[8] Since winning the BBC Radio 2's New Comedy Award 2011, Barnes has continued to be a regular on the stand-up circuit, playing ever bigger venues.

[10] In June 2013, Barnes became noted for an article in The Guardian that followed a blog post she had written, where she spoke about how she felt society treated people deemed ugly and her feelings as someone who self-identified as such.

She appeared on episode of Dave's As Yet Untitled[9] alongside Alan Davies, Janet Street-Porter and Michael Ball and in mid-2016 toured New Zealand.

In January 2018, she appeared on Live at the Apollo and started to tour Fortitude which is about turning 40, being child free, and nuclear bunkers.

[20] Barnes's stand-up series on BBC Radio 4 was based on her critically acclaimed début show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014, You Can't Take It With You.

The four-episode series is in part a tribute to her characterful late father, who was a sex shop manager, naturist, swinger[2] and an enthusiast for caravans and pranks, and a major influence on Barnes.

[22] Made with Adnan Ahmed, Barnes spoke to people about the Cold War, and to John Robins about how to survive a nuclear apocalypse.