Natasia Demetriou
British actress and comedian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natasia Charlotte Demetriou (born 15 January 1984) is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. She is best known for her roles as Nadja in the FX comedy horror series What We Do in the Shadows (2019–2024) and Sophie in the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats (2018–2021).[1]
- Comedian
- actress
- screenwriter
Natasia Demetriou | |
|---|---|
Demetriou in 2018 | |
| Born | Natasia Charlotte Demetriou London, England |
| Education | University of Leeds |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jamie Demetriou (brother) |
In 2022, Demetriou co-wrote and starred in the BBC sketch show Ellie & Natasia, alongside her comedy partner Ellie White. The show was renewed for a second series in 2023.[2]
Early life
Demetriou was born in London, the daughter of an English mother and Greek-Cypriot father.[3][4] She was raised in North London.[5][6] Her younger brother, Jamie Demetriou, is a comedian and actor with whom she often collaborates.
Demetriou studied acting at the University of Leeds.[6] Prior to becoming a comedian, Demetriou worked as a makeup artist, notably working on music videos for Boy Better Know.[7]
Career
Early career
In 2014, Demetriou's debut show, You'll Never Have All of Me, won the Skinny Debutant Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[8] She was also[when?] a longtime member of sketch comedy troupe Oyster Eyes[9] and has written[when?] for Anna & Katy and The Midnight Beast.
Demetriou made her TV debut in 2013.[10]
In 2015, Demetriou participated in the Comedy Feed sketch show pilot, People Time on BBC Three alongside her brother Jamie Demetriou, Daran Johnson, Al Roberts, Liam Williams, Claudia O'Doherty and Ellie White.[11][12][13][8] The Guardian said that "someone needs to invest big in People Time because it should be on television and soon".[13] Comedian Adam Buxton said that it was the "best comedy thing I’ve seen in a long while".[13] Despite its good reviews, it did not get commissioned.[14] Continuing with the cast (minus O'Doherty), he co-created the web series 2016: Year Friends.[15] Each episode was written by a different member of the troupe. The premise of the series is that a group of friends get together and make some new year's resolutions. The show is influenced by British mockumentaries including The Office and That Peter Kay Thing, as well as the nascent reality TV genre.
2018–2021: Stath Lets Flats
From 2018 to 2021, she played sister to her real life brother Jamie Demetriou's Stath in Channel 4 sitcom, Stath Lets Flats, about a family-run estate agent, which was written and created by her brother.[8] On 11 May 2020, a special "lockdown" mini-episode was released online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] At the 2020 BAFTA awards, Stath Lets Flats won three awards: Best Male Actor in a comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy.
2019–2022: Ellie & Natasia
In 2019, Demetriou wrote and starred in the BBC Three comedy sketch pilot Ellie & Natasia, a show inspired by social anxiety and being a woman in today's society, with long-time collaborator Ellie White.[1][16][8] The Guardian described the show as "a fiercely funny sketch show you’ll watch over and over" with "a strong seam of feminist fury running through".[17]
In March 2020, it was reported that BBC commissioned a six-episode series, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] The series was finally released in 2022 for BBC Three.[19] The Guardian gave the show a positive review, describing it as "silly" and "concise" and "makes a strong case that there is plenty of life in the British sketch show yet".[19]
2019–2024: What We Do in the Shadows
From 2019 to 2024, Demetriou played Nadja, a Greek Romani vampire,[20][21] in the FX horror comedy series What We Do in the Shadows. The series was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, based upon their 2014 film of the same name.[22][23][24][25] The mockumentary follows three vampires (Laszlo, Nadja, and Nandor) living in a house in Staten Island and trying to cope with modern-day New York City, along with an energy vampire (Colin) and Nandor's human familiar (Guillermo). The show co-stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Harvey Guillén and Mark Proksch.[26][25][27]
2020–Present: Other projects
Starting 18 May 2020, Demetriou and Vic Reeves co-hosted Netflix's unscripted reality competition show The Big Flower Fight.[citation needed] The eight-part series sees 10 pairs of contestants in a knockout competition featuring huge flower installations with the winner going on to design an installation to be displayed in London's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.[28]
In 2021, Demetriou was a series regular on the second series of This Time with Alan Partridge, portraying a flirtatious makeup artist named Tiff.[29]
Personal life
Demetriou lives in North London.[30] She has two children, one born in 2024 and one born in 2026.[31]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Swag | Office Worker | Short film | [citation needed] |
| Intervention | Nicole | Short film | [citation needed] | |
| 2018 | The Festival | Bride Smurf | [32] | |
| Man of the Hour | Christina | Short film | [citation needed] | |
| 2020 | Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga | Nina | [33] | |
| 2023 | The Magician's Elephant | Narrator / The Fortune Teller (voice) | ||
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | Wingnut (voice) | |||
| 2024 | Orion and the Dark | Sleep (voice) | ||
| TBA | Close Personal Friends † | TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dr. Brown | Various | Sketch series | [32] |
| 2014 | Live at the Electric | Linda | 3 episodes | [34] |
| Badults | Clock / Eskimo | Episode: "Holiday" | [32] | |
| 2014–2015 | BBC Comedy Feeds | Various | 2 episodes; also writer | [35][32] |
| 2015 | Funeral | Mourner | Television special | [citation needed] |
| Top Coppers | Gail | 2 episodes | [36] | |
| Lolly Adefope's Christmas | Mara | Television film | [citation needed] | |
| 2016 | @elevenish | Various | 11 episodes; also writer | [37][32] |
| Harry Hill's Tea Time | Greek Orthodox Priest | Episode: "Paul Hollywood" | [citation needed] | |
| Morgana Robinson's The Agency | Receptionist | 2 episodes | [citation needed] | |
| Halloween Comedy Shorts | Lucy | Episode: "Oh God" | [citation needed] | |
| 2016: Year Friends | Tash | 12 episodes; also writer | [citation needed] | |
| 2016–2019 | 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown | Herself | 2 episodes | [8][38] |
| 2017 | Liam Williams' Valentine | Nancy | Television film | [citation needed] |
| Comedy Playhouse | Jen | Episode: "Static" | [39] | |
| 2017–2018 | Sick Note | Officer Chadwick | 2 episodes | [citation needed] |
| 2018 | Pls Like | Tingle Maid | 3 episodes | [40] |
| Comedy Blaps | Brenda | Episode: "Furious Andrew" | [citation needed] | |
| Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit | Herself | Episode: "#3.8" | [41] | |
| 2018–2021 | Stath Lets Flats | Sophie | 18 episodes | [32][42] |
| 2019 | The Road to Brexit | Jemima Codex-Forrester | Television film | [43] |
| Urban Myths | Agnieszka | Episode: "Andy & The Donald" | [44] | |
| CelebAbility | Herself | Episode: "#3.3" | [45] | |
| 2019–2020 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Herself | 2 episodes | [46] |
| 2019–2024 | What We Do in the Shadows | Nadja / Nadja Doll | Main cast; 61 episodes | [47] |
| 2020 | The Big Flower Fight | Herself / Host | 8 episodes | [48] |
| 2021 | This Time with Alan Partridge | Tiff | 5 episodes | [49] |
| 2022 | Toast of Tinseltown | Carmen | Episode: “Doctor Grainger” | [50] |
| Ellie & Natasia | Multiple characters | 6 episodes | [51] | |
| The Cuphead Show! | Cala Maria (voice) | Episodes: "#2.3", "#2.6" | [52][53] | |
| 2024 | Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Malice Vundabar (voice) | 8 episodes | [54] |
| Rob Beckett's Smart TV | Herself | 4 episodes | [55] | |
| 2024–2025 | Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Wingnut (voice) | 7 episodes | [56] |
| 2025 | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Helga | Episode: "The Night of the Werebear" | |
| 2026 | Last One Laughing UK | Series 2, Episode 5 |
Video games
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Natasia Demetriou and Ellie White are Gettin’ Big | Herself | Soho Theatre | Also writer | [8] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Skinny | Debutant Award | You'll Never Have All of Me | Won | [8] |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | What We Do in the Shadows | Won | [58][59] |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [60] | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Nominated | [61] | ||
| 2022 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Female Comedy Performance | Stath Lets Flats | Nominated | [62] |
| 2023 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Female Comedy Performance | Ellie and Natasia | Nominated | [63] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Horror Series | What We Do in the Shadows | Nominated | [64] |