David Farnor | On 23, Jan 2017

What Would Beyoncé Do? This Valentine’s Day, BBC Three will give us the answer, as it releases Luisa Omielan’s hit stand-up show online.

Luisa, who shot to fame following one of the most successful debut stand-up shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, has built up a huge following from her sell-out shows: What Would Beyoncé Do?! and Am I Right Ladies?! Both were critically acclaimed and sold out worldwide. She has been described as “one of the biggest stand up hits of the decade” by the Guardian.

Now, she’s making her telly debut, with the Beyoncé-themed special, which is set to a soundtrack of the singer’s best known hits.

The show was filmed at the Clapham Grand on 19th January 2017, following a commission from BBC Commissioning Editor Alex Moody. From King Bert productions, the special was directed by Julia Knowles (The Royal Variety Performance 2016, Lee Evans Live, Beyoncé Live in London), produced by Sarah Fraser (Walliams & Friend) and executive produced by Jo Sargent (Miranda).

The 75-minute special will aim to capture the infectious energy of Luisa’s shows, by joining the queues and audience in the build-up to the event, to discover why her loyal army of fans love her unique approach to stand-up and her Beyoncé ethos.

Luisa comments: “I am absolutely delighted. This was a free show I performed in Edinburgh back in 2012. I have been lucky enough to tour it for five years and now I am now filming it for the BBC! This show is just magic for me. I’m really thankful to the wonderful team at King Bert and to the BBC for giving me the chance to get it on the telly.”

Shane Allen, Controller, Comedy Commissioning at the BBC, adds: “Luisa is a huge star in the making and this show is a real crowd pleaser. Luisa spins a time of personal rejection into a riotous, uplifting comedy banshee cry. It’s for anyone who has ever had their heart broken. It heralds the feature length debut of a major new female comedy force.”

The special will be available on BBC iPlayer from 14th February.

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