Sarah Millican
Encyclopedia
Sarah Millican is an English
stand-up
comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
and started performing comedy aged 29 and had not been into a comedy club
until the night of her first gig.
Her debut Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Sarah Millican's Not Nice, based around her divorce, won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer in 2008. In spring 2009 she began previewing her second Edinburgh show, attracting enthusiastic reviews for her material on the battle of the sexes. Many reviewers commented on her 'blue' material. Typical Woman ran at the Pleasance
throughout August 2009, also attracting positive reviews. Her third show, Chatterbox, was hosted by The Stand Comedy Club during Fringe 2010. The show was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award, losing to Russell Kane
.
In the summer of 2011, she started to appear as a panelist on the ITV
programme, the "Marriage Ref". She has also appeared on The One Show
.
A live DVD of her Chatterbox tour will be released in 2011 from Channel 4 DVD.
, Have I Got News For You
, Mock The Week
, You Have Been Watching
, Would I Lie To You?
, QI
, Nevermind the Buzcocks and as a performer at The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008
and 4 Stands Up
. She was featured in the Manchester
edition of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
, which was broadcast in June 2009 and made an appearance on the third episode of David Mitchell
's panel show, The Bubble
in March 2010.
She provided vocal work to the BBC's natural history footage for Walk on the Wild Side
, alongside fellow comics Rhod Gilbert
, Jon Richardson
, Isy Suttie
and Gavin Webster. She appeared on Live At The Apollo on 11 December 2009, and headlined Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
, recorded at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland on August 15, 2010. Millican also headlined the fourth episode of Dave's One Night Stand
.
Her radio series, Sarah Millican's Support Group, began broadcasting on 18 February 2010 on BBC Radio 4
. The format is that studio audience members are encouraged to share problems with her agony aunt character for her to offer tips ‘in the same way as the busybody at the end of your street who knows everything and dishes out advice whether you want to hear it or not does,’ according to the BBC and Chortle. Some problems are scripted, the roles being played by guest actors, while others come from real people in the audience, to allow Sarah to improvise. Audience member problems have included "My boyfriend prefers his Blackberry to me". A pair of "therapists", also played by actors, feature in each week's show and provide scripted and improvised responses to all the "problems". A second series has been commissioned and debuted on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 2 May 2011.
Millican was also a regular co-host of the satirical news show 7 Day Sunday
on BBC Radio 5 Live
, along with comedians Chris Addison
, Andy Zaltzman
and one different guest each week. The first episode aired in January 2010; she and Addison left the show early in 2011.
In early 2011 Millican joined a long list of panellists on ITV's show Loose Women
and left the series in August.
, in North East England
, and has a Sandancer
accent.
Her husband left her unexpectedly in 2004 after seven years of marriage; they have since divorced. She subsequently moved back in with her parents. She found solace in attending writing workshops in local theatres, such as at Newcastle's Live Theatre and The Customs House, South Shields
.
Millican is in a relationship with stand-up and comedy writer Gary Delaney
. She lives on her own.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Career
Millican grew up in South ShieldsSouth Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
and started performing comedy aged 29 and had not been into a comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
until the night of her first gig.
Her debut Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Sarah Millican's Not Nice, based around her divorce, won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer in 2008. In spring 2009 she began previewing her second Edinburgh show, attracting enthusiastic reviews for her material on the battle of the sexes. Many reviewers commented on her 'blue' material. Typical Woman ran at the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
throughout August 2009, also attracting positive reviews. Her third show, Chatterbox, was hosted by The Stand Comedy Club during Fringe 2010. The show was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award, losing to Russell Kane
Russell Kane
Russell Kane is an English writer, comedian, actor and media personality. In June 2006, he became the face of digital station Five US. He has been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the main prize in August 2010...
.
In the summer of 2011, she started to appear as a panelist on the ITV
ITV
ITV 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...
programme, the "Marriage Ref". She has also appeared on The One Show
The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
.
A live DVD of her Chatterbox tour will be released in 2011 from Channel 4 DVD.
Other work
Millican has appeared as a panellist on 8 out of 10 Cats8 Out of 10 Cats
8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
, Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, Mock The Week
Mock the Week
Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain that launched in 2005. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.It is made by independent...
, You Have Been Watching
You Have Been Watching
You Have Been Watching is a British comedy panel game presented by Charlie Brooker, produced by Zeppotron for Channel 4 and filmed at BBC Television Centre and Riverside Studios in London. It first aired on Tuesday 7 July 2009, for a weekly eight-episode run...
, Would I Lie To You?
Would I Lie To You? (TV series)
Would I Lie to You? is a comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for BBC One. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007.-Format:The show was presented by Angus Deayton in 2007 and 2008, and by Rob Brydon from 2009 onwards...
, QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
, Nevermind the Buzcocks and as a performer at The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008
The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008
The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008 was the fourth show in the Secret Policeman's Balls series of benefit shows for Amnesty International.In July 2008, Amnesty announced that it would present another show in its long-running series Like its immediate predecessor, The Secret Policeman's Ball 2006 the...
and 4 Stands Up
4 Stands Up
4 Stands Up is a BBC radio comedy show which has run since December 2007. The programme, which is broadcast on Thursdays at 6:30 pm on BBC Radio 4, contains stand up material from three comedy acts each show, with additional material from the show's host...
. She was featured in the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
edition of Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each episode features a routine from McIntyre,...
, which was broadcast in June 2009 and made an appearance on the third episode of David Mitchell
David Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
's panel show, The Bubble
The Bubble (UK TV series)
-Further reading:*...
in March 2010.
She provided vocal work to the BBC's natural history footage for Walk on the Wild Side
Walk on the Wild Side (TV series)
Walk on the Wild Side is a 2009 British comedy sketch show shown on BBC One. It involves the overdubbing of voiceovers to natural history footage...
, alongside fellow comics Rhod Gilbert
Rhod Gilbert
Rhodri "Rhod" Gilbert, is a Welsh comedian who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008, he was nominated for the main if.comedy ....
, Jon Richardson
Jon Richardson (entertainer)
Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010...
, Isy Suttie
Isy Suttie
Isobel "Isy" Suttie is an English stand up comedian, actress, writer, and musician. She is best known for playing the role of Dobby in the British sitcom Peep Show.-Career:...
and Gavin Webster. She appeared on Live At The Apollo on 11 December 2009, and headlined Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each episode features a routine from McIntyre,...
, recorded at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland on August 15, 2010. Millican also headlined the fourth episode of Dave's One Night Stand
Dave's One Night Stand
-External links:* at Dave's official website...
.
Her radio series, Sarah Millican's Support Group, began broadcasting on 18 February 2010 on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC 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...
. The format is that studio audience members are encouraged to share problems with her agony aunt character for her to offer tips ‘in the same way as the busybody at the end of your street who knows everything and dishes out advice whether you want to hear it or not does,’ according to the BBC and Chortle. Some problems are scripted, the roles being played by guest actors, while others come from real people in the audience, to allow Sarah to improvise. Audience member problems have included "My boyfriend prefers his Blackberry to me". A pair of "therapists", also played by actors, feature in each week's show and provide scripted and improvised responses to all the "problems". A second series has been commissioned and debuted on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 2 May 2011.
Millican was also a regular co-host of the satirical news show 7 Day Sunday
7 Day Sunday
7 Day Sunday is a British comedy radio talk show hosted by Chris Addison on BBC Radio 5 Live. Broadcast weekly on Sunday mornings, the show takes an irreverent look at the topical news stories of the past seven days. Addison is joined by regular guests Sarah Millican and Andy Zaltzman, and a fourth...
on BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, along with comedians Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
, Andy Zaltzman
Andy Zaltzman
Andrew "Andy" Zaltzman is a British comedian and author who largely focuses on political material. He has worked extensively with John Oliver; their work together includes Political Animal, The Department and The Bugle.-Early life:...
and one different guest each week. The first episode aired in January 2010; she and Addison left the show early in 2011.
In early 2011 Millican joined a long list of panellists on ITV's show Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
and left the series in August.
Personal life
Millican grew up in South ShieldsSouth Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
, in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, and has a Sandancer
Sandancer
Sandancer is a colloquialism used to describe those who come from the town of South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England. Residents of South Shields are often referred to as Geordies or Mackems though 'Sandancer' is unique to town....
accent.
Her husband left her unexpectedly in 2004 after seven years of marriage; they have since divorced. She subsequently moved back in with her parents. She found solace in attending writing workshops in local theatres, such as at Newcastle's Live Theatre and The Customs House, South Shields
The Customs House, South Shields
The Customs House is an arts venue in South Shields, South Tyneside, North East England. It is the only non-amateur theatre in the borough, the local arts development agency, the largest gallery and, until recently, the only cinema.- History :...
.
Millican is in a relationship with stand-up and comedy writer Gary Delaney
Gary Delaney
Gary Delaney is a writer and stand-up comic.BBC Online described Delaney as "the man Jimmy Carr tries to be".He writes for Birmingham-based FM radio station Kerrang! 105.2 and also appeared in the horror-comedy film Trash House. A lot of his material was allegedly plagiarised on the humour website...
. She lives on her own.
Awards and nominations
- So You Think You're FunnySo You Think You're FunnySo You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 and has become the longest running best comedy newcomer award in Great Britain....
(2nd place) 2005 - BBC New Comedy AwardsBBC New Comedy AwardsThe BBC New Comedy Awards first appeared in 1995 and were considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards until they were axed in 2006. It was announced in the summer of 2006 that they were being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed...
(finalist) 2005 - Funny WomenFunny WomenFunny Women is a stand-up comedy competition in the UK entirely devoted to women. It is the only UK Comedy competition that is Pay to Play charging performers to take part. It was founded in 2003, with the sole intention of honouring female comedians in a generally male-dominated profession...
(runner-up) 2005 - Chortle AwardsChortle AwardsThe Chortle awards were set up in 2002 by the comedy website Chortle to honour the best of established stand-up comics currently working in the UK....
(Best Newcomer nomination) 2006 - North West Comedy AwardsNorth West Comedy AwardsThe North West Comedy Awards were set up to honour and reward the comedic talents that can be found in North West England. They have been running since 2004 and in their short time have honoured Peter Kay, Rob Brydon, Johnny Vegas, Alan Carr & John Bishop. The categories not only recognize Stand Up...
(Best Breakthrough Act) 2007 - if.comedy award (Best Newcomer) 2008
- Edinburgh Comedy Award 2010 (Best show nomination)
External links
- BBC story about 2008 Perrier Award
- Biography from Chortle.co.uk
- BBC - The Culture Show Interview with Lauren Laverne