Viv Groskop

Biography

Viv Groskop is a writer, comedian, broadcaster, and podcaster. She is the creator of the How to Own the Room podcast and book, as well as books covering everything from life lessons from literature to her experiences as a standup.

A journalist for much of her professional life, Viv joined Esquire after university before moving to the Express and becoming a columnist on the Sunday Express by the age of twenty-five. An award-winning columnist and interviewer, Viv is known as one of the UK’s most prolific commentators and arts reviewers. Combining her day-job writing with working as a comedian, she performed for five years at the Edinburgh Fringe, and undertook 100 gigs in 100 nights, an experience she recounted in her book, I Laughed, I Cried: How One Woman Took On Stand-Up and Almost Ruined Her Life.

Viv is also the author of the bestselling How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking, an entertaining celebration and analysis of women public speakers from politics to comedy to campaigning. It combines a look at inspiring figures in all areas of public life with tips and revealing insights into how to speak effectively in public, both in person and on virtual platforms (how to own the Zoom). The book led to Viv’s How To Own The Room podcast, which has seen her interview figures including Catherine Tate, Margaret Atwood, Nigella Lawson, and Chelsea and Hillary Clinton. She also hosted the podcast We Can Rebuild Her, which looked at concepts of reinvention, resilience and dealing with change.

Viv has written Lift as You Climb: Women and the Art of Ambition, which expands on some of the ideas from How to Own and looks at how women often view ambition, careers, and interactions with colleagues. She is also the author of Au Revoir, Tristesse: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature, and The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature.

A regular guest presenter on Radio 4, Viv has appeared on Front Row, Saturday Review, Saturday Live, Woman’s Hour, Today, and The World Tonight, Quote Unquote and Where’s the F in News? She’s also written four radio plays for the station and produced documentaries including It's Just a Joke Comrade about Russian satire. On television she has frequently appeared on This Morning, University Challenge, Front Row, Newsnight and Sky News.

Viv is known for her exhaustive and entertaining blogs on Downton Abbey, Poldark, and Strictly Come Dancing in The Guardian. She is a fluent Russian speaker and Trustee of Pushkin House, the independent centre for Russian culture in the heart of London.