Katy Brand
Katherine Frances Brand (born 1979) is an English actress, comedian and writer, known for her ITV2 series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show[1][2] and for Comedy Lab Slap on Channel 4.
Katy Brand | |
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Brand hosts the 2017 Freedom of Expression Awards | |
Born | Katherine Frances Brand 1979 (age 40–41) England |
Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
Occupation | Actress, comedian, television writer |
Years active | 2001–present |
Television | Big Ass Show Mongrels |
Early life
Brand attended St Clement Danes School. Following a summer holiday at 13 with friends who were evangelical Christians she embraced their faith and attended church five times a week.[3]
Motivated to read theology at Keble College, Oxford,[4][5] she then lost her religious beliefs while a student.[6] Interviewed for the Evening Standard in 2007, she commented: "After about a year, I realised it was mostly rubbish and that things are never as simple as they seem when you are 13".[3]
Career
After graduation, Brand did not work as a performer, gaining employment in television production instead, but her social encounters with university contemporaries ultimately convinced her to try working as a comedian.[7]
In 2008, she collaborated with Katherine Parkinson, one of her friends from university,[8] on a BBC Radio 4 series called Mouth Trap.[9]
Brand performed in Katy Brand's Big Ass Tour 2010.[10] She also competed on Let's Dance for Sport Relief in 2010, in which she danced to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Also in 2010, she made a guest appearance on the song "Stop Giving Me Verses" by The Hoosiers, which was an attempt to break the world record for longest single ever released.
In 2011, Brand took part in the BBC Learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare", where she played the role of Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and delivered a performance of the speech "Out of this wood do not desire to go".[11]
In 2011 she also guest hosted a Children in Need special episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In December 2012 she participated in the 2012 Christmas Special of the dance show, Strictly Come Dancing. Her partner was Anton du Beke; they came second to last.[12]
Katy currently presents the Penguin Podcast for Penguin Books, recently interviewing authors such as Sir Michael Morpurgo (War Horse), Markus Zusak (The Book Thief) and Gabourey Sidibe. Katy published her debut novel Brenda Monk is Funny (‘essential reading’ – Irvine Welsh)in 2014. Her debut play 3Women starring Anita Dobson opened at Trafalgar Studios 2 in May 2018 (‘it has heart and lots of laughs’ The Daily Mail, ‘sharp and convincing’ The Guardian, ‘witty and insightful – I really recommend this’ Woman’s Hour BBC Radio 4) and is published by Samuel French.[13] Her latest book I Carried a Watermelon will be published by HaperCollins Publishers in October 2019[14].
In March 2020, she took the role of Miss Hedge in the hit West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.[15]
Awards
In 2008 she won "Best Female Newcomer" in the 2008 British Comedy Awards.[16] and was also nominated for a Royal Television Society Award the same year.
Filmography
Year | Project | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Comedy Lab: Slap (TV) | Channel 4 | |
Tittybangbang (TV) | Various | BBC Three | |
Hyperdrive (TV) | Alien 2 | BBC Two | |
Casualty (TV) | Jill Grainger | BBC One | |
Comedy Cuts (TV) | Various | ITV2 | |
Under One Roof (TV) | Various | Writer, alongside James Bachman | |
Peep Show (TV) | Lucy | Channel 4 | |
2007 | Katy Brand's Big Ass Show (TV) | Various | ITV2 |
Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive | Debbie | BBC Three | |
Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor | Various | BBC Three | |
2008 | Headcases (TV) | Various | ITV |
Placebo (TV) | BBC Three | ||
2009 | Good Arrows | Big Sheila | |
2010 | Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang | Miss Turvey | |
Let's Dance for Sport Relief (TV) | Herself | Danced to "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé | |
Argumental (TV) | Herself | Dave (TV Channel) | |
The Bubble (TV) | Herself | BBC Two | |
Mongrels (TV) | Kali | BBC Three | |
Katy Brand vs...[17] | Herself | ITV2 | |
Never Mind the Buzzcocks (TV) | Herself | BBC Two | |
Ask Rhod Gilbert (TV) | Herself | BBC One | |
2011 | Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask | Herself | Dave |
2014 | Walking on Sunshine[18] | Lil | Vertigo Films |
2015 | Mapp and Lucia (TV) | Hermione Pillson | BBC One |
2016 | Hank Zipzer (TV) | Kathleen Murray | CBBC, one episode "Zipzers and Aliens" |
2019 | Midsomer Murders (TV) | Jemima Starling | ITV, one episode "The Miniature Murders " |
References
- TVGuide. "Katy Brand's Big Ass Show at ITV". Tvguide.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- Shelley, Jim (September 2008). "Mirror article". Mirror article. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- Dessau, Bruce (19 October 2007). "Is Katy Brand the new Catherine Tate?". Evening Standard. Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- Sherwin, Adam (22 August 2008). "People: Katy Brand; Anne Hathaway; Madonna". The Times. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- "Bright Lights at St James'" (PDF). The Brick. 2002. p. 8.
- "Stage: What Katy did", Oxford Mail, 20 May 2010
- "Comedy: Katy Brand at The Cresset", Peterborough Telegraph, 9 April 2010
- Harries, Rhiannon (20 December 2009). "How We Met: Katherine Parkinson & Katy Brand". The Independent. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- Chisholm, Kate (31 May 2008). "Space odyssey; ARTS - Radio". The Spectator. p. 54.
- "Katy Brand's official website". Katybrandlaughs.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- "Schools - Teachers - Off By Heart Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream "Out of this wood do not desire to go"". BBC. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- "Strictly Come Dancing". Series 10. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012. Missing or empty
|series=
(help) - "Curtis Brown". www.curtisbrown.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- "I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- "Katy Brand". Everybody's Talking About Jamie. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- "British Comedy Awards". www.britishcomedyawards.com. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- "Katy Brand vs". Itv.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- "WALKING ON SUNSHINE (12A)". Vertigo Films. British Board of Film Classification. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.