Inspired by the Women’s Hour Power List Funny Women have launched the search for the Women’s Comedy Power list!
There are many women that you not may not have heard of who work outside of the spotlight, but without whom many of the major players in comedy wouldn’t be working half as successfully as they do. We want to celebrate them, so we want YOUR nominations not only for writers and performers, but agents, producers, commissioners and promoters who make the British comedy scene one of the brightest and best in the world.
Some of the top influential women that we’d like to nominate include:
Lucy Lumsden, former Comedy Commissioner for the BBC, now Sky’s Head of Comedy has revolutionised the channel’s comedy output, going from *almost* non-existent to flying the flag of some of the UK’s top new talent. In her short tenure at Sky she has been central to commissioning shows such as Stella, Hunderby, Trollied and Moone Boy.
Lucy Ansbro is one of the most successful agents in UK comedy representing Victoria Wood, Peter Kay, Adrian Edmonson, Caroline Aherne and many more. Lucy has also been on the Funny Women Awards judging panel for several years.
Hannah Begbie represents some of the best female talent including several winners and runners up of the Funny Women Awards, including Katherine Ryan, and acts as Sarah Millican’s comedy writing agent.
Myfanwy Moore, the producer of Little Britain, (and inspiration for one of the characters!) was hugely influential in the development of comedy at the BBC, whom she moved to after her tenure as first director of original programming at the Paramount Comedy Channel, which helped launch the careers of Sacha Baron Cohen and Noel Fielding. Her recent move to take up the post of Comedy Commissioner at ITV has been hailed as a sign that ITV will be making a more towards scripted comedy in the wake of the hugely successful ‘Benidorm.’
Dawn Sedgwick’s client list is a veritable roll call of the cream of British comedy, including Funny Women Awards winner Sara Pascoe, Ardal O’Hanlon and Simon Pegg.
Caroline Raphael is Comedy Commissioner for Radio 4 and she also looks after the editorial for BBC Radio 4 Extra. Caroline has commissioned many series from women including work from Sarah Millican, The Boom Jennies, Alice Lowe and Katy Wix. BBC Radio 4 is the home of radio comedy and broadcasts at least one comedy a day every day of the week.
Lisa Thomas is one of the UK’s top agents and has helped promote some of the UK comedy industry’s brightest stars. Lisa Thomas Management represents, amongst others, Funny Women Awards winner Andi Osho, as well as Jason Manford, Jason Byrne and Danny Bhoy.
So – what do you think of our list? Who do you think should be included that we’ve missed off? Tweet us @funnywomen and let us know what you think!
Read Viv Groskop, writer, journalist and Funny Women Awards finalist’s views on her blog HERE
For Lynne Parker, founder of Funny Women’s Huffington Post article about the Women’s Hour Power list click HERE
Pictures from top to bottom: Lucy Lumsden, Myfanwy Moore, Lucy Ansbro
