Sophie Willan (born 21 October 1987) is an English actress, narrator, writer and comedian. She has won two BAFTAs for her television sitcom Alma's Not Normal.
Sophie Willan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 October 1987 Bolton, Greater Manchester, England |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, actress, narrator and writer |
| Known for | Alma's Not Normal |
| Website | sophiewillan |
Early life
editSophie Willan was born on 21 October 1987,[1][2] in Bolton where she grew up, and spent time in care as a child,[3][4] as her mother was a heroin addict.[5] She later worked as an escort to fund her arts career.[5]
Theatre and stand-up comedy
editWillan began her arts career in theatre, founding feminist theatre and cabaret group Eggs Collective.[6]
Willan's stand-up takes inspiration from her unusual life experiences. In 2015 she won the Magners New Comedian of the Year award.
In 2016 she took her debut stand-up series On Record, based on her experiences of growing up in and out of the care system, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A nationwide tour followed in 2017, including 10 dates at London's Soho Theatre and a commission to adapt the show into a BBC Radio 4 series, with a second series being greenlit.
Her second show, Branded, was an exploration of the labels applied to Willan by other people.[7] In the show she addressed her past as a sex worker.[8] The show received a positive review in The Guardian.[9] Willan performed the show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017, receiving a Herald Angel Award and a nomination for Best Show.
Television
editWillan is the narrator of Channel 4’s The Circle and joined the cast of Still Open All Hours (BBC One) and Click & Collect (BBC One). She portrayed Carol in Series 4 of sketch show Class Dismissed (CBBC) and has performed comedy on Live from The Comedy Store[10] (Comedy Central), As Yet Untitled (Dave) and The Last Leg Correspondents (C4).[11]
She has also been nominated as a Chortle Best Newcomer, honoured on the BBC New Talent Hot List and became the first recipient of the BBC’s Caroline Aherne Comedy Bursary.[12] She was a South Bank Sky Arts Award Best Breakthrough Nominee in 2018.[13]
In 2020, following the success of the pilot episode, Willan's sitcom Alma's Not Normal, which she wrote and stars in as the title character Alma Nuthall, was commissioned for a full series by BBC Two and broadcast in 2021. The Mirror called it ‘Phoenix Nights meets Fleabag, guided by the spirit of Victoria Wood’;[14] The Times said, ‘Willan's writing is skilled and clearly very personal...uplifting and strangely enchanting’.[15]
In 2023, Willan appeared as Maeve in the second series of BBC One prison drama Time.[16]
Willan appeared as a contestant on the seventeenth series of the Channel 4 show Taskmaster which launched in March, 2024.[17] Previewing the first episode, The Guardian's Phil Harrison commented that "Already, Willan looks like a potential all-timer contestant".[18] She also appeared in Ludwig in 2024 as Holly Pinder.[19]
Awards
editWillan won a BAFTA Television Craft Award for Best Writer: Comedy for the pilot of Alma's Not Normal. At the 2022 British Academy Television Awards, Willan was awarded the Best Female Comedy Performance for her performance in the series, which was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy.
In 2022, Willan received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton for her contribution to television and comedy.[20]
Care work
editIn 2015, Willan secured funding of over £100,000 to create the multi-platform literary project Stories of Care, creating and curating short stories written by fellow care leavers. The project recruited care leavers across North West England to take part in the creation of a published children's anthology for looked-after children.[21]
References
edit- ^ "I'm 31!". 21 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Sophie Willan, Edinburgh Festival review: Frank and extremely funny". standard.co.uk. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ Logan, Brian (26 April 2017). "Sophie Willan review – tales of neglect and addiction told with good cheer". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Comedy review: Sophie Willan: On Record". The Scotsman. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Comedy review: Sophie Willan: Branded". www.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-20. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Sophie Willan's new brand of stand-up". British Comedy Guide. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "Sophie Willan: who are you calling a northern working-class comic?". The Guardian. 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "Comedy review: Sophie Willan: Branded". www.scotsman.com.
- ^ "Sophie Willan review – cheery standup skewers lazy labels". The Guardian. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "Lee Nelson introduces the very best of comedy talent from the legendary Comedy Store in London; the fabulous Sophie Willan, the hilarious Stephen Bailey and from Denmark the magnificent Sofie Hagen". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "The Last Leg: Correspondents cast and crew credits". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "Bolton comedian Sophie Willan has been named as the first winner of the BBC's Caroline Aherne Bursary".
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "Sophie Willan up for breakthrough award". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Ian Hyland - On last night's telly". The Mirror. 8 April 2020.
- ^ "The Times". What’s on TV and radio tonight: Tuesday, April 7.
- ^ "Time season 2 cast: Who stars in the BBC prison drama?". Radio Times. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Taskmaster season 17: Release date, cast and latest news". Radio Times. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Harrison, Phil; Seale, Jack; Catterall, Ali; Wardell, Simon (2024-03-28). "TV tonight: Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West's ode to female friendship". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ "Ludwig cast | David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin star | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Chaudhari, Saiqa (13 July 2022). "Clive Myrie and Sophie Willan honoured at University of Bolton graduations". The Bolton News. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Looked After Children". NSPCC.