Barunka O'Shaughnessy

Last updated

Barunka O'Shaughnessy
BornAugust 1973
Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England
Alma mater University of Cambridge
Years active2007–present

Barunka Sarah G. O'Shaughnessy (born August 1973) is a British actress, writer and producer. She is best known for playing Sacha Merrion on Bo! in the USA and for her appearances in The Mighty Boosh . [1]

Contents

Early life

O'Shaughnessy was born in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London. She is of Irish and Czech parentage. [2] She began performing comedy while a student at Cambridge University. [3]

Career

After graduating from Cambridge, O'Shaughnessy collaborated with university friends Lucy Montgomery and James Bachman to write and perform shows at the Edinburgh Festival, forming the Population 3 Theatre company.

She has appeared in Mr and Mrs Fandango for Channel 4 as part of the Comedy Lab series and has also appeared in E4's comedy sketch show Beehive. Other notable television credits include That Mitchell and Webb Look , Bremner, Bird and Fortune and Extras . [1] She has also appeared in the yearly Christmas TV adverts for Boots.

On radio, she has starred in Sasha's Best of British, a comedy pilot for BBC Radio 2 which was broadcast on 12 May 2007. She plays Ping in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Ed Reardon's Week (Series 2 and 5 onwards).

As a writer, she has worked on Katy Brand's Big Ass Show , Comedy Lab , Beehive, School of Comedy, Hunderby , Timewasters and Motherland . In 2001 she produced two seasons of the British television series Fanorama , starring David Mitchell, Rhys Thomas, Claudia Winkleman and Lauren Laverne. [1] She also co-wrote and produced the Channel 5 drama The Teacher , starring Sheridan Smith. [4] [5]

As herself, she has guested on The Law of the Playground , The Story of Light Entertainment, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks . [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Addison</span> British comedian, writer, actor, and director

Christopher David Addison is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on Mock the Week. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4.

Geoffrey M. McGivern is a British actor in film, television, radio and stage, as well as a comedian. He is best known for originating the role of Ford Prefect in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mitchell (comedian)</span> British comedian and actor (born 1974)

David James Stuart Mitchell is a British comedian, actor and writer.

Lucy Montgomery is a British actress, comedian and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheridan Smith</span> English actress and singer (born 1981)

Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as The Royle Family (1999–2000), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001–2009), Gavin & Stacey (2008–2010), and Benidorm (2009). She co-starred as Joey Ross in the drama series Jonathan Creek between 2009 and 2013, and went on to receive acclaim for starring in a succession of television dramas, such as Mrs Biggs (2012), Cilla (2014), The C Word (2015), Black Work (2015), The Moorside (2017), Cleaning Up (2019), and Four Lives (2022). Her film credits include Tower Block (2012), Quartet (2012), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), and The Railway Children Return (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Tate</span> British actress, comedian and writer (born 1969)

Catherine Tate is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show (2004–2007), as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTAs. Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, and reprised her role for the fourth series in 2008, and the 60th anniversary episodes in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Colman</span> English actress (born 1974)

Sarah Caroline Sinclair, known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.

Anne Reid is a British stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom dinnerladies (1998–2000); and her role as Celia Dawson in Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020) for which she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. She won the London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year and received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film The Mother (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine C. Smith</span> Scottish actor/ singer/ performer.

Elaine Constance Smith is a Scottish actress, comedian, and political activist. She rose to prominence from appearing in the BBC Scotland sitcoms City Lights (1984–1991) and Rab C. Nesbitt (1988–2014). Smith has played the role of Christine O'Neil in the BBC Scotland sitcom Two Doors Down (2013–2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Lowe</span> English actress, writer, and comedian (born 1977)

Alice Eva Lowe is an English actress, writer, director, and comedian. She has appeared as Dr. Haynes in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Madeleine Wool/Liz Asher in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. She wrote, directed, and starred in the 2016 film Prevenge and starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film Sightseers. She also starred in the educational children's television series Horrible Histories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isy Suttie</span> English comedian and actress (born 1978)

Isobel Jane Suttie is a British musical comedian, actress and writer. She played Dobby in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show Pearl And Dave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bachman</span> English comedian, actor and writer

James Hamilton Bachman is an English comedian, actor and writer. He has written for and acted in many British television and radio programmes, including That Mitchell and Webb Look, Saxondale, Bleak Expectations and Sorry, I've Got No Head. In 2014, he had a small role in the film Transformers: Age of Extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Puleston-Davies</span> Welsh actor and writer

Ian Puleston-Davies is a Welsh actor and writer. He is best known for his role as builder Owen Armstrong in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2010 to 2015. In November 2014, ITV announced that Puleston-Davies was leaving his role as Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street, and his character departed from the series on 15 April 2015.

Sarah Catherine E Hadland is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Stevie Sutton in the BBC One BAFTA-nominated comedy television series Miranda (2009–2015) and Trish in The Job Lot (2013–2015).

Sarah Kendall is an Australian comedian from Newcastle, New South Wales. She won the Raw Comedy competition in 1998 and appeared regularly on Australian television. She moved to the United Kingdom in 2000 at the age of 24.

Karen Henthorn is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her character was involved in major story lines. In late 2008, she left the show but returned on 13 April 2009. She then departed the show in 2010.

<i>Katy Brands Big Ass Show</i> British television series

Katy Brand's Big Ass Show is a British comedy programme that was broadcast on ITV2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Finnemore</span> British comedy writer and actor (born 1977)

John David Finnemore is a British comedy writer and actor. He wrote and performed in the radio series Cabin Pressure, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, and John Finnemore's Double Acts, and frequently features in other BBC Radio 4 comedy shows such as The Now Show. Finnemore has won more Comedy.co.uk awards than any other writer, and two of his shows appear in the top ten of the Radio Times' list of greatest ever radio comedies.

Beehive is a British sketch comedy series which was broadcast in 2008. It stars Australian comedian Sarah Kendall and British comedy actresses Alice Lowe, Barunka O'Shaughnessy, and Clare Thomson, who wrote much of the show's material. Producer Siobhan Rhodes stated prior to production that the show would be about funny women, who do not feature regularly on TV. The show also features Habib Nasib Nader and Jack Whitehall.

The Teacher is a 2022 four-part drama produced by Channel 5, created by Mike Benson and Barunka O'Shaughnessy. It stars Sheridan Smith as Jenna Garvey, a secondary school teacher accused of having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old pupil. It consists of four episodes, which were shown over four successive evenings from 31 January 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IMDB Entry for Barunka O'Shaughnessy, retrieved 24 February 2011
  2. The Independent "The comedian: Barunka O'Shaughnessy". 27 December 2008, retrieved 24 February 2011
  3. Bitchbuzz Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine BitchBuzz's Interview with Barunka O'Shaughnessy from Beehive. 15 Dec 2008, retrieved 24 February 2011
  4. "The Teacher cast: Meet the characters of the Sheridan Smith drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. Geall, Kayleigh Dray & Lauren (1 February 2022). "Sheridan Smith's The Teacher is coming to Channel 5 this week". Stylist. Retrieved 6 February 2022.