Julia Charlotte L. Davis (born 25 August 1966) is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. She is known for writing and starring in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

comedy ''

Nighty Night ''Nighty Night'' is a BBC black comedy television sitcom starring Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on 6 January 2004 on BBC Three. Notorious for its dark humour, the show follows narcissistic sociopath Jill Tyrell (Julia Davis) alongside he ...

'' (2004–2005) and the comedies ''

Hunderby ''Hunderby'' is a British black comedy produced by Sky and written by Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 2012. The series won two awards at the British Comedy Awards in 2012; it also won Davis a BAFTA TV Award for best comed ...

'' (2012–2015) and ''

Camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

'' (2016), which she also directed. Davis has been noted by critics for creating boundary-pushing

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

that centres female anti-hero characters. A nine-time

BAFTA TV Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

nominee, she won Best Comedy Writing for ''Hunderby'' in 2013 and the 2018

British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

for ''

Sally4Ever ''Sally4Ever'' is a British comedy television series created by Julia Davis. The series stars Davis, Catherine Shepherd and Alex MacQueen. It premiered in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic on 25 October 2018, and in the United States on HBO ...

''. She has also received two RTS Awards and three British Comedy Awards. In addition to acting in her own works, she has appeared in a variety of other British television comedies, most notably portraying

Dawn Sutcliffe Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

in ''

Gavin & Stacey ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers st ...

'' (2007–2009, 2019). Her film roles include ''

Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television proje ...

'' (2003), '' Cemetery Junction'' (2010), ''

Four Lions ''Four Lions'' (originally titled ''We Are Four Lions'') is a 2010 British political satire black comedy film directed by Chris Morris (in his directorial debut) and written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film, a jihad satire foll ...

'' (2010) and the critically acclaimed ''

Phantom Thread ''Phantom Thread'' is a 2017 American historical drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville. Set in 1950s London, it stars Day-Lewis as an haute couture dressmaker w ...

'' (2017).

Early life

Davis was born on 25 August 1966 in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London, to a secretary mother and a civil servant father, and grew up in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

before moving at the age of 14 to

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

. She was raised in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. After studying for a degree in English and Drama at the

College of Ripon and York St John A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, she returned to Bath working "dead-end jobs", starting a comedy double-act ''The Sisters of Percy'' with her friend Jane Roth at a local theatre group. It grew into an

improv troupe Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

with Welsh radio DJ

Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He played Dr Paul Hamilton in the Australian/British comedy series ''Supernova'', Bryn West in the BBC sitcom '' Gavin & Stacey'' ...

and

Ruth Jones Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019). Jones has also appeared in various ...

Career

1998–2006: Career beginnings, ''Human Remains'' and ''Nighty Night''

Davis secured her first comedy commission, ''Five Squeezy Pieces'', from

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in 1998. The series was an all-female sketch comedy show, with

Meera Syal Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is a English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, ...

Arabella Weir Arabella Weir (born 6 December 1957) is a Scottish comedian, actress and writer. She played roles in the comedy series '' The Fast Show'' and '' Posh Nosh'', and has written several books, including ''Does My Bum Look Big in This?'' Weir has al ...

, Maria McErlane and Claire Calman. During their radio sketch series, ''Five Squeezy Pieces'',

introduced Davis to Arthur Mathews and

Graham Linehan Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...

who cast her as a regular cast member in the television sketch show ''

Big Train ''Big Train'' is a British television sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002. Overview The series starre ...

'' (1998). Her career gained a further boost in 1998 after she sent a tape of various characters to

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...

, who invited her to write for and participate in his shows during his 1998 national tour. Chris Morris, director of the ''Big Train'' pilot, cast her for his 1997–1999 radio series ''

Blue Jam ''Blue Jam'' was an ambient, surreal dark comedy and horror radio programme created and directed by Chris Morris. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in the early hours of the morning, for three series from 1997 to 1999. The programme gained ...

'', its successor March–April 2000 TV show ''

Jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...

'', and ''

Brass Eye ''Brass Eye'' is a British satirical television series parodying current affairs news programming. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by Chris Morris, written ...

''. Davis went on to appear in many comedy television shows including '' I'm Alan Partridge'', ''

I Am Not an Animal ''I Am Not an Animal'' is an animated black comedy TV series telling the tale of highly intelligent animals rescued from a vivisectionist laboratory and forced to live on their own. The series was made and directed by Peter Baynham. It was prod ...

'', ''

Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible ''Dr Terrible's House of Horrible'' is a satirical British comedy-horror anthology series created by Graham Duff, who co-wrote the series with Steve Coogan. BBC Two broadcast the series in 2001. ''Dr Terrible's House of Horrible'' spoofs the ...

'', ''

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

'' and '' Nathan Barley''. In November 2000, ''Human Remains'', a dark comedy television series, co-written by and co-starring

and Davis, debuted on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. In the six-part series, Brydon and Davis played six different couples talking to camera about their unusual relationships. The last episode of ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

'' features Davis, who is heard on the phone as the voice of a woman from a dating agency in conversation with

David Brent David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary ''The Office'', portrayed by the show's co-creator, co-writer and co-director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of ...

. Davis also appeared in 2003 film and ''

''. In 2004 and 2005, Davis wrote and starred in two series of the BBC Three dark comedy ''

''. The show is centred on her character of peroxide "blonde"

sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

beauty therapist Jill Tyrell.

2007–2010: ''Gavin & Stacey'' and ''Lizzie & Sarah''

From 2007 to 2009, she played Dawn Sutcliffe in ''

'', a role which she reprised in 2019 for a Christmas special. In 2008, she appeared on '' Little Britain Abroad'' as a sexy Russian

mail-order bride A mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. In the twentieth century, the trend was primarily towards women living in developing countries seeking men in more developed nations. The majority ...

called Ivanka. In 2009 Davis appeared, in the guise of

's personal assistant Debbie Bidwoden, in the TV film ''Steve Coogan – The Inside Story''. In 2010, she co-wrote and co-starred in ''Lizzie and Sarah'' with

Jessica Hynes Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...

. The pilot aired on 20 March 2010 on

. It was made by

Baby Cow Productions Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their w ...

, and was considered even darker than Davis's previous work; when the BBC did not commission the remaining episodes of the series, there were online protests.

2011–2014: ''Black Mirror'', ''Psychobitches'' and ''Hunderby''

Davis has also starred in productions such as the BBC's ''For the Love of God'', ''

The Alan Clark Diaries ''The Alan Clark Diaries'' is a 2004 BBC television serial dramatising the diaries of the controversial British Conservative politician Alan Clark. The six-episode series debuted on BBC Four on 15 January 2004, and was later repeated on BBC Two ...

'', ''Fear of Fanny'', in which she played the original celebrity chef

Fanny Cradock Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey (26 February 1909 – 27 December 1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English restaurant critic, television chef and writer. She frequently appeared on television, at cookery demonstrations and in print with h ...

, and ''

Persuasion Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for Social influence, influence. Persuasion can influence a person's Belief, beliefs, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, Intention, intentions, Motivation, motivations, or Behavior, behaviours. ...

'', an adaptation of the

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

novel. In December 2011, Davis appeared in "

Fifteen Million Merits "Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by the series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq and directed by Euro ...

", an episode of the

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...

'', as Judge Charity on the fictional talent show ''Hot Shot''. On 22 December 2011, she appeared as Anne Yeaman in the Christmas special and finale of the

comedy ''

How Not to Live Your Life ''How Not to Live Your Life'' (styled in the opening credits as "how NOT to live your life") is a British sitcom, written by and starring Dan Clark that aired between 27 September 2007 and 22 December 2011 on BBC Three, about a pessimistic twenty ...

''. Davis appeared in the pilot episode of ''

Bad Sugar ''Bad Sugar'' is a British comedy pilot, written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, based on an idea by the show's stars Olivia Colman, Julia Davis and Sharon Horgan. The programme centres on a wealthy, dysfunctional British mining dynasty, an ...

'', shown on Channel 4 on 26 August 2012. A full series was set to air in 2013, but was cancelled due to availability of the cast and writers. In 2013 Davis played various characters in BBC sketch show ''

It's Kevin ''It's Kevin'' is a British television comedy show, created by and starring the actor and comedian Kevin Eldon. It was screened on BBC Two between March and April 2013. Reception Following the first episode, Serena Davies writing for The Tele ...

'' and in ''

Psychobitches ''Psychobitches'' is a Sky Arts British sketch comedy show directed by Jeremy Dyson. Here, famous women from history and fiction seek help from the psychologist Rebecca Front. Broadcast history ''Psychobitches'' was originally aired as a on ...

'' on

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

. She appeared in an episode of ''

Inside No. 9 ''Inside No. 9'' is a British black comedy anthology television programme that first aired in 2014. It is written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton and produced by the BBC. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new chara ...

'' as a stage manager. Davis created, wrote and starred in ''

'', which aired for two series on

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HBO ...

in 2012 and 2015. For ''Hunderby'', Davis won the BAFTA TV Craft Award for Writing – Comedy. At the 2013 BAFTA TV Awards, ''Hunderby'' was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy and Davis was nominated for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme. At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, ''Hunderby'' won the awards for Best New Comedy and Best Sitcom. In 2014, she cowrote and starred in a pilot for Channel 4 called ''Morning Has Broken'', about a struggling daytime TV host. A full series of ''Morning Has Broken'' was commissioned but ultimately did not happen. She starred as an eccentric mother in the comedy short film ''The Bird''.

2015–present: ''Camping'', ''Sally4Ever'' and podcast

In 2015, Davis and

Marc Wootton Marc James Wootton (born 8 February 1975) is an English actor, comedian and writer, best known for his role as Mr Poppy in the ''Nativity!'' film series. Wootton has also appeared in '' High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'', ''La La Land'', '' N ...

created and starred in BBC Radio 4 comedy series ''Couples'', about couples in therapy. It was reported in 2015 that Davis had been commissioned for a new series, ''Robin's Test'', which was later renamed ''Camping''. In 2016 Davis wrote, directed and starred as shallow nymphomaniac "Fay" in ''

'' on Sky Atlantic. This was her directorial debut. At the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards, ''Camping'' was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy. In 2017, Davis was featured in the

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with ''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' ( ...

film ''

'' as Lady Baltimore. In 2018 Davis wrote, directed and starred in the comedy television series ''

'' on

and HBO. Davis plays the character of Emma, who is having a lesbian affair with a woman called Sally, who is having a

midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle age, middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a pe ...

. At the 2019 BAFTA awards it won the award for Best Scripted Comedy and Davis was nominated for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme. She also appeared in the film ''

Fighting with My Family ''Fighting with My Family'' is a 2019 biographical sports comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephen Merchant. Based on the 2012 documentary ''The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family'' by Max Fisher, it depicts the career of English profes ...

''. Davis launched the podcast comedy ''Dear Joan And Jericha'' with comedian

Vicki Pepperdine Vicki Pepperdine (born 1961) is an English comedy actress and writer. She was nominated for two BAFTA TV Awards for co-writing the BBC sitcom '' Getting On'' (2009–12), and was also nominated for a British Comedy Award for her portrayal of D ...

in 2018. The series has 27 episodes as of November 2021. Davis and Pepperdine published a book on the back of the podcast, ''Why He Turns Away: Dos and Don'ts From Dating to Death''. Davis played

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, in

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

historical drama ''

A Very British Scandal ''A Very British Scandal'' is a 2021 historical drama television miniseries, starring Claire Foy as Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll and Paul Bettany as Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. Its production company, Blueprint Pictures, previou ...

'', which premiered on BBC One on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

2021. In 2022, Davis appeared in two episodes of '' The Outlaws'', as Rita.

Influences

Davis cites

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a B ...

as giving her the confidence to pursue a career in comedy. Discussing her influences for the character of Jill in ''Nighty Night'', Davis told ''Guardian'' that "Most of Jill is an amalgam of women I've seen or worked with in the West Country."

Personal life

Since 2010 Davis has been in a relationship with comedian

Julian Barratt Julian Barratt Pettifer (born 4 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe along ...

The Mighty Boosh The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six-episode radio series, it has since spanned a total of 20 television episodes for BBC Three which aire ...

. The couple are the parents of twins Arthur and Walter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

References

External links

* *
Julia Davis biography and credits
on ''BBC comedy'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Julia English stage actresses English television actresses English radio actresses English voice actresses English television producers English comedy writers English women comedians Alumni of York St John University British women television writers 1966 births Living people People from Bath, Somerset Actresses from London People from Lambeth Actors from Guildford Actresses from Somerset Actresses from Surrey 21st-century English actresses British comedy actresses WFTV Award winners British women television producers British television producers