Born in Jersey, Channel Islands, Jenny Lecoat's parents were raised under German Occupation, and both families were involved in resistance activity. Lecoat moved to England aged 18, where, following a drama degree, she spent a decade on the alternative comedy circuit as a feminist stand-up. She was nominated for a prestigious Perrier Award in 1986. She also wrote for newspapers and women's magazines (Cosmopolitan, Observer) and presented TV and radio shows, before focusing on screen writing from sitcom (Birds of a Feather, Sometime Never) to sketch shows (The Catherine Tate Show.) A love of history and factual stories and a return to her island roots brought about her feature film Another Mother's Son (2017), which starred Jenny Seagrove and John Hannah, and attracted major coverage.