Jessica Thom (born 14 July 1980) is a British theatre-maker and comedian who established Touretteshero, an alter-ego and project aimed at increasing awareness of Tourette syndrome, the neurological condition which she was diagnosed with in her early twenties.

[3] Thom has made numerous appearances on British television, notably an interview on Russell Howard's Good News which has garnered more than 995,000 YouTube views[4] as of August 2019[update], and was reported on by The Independent and Metro newspapers.

According to guidance notes for journalists written by the team at Touretteshero, and published by the Guardian:Although some aspects of [Tourette's Syndrome] are challenging, Jess does not describe herself as a 'Tourette's sufferer' under any circumstances.

[11] Other audience members complained about the noise she was making as a result of her vocal tics and the venue's staff asked her to move into a sound booth, so she wouldn't be heard by other customers.

[16][17] In 2012, Souvenir Press published Welcome to Biscuit Land: A year in the life of Touretteshero based on entries on Thom's blog, for which Fry wrote the foreword.

The set for the show features 50 items that were the subjects of some of Thom's spontaneous vocal tics during the development cycle, including a 'babygrow for Les Dennis' and 'ducks dressed as pterodactyls'.

[1] Backstage in Biscuit Land received R&D funding from commissioning body Unlimited,[24] but crowdfunding was sought to help bring the show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Lyn Gardiner in The Guardian said: "Jess Thom's condition lends her show an absurdist edge Samuel Beckett would be proud of...Tourette's and theatre make a joyous combo".

It continued to pick up glowing reviews with The Stage awarding it four stars and calling the show "a properly joyous thing, funny, informative, and eloquent about the need for theatre to be more accessible to everyone.

The performance at the latter earned the show 4 stars in the Australian edition of The Guardian, with Steph Harmon describing at as "unpredictable, joyous, must-watch theatre".

In September of that year, Thom delivered a talk about the misconceptions of Tourette's Syndrome at TEDxAlbertopolis, the first TED event to take place at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Her personal outlook often inverts the typical negative stereotypes associated with disability, for instance she sees her Tourette's as a source of creativity and her wheelchair as a symbol of freedom.

[33]In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Thom signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election.

The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few.