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 service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, 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, cov ...

comedy '' Nighty Night'' (2004–2005) and the comedies '' Hunderby'' (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 natu ...

'' (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 nominee, she won Best Comedy Writing for ''Hunderby'' in 2013 and the 2018 British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy for '' Sally4Ever''. 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 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 ...

'' (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 proj ...

'' (2003), '' Cemetery Junction'' (2010), '' Four Lions'' (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 ...

'' (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 ex ...

, 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 before moving at the age of 14 to Bath, Somerset. 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 Britai ...

. 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 offering v ...

, 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, ...

with Welsh radio DJ Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones.

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 Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

in 1998. The series was an all-female sketch comedy show, with Meera Syal, Arabella Weir,

Maria McErlane Maria McErlane (born 9 December 1957, in Buckinghamshire, England) is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including ''The Fast Show'', '' Gimme Gimme Gim ...

and Claire Calman. During their radio sketch series, ''Five Squeezy Pieces'', Arabella Weir 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 al ...

who cast her as a regular cast member in the television sketch show '' Big Train'' (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, whic ...

, 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 c ...

'', its successor March–April 2000 TV show '' Jam'', and '' Brass Eye''. Davis went on to appear in many comedy television shows including ''

I'm Alan Partridge ''I'm Alan Partridge'' is a British sitcom written by Steve Coogan, Peter Baynham and Armando Iannucci. Coogan stars as Alan Partridge, a tactless and inept radio DJ and television presenter who has been left by his wife and dropped from the ...

'', ''

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 p ...

'', '' Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible'', '' Ideal'' and ''

Nathan Barley ''Nathan Barley'' is a British Channel 4 television sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, starring Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt, Claire Keelan, Richard Ayoade, Ben Whishaw, Rhys Thomas and Charlie Condou. The series of s ...

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

. 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'' 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 (British TV series), The Office'', portrayed by the show's co-creator, co-writer and co-director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar worker, white-collar off ...

. Davis also appeared in 2003 film and ''

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

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 ''Little Britain'' is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written and performed by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas. The show's title is an am ...

'' as a sexy Russian mail-order bride 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 '' Spa ...

. The pilot aired on 20 March 2010 on

. It was made by Baby Cow Productions, 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'', ''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 ...

, 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 novel. In December 2011, Davis appeared in " Fifteen Million Merits", 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 di ...

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 ficti ...

'', 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''. Davis appeared in the pilot episode of '' Bad Sugar'', 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'' and in '' Psychobitches'' 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'' as a stage manager. Davis created, wrote and starred in '' Hunderby'', which aired for two series on Sky Atlantic 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 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 '' Sally4Ever'' on Sky Atlantic 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-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's growi ...

. 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 prof ...

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

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 (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

historical drama '' A Very British Scandal'', which premiered on BBC One on Boxing Day 2021. In 2022, Davis appeared in two episodes of '' The Outlaws'', as Rita.

Influences

Davis cites Julie Walters 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 of

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 a ...

. 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