Maisie Elizabeth Adam is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actress, and television personality born on January 24, 1994, in Pannal, North Yorkshire. Raised in Harrogate, she trained as an actress at East 15 Acting School before pivoting to comedy after struggling to find acting work post-graduation. Her first stand-up gig came in October 2016; within a year she won So You Think You’re Funny at the Edinburgh Fringe, launching a career that has since produced five Edinburgh solo shows, a Taskmaster Series 20 championship in 2025, two podcast series, three Soccer Aid appearances, and a starring role in LOL: Last One Laughing UK Series 2 in 2026. She married Mike Dobinson on June 10, 2023, and lives in Brighton.
TL;DR
- Maisie Elizabeth Adam, English comedian and writer, born January 24, 1994, in Pannal, North Yorkshire; raised in Harrogate.
- Educated at St Aidan’s Church of England High School (Head Girl) and East 15 Acting School, University of Essex (BA Acting and Community Theatre, 2016).
- Won So You Think You’re Funny (Edinburgh Fringe, 2017) and Amused Moose National New Comic Award (2018).
- Solo shows: Vague (2018, Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee), Hang Fire (2019-20), Appraisal (2021-22 tour; Sky TV special), What’s Her Face (2026 tour).
- Won Taskmaster Series 20 (2025) with 151 points; appeared in LOL: Last One Laughing UK Series 2 (2026).
- Podcasts: That’s a First! (with Tom Lucy, since 2019); Big Kick Energy (with Suzi Ruffell, since 2023). Soccer Aid 2023, 2024, and 2025.
- Married Mike Dobinson June 10, 2023; lives in Brighton. Epilepsy diagnosis at age 14. Uncle Mark Byford was Deputy Director General of the BBC.
Quick Bio
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Maisie Elizabeth Adam |
| Known As | Maisie Adam |
| Date of Birth | January 24, 1994 |
| Age | 32 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Pannal, North Yorkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | White British |
| Religion | Not publicly disclosed |
| Education | St Aidan’s Church of England High School, Harrogate; National Youth Theatre (2010-2012); BA Acting and Community Theatre, East 15 Acting School, University of Essex (2016) |
| Profession | Stand-up comedian, writer, actress, television personality, podcast host |
| Active Since | 2016 |
| Platforms / Outlets | Instagram @maisieadam (191,000+ followers); stand-up tours; Channel 4; Sky TV; Amazon Prime Video; BBC |
| Total Following | 191,000+ on Instagram |
| Height | Reportedly approx. 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Relationship Status | Married to Mike Dobinson (June 10, 2023) |
| Net Worth | Estimated £760,000 to £3 million |
Who is Maisie Adam?
Maisie Adam is an English stand-up comedian and writer from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, who won So You Think You’re Funny at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, became the champion of Taskmaster Series 20 in 2025, and has built one of the fastest-rising careers in British comedy through solo tours, panel shows, podcasts, and television work.
Adam began performing stand-up in October 2016 having trained as an actress at East 15 Acting School. Her pivot to comedy was driven by necessity: after graduating in 2016 she found no acting work, moved back to her parents’ house in Yorkshire, and worked temporary jobs until a friend encouraged her to try stand-up. Within a year she had won the UK’s premier new comedy competition. By 2018 her debut Edinburgh solo show Vague had earned a Best Newcomer nomination at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and by 2019 she was appearing on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, and QI.
Her television profile has expanded steadily: she has appeared on Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie To You?, Richard Osman’s House of Games, The Last Leg, and Roast Battle. She narrated ITV2’s The Cabins across two series (2021, 2022), wrote for Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials, and played punk singer Siouxsie Sioux in a 2018 episode of Urban Myths. Her Taskmaster Series 20 win in 2025 with 151 points was followed by an appearance in Champion of Champions 4. She featured in LOL: Last One Laughing UK Series 2 in 2026. As of 2026 her What’s Her Face tour is on sale, and her Appraisal special is available on Sky TV. Her Instagram bio describes her as “just here for the lols.”
Early Life and Background
Childhood and Family
Maisie Adam was born in Pannal, a village near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, to Phillip and Jill Adam. She has a younger brother, Daniel, approximately three and a half years her junior. Her family background includes several notable figures in British public life.
Her mother Jill previously worked for Leeds Beckett University and is the founder and executive director of the Louder Than Words Festival in Manchester, a music and literature festival. Her maternal grandfather, Sir Lawrence Byford, served as Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales from 1983 to 1987, and led the inquiry into failings in the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. Her uncle, Mark Byford, was Deputy Director General of the BBC and head of BBC Journalism from 2004 to 2011. In 1999, when Maisie was five, her parents were charged with felony abuse in Florida after leaving their two children unattended in a hotel room for 45 minutes; they spent a night in jail before returning to England. The charges were widely criticised as unreasonable. Adam was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 14, a condition she has spoken about publicly and incorporated into her comedy.
Education
Adam attended St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate, where she served as Head Girl. She then trained with the National Youth Theatre from 2010 to 2012, before completing a BA in Acting and Community Theatre at East 15 Acting School, affiliated with the University of Essex, graduating in 2016.
East 15 Acting School, based in Loughton, Essex, is one of the UK’s most respected drama training institutions, known for its emphasis on ensemble performance, community theatre, and versatile actor training. The Acting and Community Theatre programme she studied combines performance skills with socially engaged work, an influence visible in the accessibility and warmth of her stand-up style. She was only the fourth woman to win So You Think You’re Funny in the competition’s history and can speak French fluently. She also played county-level football for North Yorkshire during her earlier years.
Comedy Career
Before Fame
After graduating from East 15 in 2016, Adam returned to Yorkshire without an agent, unable to secure acting work. She took temporary jobs and eventually turned to stand-up, performing her debut hour Living on the Edge at the Ilkley Literature Festival fringe on October 13, 2016.
The Ilkley Literature Festival debut attracted enough positive response to encourage further gigs. Within months she was performing in Yorkshire’s comedy circuit, developing the material that would win her national recognition at Edinburgh the following year. The story of a trained actress turned comedian through economic necessity is one she has revisited in subsequent shows, using the gap between expectation and reality as comedic raw material.
Breakthrough: So You Think You’re Funny and Edinburgh
In 2017, Adam won So You Think You’re Funny at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the UK’s premier new acts comedy competition, making her only the fourth woman to win in the competition’s history. The win secured her an agent and launched her professional comedy career.
The following year, 2018, she premiered her first full Edinburgh solo show, Vague, which earned a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and won her the Amused Moose National New Comic Award. Both accolades in the same year confirmed her as one of the most significant new comedy voices in the UK. Her ITV2 television debut came in February 2019 on The Stand-Up Sketch Show, after which panel show bookings accelerated across 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, QI, Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie To You?, and The Last Leg.
Solo Shows
Adam has produced five Edinburgh solo shows: Living on the Edge (Ilkley, 2016), Vague (2018, Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee), Hang Fire (2019-20 UK and European tour), Appraisal (2021-22 tour, Sky TV special), and What’s Her Face (2026 tour currently on sale).
Hang Fire toured the UK and Europe in 2019 and 2020 before the pandemic interrupted live performance. Appraisal ran as a tour in 2021-22 and was later released as a special on Sky TV, extending its reach beyond the live circuit. Her 2026 tour What’s Her Face represents her most ambitious live project to date, with dates across the UK on sale. Her comedy style draws on personal experience, including epilepsy, family dynamics, football fandom, and the everyday accumulation of awkward moments, delivered with the physical energy and direct address her acting training equipped her to sustain. Joe Wilkinson, the English comedian and After Life actor, is a fellow British stand-up and television comedy personality whose career trajectory parallels Adam’s movement between the Edinburgh circuit and mainstream television panel shows.
Taskmaster Win and Recent Television
Adam competed in and won Taskmaster Series 20 in 2025, accumulating 151 points across ten episodes. The Taskmaster Wiki records this as the lowest score for any champion of a ten-episode series. She returned for Champion of Champions 4, finishing second with 19 points.
Her Taskmaster performance, competing alongside Ania Magliano and Phil Ellis in the tiebreaker, saw her win the championship outright. The win significantly elevated her national profile. In August 2025, she was announced as a contestant on LOL: Last One Laughing UK Series 2, which aired in early 2026. Her first television appearance of note was on The Chase as a university student in April 2016, where she was eliminated by Paul Sinha. She also appeared in Soccer Aid in 2023, 2024, and 2025, reflecting her longstanding passion for football.
Podcasts and Writing
Adam co-hosts two podcasts: That’s a First! with Tom Lucy (since December 2019), exploring guests’ notable first experiences, and Big Kick Energy with Suzi Ruffell (since 2023), which covers the Women’s Super League and has been nominated for a Sports Broadcast Award.
Her writing credits include episodes of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and two episodes of Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials on Channel 4 in 2019. Her narration of ITV2’s The Cabins across Series 1 (January 2021) and Series 2 (January 2022) extended her reach into mainstream television audiences beyond panel show regulars. ITV announced in June 2022 that The Cabins would not return for a third series.
Social Media Presence
Adam’s Instagram account (@maisieadam) has more than 191,000 followers as of 2026, where she posts about her comedy work, tours, podcast content, and football. Her Instagram bio references her 2026 tour, Big Kick Energy, and her Sky TV Appraisal special.
| Platform | Followers / Subscribers | Content Type |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram @maisieadam | 191,000+ | Comedy, tour dates, football, podcast promotion, personal posts |
Net Worth and Income Streams
Maisie Adam’s net worth is estimated at between £760,000 and £3 million, reflecting income from stand-up tours, television appearances across BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, podcast production, writing, and her Sky TV Appraisal special.
| Income Stream | Estimated Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-up tours and live shows | Primary income | UK and European tours including Hang Fire, Appraisal, What’s Her Face (2026) |
| Television appearances | Significant | BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky TV (Appraisal special), Amazon Prime (LOL UK S2) |
| Podcasts (That’s a First!, Big Kick Energy) | Supplementary | Big Kick Energy nominated for Sports Broadcast Award |
| Writing (Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials) | Supplementary | BBC and Channel 4 writing credits |
Physical Appearance
Height and Body Stats
Maisie Adam is reportedly approximately 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) tall. Her Chelsea-style cropped blonde haircut, adopted during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, became her signature look and is frequently referenced in profiles of her.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | Approx. 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) (reportedly) |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Eye Colour | Not publicly disclosed |
| Hair Colour | Blonde (cropped Chelsea style, signature look since 2020) |
Personal Life
Relationships
Maisie Adam married Mike Dobinson on June 10, 2023. The couple became engaged in December 2021. Dobinson is a private individual based in Brighton and is a director of BarByte Ltd. They have no children as of 2026.
Mike Dobinson maintains an extremely low public profile, with no significant social media presence or public interviews. He and Maisie met before her comedy career gained mainstream momentum, a detail Adam has referenced publicly as important to their relationship. They live in Brighton, where she plays for a local football team and where Dobinson’s Brighton roots predate their relationship. He has attended public events in support of her career, including Soccer Aid appearances, but consistently avoids media attention. According to Companies House records, Dobinson is a director of BarByte Ltd, incorporated in November 2023 and currently listed as dormant.
Family
Adam is close to her parents Phillip and Jill Adam, and her younger brother Daniel. Her family background includes her maternal grandfather Sir Lawrence Byford, the former Chief Inspector of Constabulary, and her uncle Mark Byford, the former Deputy Director General of the BBC.
Her mother Jill Adam’s work founding the Louder Than Words Festival in Manchester reflects a family environment with deep connections to creative and cultural life. Sir Lawrence Byford’s inquiry into the Yorkshire Ripper case was a significant chapter in British criminal justice history. Mark Byford’s tenure at the BBC from 2004 to 2011 placed him at the apex of British public service broadcasting during one of its most turbulent periods. Maisie’s own comedy career intersects with both the cultural and institutional worlds her family navigated, though she reached her career through stand-up rather than through those connections.
Achievements and Milestones
- October 13, 2016: First stand-up gig, Living on the Edge, at Ilkley Literature Festival fringe.
- 2017: Won So You Think You’re Funny at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, only the fourth woman to win in the competition’s history.
- 2018: Edinburgh solo debut Vague nominated for Best Newcomer at Edinburgh Comedy Awards; won Amused Moose National New Comic Award.
- 2019: ITV2 television debut on The Stand-Up Sketch Show; wrote two episodes of Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials for Channel 4; Hang Fire Edinburgh show launched UK and European tour.
- 2021-22: Narrated ITV2’s The Cabins across both series; Appraisal tour; Appraisal special released on Sky TV.
- 2025: Won Taskmaster Series 20 with 151 points, the first series 20 champion; returned for Champion of Champions 4, finishing second. Participated in Soccer Aid 2025 for the third consecutive year.
- 2026: Appeared in LOL: Last One Laughing UK Series 2 on Amazon Prime Video; What’s Her Face national tour on sale.
Interesting Facts About Maisie Adam
- She was diagnosed with epilepsy at 14 and has spoken publicly about the condition, using it as material in her comedy as part of a broader commitment to openness about personal experience.
- During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, she cut her hair into a Chelsea style that became her defining public image, widely referenced in all subsequent profiles of her.
- Her first television appearance was as a contestant on The Chase in April 2016, while she was still a university student. She was eliminated by Paul Sinha in her head-to-head round.
- She played county-level football for North Yorkshire and is a devoted Leeds United supporter. Her Big Kick Energy podcast with Suzi Ruffell, launched for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, was nominated for a Sports Broadcast Award.
- Her Taskmaster Series 20 win with 151 points is recorded as the lowest winning score for any champion of a ten-episode series in the show’s history, a fact the Taskmaster Wiki notes precisely.
- Her favourite comedians are Victoria Wood, Peter Kay, Lucille Ball, and Rik Mayall, a list that spans generations of British and American comedy and reflects her formation through drama school rather than the traditional open-mic circuit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Maisie Adam?
Maisie Adam is an English stand-up comedian, writer, and television personality from Harrogate, North Yorkshire. She won So You Think You’re Funny at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and Taskmaster Series 20 in 2025.
Where did Maisie Adam study?
She trained at East 15 Acting School, affiliated with the University of Essex, graduating with a BA in Acting and Community Theatre in 2016. Before that she attended St Aidan’s Church of England High School in Harrogate, where she was Head Girl.
Who is Maisie Adam’s husband?
Maisie Adam married Mike Dobinson on June 10, 2023. They had been engaged since December 2021. Dobinson is a private individual based in Brighton.
Did Maisie Adam win Taskmaster?
She won Taskmaster Series 20 in 2025 with 151 points. This is recorded as the lowest winning score for any champion of a ten-episode series in the show’s history. She returned for Champion of Champions 4, finishing second with 19 points.
What are Maisie Adam’s Edinburgh shows?
Her Edinburgh solo shows are: Vague (2018, Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee); Hang Fire (2019-20 UK and European tour); Appraisal (2021-22 tour; Sky TV special); and What’s Her Face (2026 tour currently on sale).
