Morgana Robinson
British comedian, writer and actress (born 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morgana Robinson is an Australian-born British comedian, impressionist, writer and actress. She has appeared in her comedy sketch programme The Morgana Show, Morgana Robinson's The Agency, House of Fools and Very Important People.
Morgana Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Relatives | Brody Dalle (half-sister) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Early life
Robinson was born in Shepparton, Victoria, to parents working as a nurse and a paramedic. Her family moved to the United Kingdom when she was three. She was primarily raised by her mother and spent much of her childhood sofa surfing.[2] She attended Benenden School in Kent. Her father was adopted, and her schooling at Benenden was paid for by her father's biological parents after he reconnected with them during her childhood.[3] She studied sculpture at City and Guilds in London, earning a 2:2.[1]
On her father's side, Robinson has four elder half-siblings, one of whom is Brody Dalle (born Bree Joanna Alice Robinson) of the punk rock band the Distillers and alternative rock band Spinnerette. They first met as adults, backstage at one of Dalle's 2004 concerts at the Brixton Academy.[4][5]
Television career
Robinson got her start in television at age 25, after showing a homemade showreel to comedy agent John Noel while working as a waitress.[3]
Robinson's television debut came in 2007, as she played an eastern European internet bride in BBC One's comedy The Green Green Grass.[6] She then starred in the TV pilot Eight Steps to Enlightenment and a Nervous Breakdown, an improvised mockumentary, playing Rachel, a self-obsessed glamour model, trying to rid herself of cellulite. In 2009, she appeared as Anna in the BBC One comedy My Family in the episode "It's Training Men".
In 2009, she appeared in a running sketch segment, Gilbert's Special Report, in The TNT Show as Gilbert, a teenage boy who interviews celebrities, alongside his disabled crew members.
In 2010, Channel 4 commissioned a five-part comedy sketch show, The Morgana Show. Channel 4's head of comedy, Shane Allen, said: "Discovering, supporting and nurturing new talent is at the heart of Channel 4 comedy’s remit, and in Morgana we really feel we’ve found a fresh performer with a huge amount of potential."[7] Her characters included giant-glasses wearing Gilbert, making TV shows from his bedroom, and her impressions of Fearne Cotton and mockumentary of Natalie Cassidy "Sonia off Eastenders".
In 2012, Robinson starred in the Channel 4 sketch show Very Important People also starring Terry Mynott. In the show, she impersonates a variety of performers, including Frankie Boyle, Danny Dyer, Amy Childs and Adele.
In 2014 to 2015, she appeared as sexy nymphomaniac cafe-owner Julie in Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's two-series surreal BBC Two television comedy sitcom House of Fools in which her appearances include an obsessive attraction to Vic Reeves.
In 2016, she appeared as Pippa Middleton in The Windsors, a comedy parody of the British royal family in which she uses her sexiness to try to ensnare her sister's brother-in-law Prince Harry.
In 2018, she appeared with Richard Ayoade in Travel Man, visiting Milan.
In 2021, Robinson played Hilary Bowden in series 2, episode 4 of Intelligence.[8] The same year, she participated in the 12th series of Channel 4 comedy game show Taskmaster, which she won. She returned to the series in 2024 as part of the third "Champion of Champions" special episode.
In March 2022, Robinson appeared as Maxine in Gold comedy Newark, Newark. Also in 2022, she co-starred with Dylan Moran in the BBC Two sitcom Stuck.[9]
Personal life
She was previously engaged.[2]
Awards
At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, she won in the Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist category.[10]
In 2018, she won the BAFTA Award in the Best Short Form Programme category for Morgana Robinson's Summer.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Eight Steps to Enlightenment and a Nervous Breakdown | Rachel | Short film |
| 2012 | The Actress | Princess Alopecia | Short film |
| 2015 | Set the Thames on Fire | London Town Tannoy | |
| 2020 | The Witches | Mrs. Jenkins | |
| 2021 | A Bird Flew In | Lucy | |
| 2023 | The Martini Shot | Dr. Ehm | |
| 2024 | Robin and the Hoods | Cathy | |
| Up the Catalogue | Jamima Hoare | ||
| TBA | Pushing Daisy | Daisy | Short film. Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Green Green Grass | Katia | Series 3, episode 7: "Lust in Translation" |
| 2009 | My Family | Anna | Series 9, episode 7: "It's Training Men" |
| The TNT Show | Gilbert | Appeared in a running sketch segment "Gilbert's Special Report". The character was later used in Robinson's own sketch show | |
| 2010 | Comedy Lab | Unknown | Series 11, episode 7: "MovieMash" |
| The Morgana Show | Various | Star, writer and creator, 5 episodes | |
| 2011 | The Hunt for Tony Blair | Carole Caplin | A one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents... |
| 2012 | Very Important People | Various | Star, writer and creator, 6 episodes |
| Them from That Thing[12] | Various | Two-part sketch show with Kayvan Novak, Sally Phillips and Blake Harrison produced for Channel 4's Comedy Fortnight | |
| 2013 | Toast of London[13] | Jemima Gina | Sitcom with Matt Berry. Series 1, episode 1: "Addictive Personality" |
| 2014 | Warren United | Charlotte 'Charlie' Kingsley | Voice role. Series 1, 6 episodes |
| Chanel M | Various | BBC iPlayer content part of the Original Comedy Shorts series[14] | |
| Big School | Fenella Forbes | Series 2, episode 1 | |
| Drifters | Rebecca | Series 2, episode 6: "Meg's New Job" | |
| Psychobitches | Anna Nicole Smith / Venus / Bo Peep / Mary Magdalene / Daphne du Maurier | Series 2, 4 episodes | |
| Toast of London[13] | Lorna Wynde | Series 2, episode 6: "Fool in Love" | |
| 2014–2015 | House of Fools | Julie | BBC Two comedy series written by Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves. Two series, 13 episodes |
| 2015 | Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe[15] | Zeb / Russell Brand | Series 3, 4 episodes |
| SunTrap | Janice / Susan | Series 1, episode 3: "The Big Sleep" | |
| Toast of London[16] | Emma | Series 3, episode 2: "Beauty Calls" | |
| Distinquished Ladies | Minky | Television film | |
| Crackanory | Herself - Storyteller | Series 3, episode 5, Story 1: "The Truth About Suz" | |
| 2015–2016 | Walliams & Friend[17] | Various / Carla | Series 1, 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Drunk History: UK | Mary Godwin | Series 2, episode 4: "Richard III / Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" |
| Morgana Robinson's The Agency[18] | Various | BBC Two mockumentary series, 7 episodes | |
| 2016–2017 | Hey Duggee | Buggee / Katerina the Flamingo / Peggee / Nurse | Voice roles. Series 2, 7 episodes |
| 2016–2020, 2023 | The Windsors | Pippa Middleton | Main role, 19 episodes |
| 2017 | Inside No. 9 | Carrie | Series 3, episode 6: "Private View" |
| 2018 | Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators | Sally Balthasar | Series 1, episode 6: "Exit, Pursued by a Bear" |
| 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Natalie Cassidy - Dictionary Corner Guest | Series 16, episode 1 | |
| 2019 | Series 18, episode 2 | ||
| Island of Dreams | Adele | Television film | |
| 2020 | Reasons to Be Cheerful with Matt Lucas | Natalie Cassidy | Series 1, episode 3 |
| Comedians: Home Alone | Cheryl | Series 1, episode 3 | |
| Truth Seekers | Janey Feathers | Series 1, episode 3: "The Girl with All the Ghosts" | |
| 2020–2021 | Intelligence | Hilary Bowden | Series 1, episode 4 and Series 2, episode 4 |
| 2021, 2024 | Taskmaster | Herself - Contestant | Series 12 winner, Champion of Champions 3 special |
| 2021 | How We Forgot to Save the Planet[19] | Various | Mockumentary, part of Channel 4's programming highlighting environmental concerns in the build-up to the COP26 conference on climate change |
| 2022 | Toast of Tinseltown | Wildcat Lil | Series 1, episode 5: "Death Valley" |
| Newark, Newark | Maxine | Lead role, Gold original comedy. Series 1, 3 episodes | |
| 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Annabel - Dictionary Corner Guest | Series 23, episode 4 | |
| Stuck[20] | Carla | Lead role, BBC original comedy. Series 1, 5 episodes | |
| The Larkins | Pinkie Jerebohm | Recurring role. Series 2, 6 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Serial Killer's Wife | Jules | Episodes 1–4 |
| 2023–2024 | Everyone Else Burns[21] | Melissa | Series 1 & 2; 11 episodes |
| 2025 | Stuffed | Hannah Farooqi | Television film[22] |
| 2026 | Paigie Justice | Sofia Reyers (singing voice) | Season 1, episode 1 |