite episode |title=Dom-ing with Desiree Burch |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p079j3ln |access-date=October 15, 2021 |series=Unexpected Fluids |network=BBC Radio 1 |date=May 19, 2019}}