Sally Phillips
Encyclopedia
Career
Sally Phillips was the only woman in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH which also starred Ed Smith. She did nine consecutive Edinburgh Festivals, appearing in shows such as Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur SmithArthur Smith (comedian)
Brian Arthur John Smith is an English alternative comedian and writer. He was born in Bermondsey, South London, brother to Richard Smith...
's version of Hamlet (as Ophelia) and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
, Richard Thomas, Julian Barratt and Lori Lixenburg. Her first TV role was in Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun in 1994, shortly after followed by a cameo in Alas Smith and Jones, in which Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
vomited over her. In 1995, Phillips played the role of a reporter in the unbroadcast pilot of Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
's spoof series Brass Eye
Brass Eye
Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries. A series of six aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001....
which at that point was called Torque TV, however she did not appear in the series itself.
Her role as a receptionist in I'm Alan Partridge
I'm Alan Partridge
I'm Alan Partridge is a BBC situation comedy starring Steve Coogan, of which two series of six episodes each were produced — the first in 1997 and the second in 2002...
proved to be her big break and she was nominated for best female newcomer at the British Comedy Awards that year. She had a starring role in the short-lived 1999 British comedy series Hippies
Hippies (TV series)
Hippies is a six-part British television comedy series broadcast from 12 November to 17 December 1999. It was created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, the writing partnership most famous for Father Ted, but the scripts were written by Mathews alone.It starred Simon Pegg, Sally Phillips, Julian...
(with Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
and Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt is an English actor. He is best known for his starring role as "Mac" McCartney in the comedy television series Green Wing, the second series of which finished on Channel 4 in May 2006...
), and also co-created and wrote Smack the Pony
Smack the Pony
Smack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that ran from 1999 until 2003 on Channel 4. Its title was intended to sound like a euphemism for female masturbation; the working title was Spot the Pony. The main performers and writers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips...
, an all-female, double Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning comedy show. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She appeared in Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
as "Shazzer", previously auditioning for Bridget. She also featured in the Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
written sitcom Cows
Cows (TV series)
Cows is a surreal sitcom produced by Eddie Izzard for Channel 4 in 1997. All actors appeared in cow suits. After the pilot was produced, the show was cancelled by Channel 4 and was never aired....
.
In 2001 she took the starring role in the David Nicholl's series Rescue Me for BBC 1. She also played cameo roles in Mean Machine, Birthday Girl and Born Romantic and wrote episodes for the animation Bob and Margaret.
In 2004, she took the title role in the still-running popular BBC radio sitcom Clare in the Community
Clare in the Community
Clare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a pun on care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4....
. In August 2005 she returned to the stage after a long absence, in Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
at the Oxford Playhouse
The Oxford Playhouse
The Oxford Playhouse is an independent theatre in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum.- History :...
. In 2006 she appeared in the Australian comedy feature BoyTown
BoyTown
BoyTown is a 2006 Australian comedy film, directed by Kevin Carlin and starring an ensemble cast of prominent Australian comedians, including Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Wayne Hope and Gary Eck. It was filmed in Melbourne, Victoria....
, while on television she appeared as Clare Winchester in the BBC2 sci-fi comedy Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive (TV series)
Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
.
Between 2006 and 2009 she had recurring parts in the BBC's comedies Jam & Jerusalem as a scatterbrained New Ager and in 2009 she appeared in Miranda
Miranda (TV series)
Miranda is a BBC television series co-written by and starring comedienne Miranda Hart, which first aired on BBC Two on 9 November 2009. The situation comedy also features Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, James Holmes and Sally Phillips...
as Miranda Hart
Miranda Hart
Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda...
's character's irritating upper-class friend. She also had a guest star part in e4's Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
, series 3 playing Pandora's mother.
In 2009, Phillips won a British Film Council screenwriting competition for her film Fag Mountain. Her first film The Decoy Bride is in post-production, starring David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
, Kelly Macdonald
Kelly Macdonald
Kelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress, known for her role in the independent film Trainspotting and mainstream releases such as Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park, Intermission, No Country for Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2...
and Alice Eve
Alice Eve
Alice Sophia Eve is an English actress. She is known for her lead in She's Out of My League and also appeared in Sex and the City 2. She will also star in the up-coming The Decoy Bride and Men in Black III.- Early life :...
.
In December 2010, she appeared in the BBC1 drama Accidental Farmer
Accidental Farmer
Accidental Farmer is a television drama by broadcast on BBC1 on 21 December 2010.It is about a London-based advertising executive who moves to a farm in Yorkshire after buying it with her boyfriend's credit card as revenge for cheating on her; and the rigours and problems she encounters on the...
.
Personal life
Phillips was born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the daughter of Tim Phillips, the chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
who host The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
. She was educated at the private Wycombe Abbey School, in Campbell House and then graduated from New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
with a 1st class degree in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. She is married.
Television
- Fist of FunFist of FunFist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring . A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World.Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches...
(BBC2, 1995) as various characters - I'm Alan PartridgeI'm Alan PartridgeI'm Alan Partridge is a BBC situation comedy starring Steve Coogan, of which two series of six episodes each were produced — the first in 1997 and the second in 2002...
(BBC2, 1997) as Sophie - Holding the BabyHolding the BabyHolding the Baby was a 1997 UK sitcom television series produced by Granada Television. It lasted for two seasons. The series' average audience in 1997 was 6.85 million viewers, making it the 16th-highest rated British sitcom that year....
(ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, 1997) as Laura - Comedy NationComedy NationComedy Nation is a British sketch comedy television programme that premiered at midnight 9 January 1998 on BBC Two. The first series consists of 13 episodes, each containing 30 sketches. Each episode of the first series cost £29,000 to produce....
(BBC2, 1998) as various characters - In the Red (BBC 2, 1998) as Jemma White
- Smack the PonySmack the PonySmack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that ran from 1999 until 2003 on Channel 4. Its title was intended to sound like a euphemism for female masturbation; the working title was Spot the Pony. The main performers and writers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips...
(Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 1999) as various characters - Hippies (BBC2, 1999) as Jill Sprint
- Rescue MeRescue Me (BBC TV series)Rescue Me is a British romantic comedy television series produced by Tiger Aspect and broadcast on BBC One in 2002. It was created, and principally written, by David Nicholls and stars Sally Phillips as Katie Nash, a woman who is recovering from a divorce while at the same time writing relationship...
(BBC1, 2002) as Katie Nash - French and SaundersFrench and SaundersFrench and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
Christmas Special (BBC1, 2005) as Nun #3 - Green WingGreen WingGreen Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
(Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 2006) as Holly - HyperdriveHyperdrive (TV series)Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
(BBC 2, 2006) as Clare Winchester - The Amazing Mrs PritchardThe Amazing Mrs PritchardThe Amazing Mrs Pritchard was a British drama series that aired on BBC One in 2006. Produced by Kudos, it was written by Sally Wainwright and stars Jane Horrocks in the title role of a woman with no previous political experience who becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.-Background:Sally...
(BBC1, 2006) - Jam and JerusalemJam and JerusalemJam & Jerusalem is a British comedy-drama that aired on BBC One from 2006 to 2009. Written by Jennifer Saunders and Abigail Wilson, it starred Sue Johnston, Jennifer Saunders, Pauline McLynn, Dawn French, Maggie Steed, David Mitchell, and Sally Phillips. Earlier episodes also starred Joanna Lumley...
(BBC1, 2006) as Tash Vine - SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
(Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 2009) as Pandora's mum - MirandaMiranda (TV series)Miranda is a BBC television series co-written by and starring comedienne Miranda Hart, which first aired on BBC Two on 9 November 2009. The situation comedy also features Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, James Holmes and Sally Phillips...
(BBC2, 2009–2010) as Tilly - New Tricks Series 8, Episode 5 (BBC1, 1 August 2011) as Samantha Gerson
- Something Special Series 5 (CBeebiesCBeebiesCBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both...
, 17 November 2011) as a parent (presumably as herself)
Films
- Zitti E Mosca (1991, uncredited)
- Notting HillNotting HillNotting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
(1999) Uncredited - The JunkiesThe Junkies (pilot)The Junkies was a British sitcom pilot, produced in 2000 for a budget of just £3,500, and distributed over the Internet.The show was one of the first to be specifically made for download over the web. It was written by Jane Bussmann and David Quantick, and starred Peter Baynham, Sally Phillips,...
(2000) as Sal - Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) as Sharon "Shazza"
- Birthday GirlBirthday GirlBirthday Girl is a 2001 British-American drama and crime film directed by Jez Butterworth. The plot focuses on English bank clerk John Buckingham who orders a Russian mail-order bride, Nadia. It becomes clear upon her arrival that Nadia cannot speak English, and early into her stay, two mysterious...
(2001) as Karen - Mean Machine (2001) as Tracey
- Tooth (2004) as Mom
- GladiatressGladiatressGladiatress is a 2004 British comedy film, starring Sally Phillips, Fiona Allen and Doon Mackichan. It is partly a spoof of 2000's Gladiator.- Filming :It was filmed at various locations in the UK between 11 November and 23 December 2002...
(2004) as Worthaboutapig - Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) as Sharon "Shazza"
- BoyTownBoyTownBoyTown is a 2006 Australian comedy film, directed by Kevin Carlin and starring an ensemble cast of prominent Australian comedians, including Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Wayne Hope and Gary Eck. It was filmed in Melbourne, Victoria....
(2006) as Holly - BoyTown Confidential (2007) as Holly
Radio
- The Treatment (BBC Radio 5BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, 1994) as herself - Lee and HerringLee and Herring (radio series)Lee and Herring was a British radio series broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1994 and 1995, named after the comedy double act who hosted it, Lee and Herring.The show ran for three series and a total of nineteen hour-long episodes...
(BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, 1995) as herself/various characters - People Like UsPeople Like UsPeople Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer...
(BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 1995) as various characters - The Skivers with Tim Scott and Nick Golson (BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 1995) as various characters - Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 1996) as various characters - Clare in the CommunityClare in the CommunityClare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a pun on care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4....
(BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 2004-) as Clare