Susan Grace Calman (born 6 November 1974) is a Scottish comedian,

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

, writer and panellist on a number of

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 ...

shows including ''

The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History ''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart ...

'' and '' I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. She has written and starred in two series of her radio sitcom ''Sisters'', two series of stand-up show ''Susan Calman is Convicted'' and a series of stand-up show ''Keep Calman Carry On'', all on

. She was one of the relief presenters for Fred MacAulay on his

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scotland, Scottish radio station, radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same na ...

show ''MacAulay and Co'' which ran until March 2015. Other television work includes playing ‘Miss Adventure’ in the second season of the CBBC show School of Silence. She has also presented the CBBC programme ''Extreme School'' and providing the comic voiceover on the CBBC series ''Disaster Chefs''. She is a team captain on the BBC Northern Ireland comedy panel show ''Bad Language''. She has presented the children's game show on

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

, '' Top Class'', quiz show '' The Lie'' on

STV STV may refer to: Television * Satellite television ** Direct-broadcast satellite television (DBSTV) Channels and stations * STV (TV channel), the brand name of ITV broadcasters in central and northern Scotland ** Scottish Television, now le ...

, and the

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 ...

shows ''The Boss'' and '' Armchair Detectives''. In 2017 Calman was a contestant on BBC's ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'', finishing in 7th place. In 2020, she presented the

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 ...

cookery Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in vario ...

challenge show '' Great British Menu'', before being replaced by Andi Oliver in 2021.

Education and legal career

Calman went to a fee-paying independent school, the

High School of Glasgow The High School of Glasgow is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, co-educational day school, day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the Cathedral school, choir school of Glasgow Cathe ...

, and then went on to study law at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, winning a Judge Brennan scholarship and a three-month stint in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

working with criminals on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ( ...

. During her seven-year career in corporate law, she gradually became dissatisfied with working as a specialist in

freedom of information Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, Indigeno ...

and

data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as da ...

and developed her stand-up comedy during evenings, eventually giving up her job with Dundas & Wilson to develop her career in comedy. Calman was awarded an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 2018; she was honoured for her work in broadcasting and comedy, as well as campaigning on issues related to

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

rights and mental health.

Comedy and television career

Calman reached the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards in 2005 and was a finalist in the

Funny Women Funny Women is an online and in-person workshop community dedicated to the support of female comedians. It was founded by Lynne Parker in 2002 as a reaction to misogynistic comments from a comedy promoter. Funny Women helps women find their voice, ...

competition in 2006. The

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

sketch show ''Blowout'' won a Scottish BAFTA in 2007, with Calman amongst the cast. In 2009, she won Best New Scottish Comedian at the Real Radio Variety Awards. Between 2011 and 2013, Calman played therapist Nadine in the comedy '' Fresh Meat''. Her debut Radio 4 solo series, ''Susan Calman is Convicted'' won the 2013

Writers' Guild of Great Britain The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG). History The ...

Awards for 'Best Radio Comedy'. She also featured in the 2012 sitcom '' Dead Boss'' for

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 ...

. In 2013, Calman wrote about receiving online abuse after joking about the

Scottish independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side wo ...

on the Radio 4 satirical comedy programme ''

'', including accusations of betraying her country, and of being "racist" towards other Scots. Since 2014, Calman has been a regular panellist on the

panel show '' The Dog Ate My Homework'', and has appeared in 10 episodes of the show. In July 2014, Calman appeared in the BBC Scotland one-off stand-up/sketch show ''Don't Drop the Baton'', which featured sketches about the 2014

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 British Empire Game ...

, and narrated the

dating show ''Sexy Beasts''. She is a frequent guest panellist on BBC Two's '' QI'' and on BBC Radio 4's ''

''. In September 2017, she became the presenter of the

daytime quiz show ''The Boss''. Calman also presented '' Armchair Detectives'', a

daytime show first broadcast in November 2017. In December 2017 Calman was voted TV Star of the Year by readers of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

''. Calman has fronted the Channel 5 travel show ''Secret Scotland'' since February 2019. In 2018, Calman's podcast ''Mrs Brightside - A cheerful look at depression'' was first broadcast on

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, ...

. On 1 October 2019, Calman was announced as the new presenter for series 15 of '' Great British Menu'' on BBC Two. Filming took place in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-w ...

and was completed in November 2019. The show was to be broadcast in Spring 2020. Her 2019 show ''Susan Calman Makes Me Happy'' premiered on BBC Radio 4 on 20 November 2019. The show also featured her wife, Lee.

Writing

In May 2016, Calman published her first book, entitled ''Cheer Up Love: Adventures in depression with the Crab of Hate''. Her second book ''Sunny Side Up: a story of kindness and joy'' followed in September 2018. A lifelong fan of Doctor Who, Calman was a contributor to the YA anthology ''The Day She Saved the Doctor: Four Stories from the TARDIS'', published in March 2018. The title of Calman's story is ''Clara & The Maze of Cui Palta''.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

On 15 August 2017, Calman was announced as the ninth contestant on series 15 of ''

''. She was partnered with professional dancer Kevin Clifton. They were the ninth pair to be eliminated, in week 10 of the competition. In a 2018 interview, Calman said she felt happiest "dancing with Kevin Clifton on Strictly."

Personal life

Calman is the daughter of Ann Wilkie, a former

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

deputy head, and Sir Kenneth Calman, an

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

. Her father was chancellor of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and former

chief medical officer Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...

for Scotland, then England and Wales. She has an older brother and sister. Calman came out as a lesbian in 1993 at the age of 19 and has spoken of her difficulties growing up gay in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. "It wasn't easy, not at all. Glasgow is a lovely city, but when I was growing up there was one lesbian bar, and there was a club for men, but there was no internet, there was no way of finding out bout other people" ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' commented in 2009 that Calman's "status as a diminutive lesbian — she is 4ft 11in — gives a certain grist to her mill but, her

Hobbit Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, ...

-like stature aside, what strikes you about her is her chirpy, optimistic level-headedness." After nine years together, Calman and her partner Lee, who is also a lawyer, had a

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

ceremony in 2012. They married in 2016. They keep

cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

, and in 2018 had five. They live in Glasgow. Calman was criticised for not insisting on a same-sex dance partner for ''Strictly Come Dancing'', but she rejected the comments as being unfair, saying: "No one is holding me hostage in this room, making me wear a dress and dance with a man. I want to learn how to dance... I have protested, I have picketed, I have fought, I have been spat on, I have been punched — and I want to dance." Calman says she was "desperately unhappy" as a teenager, and self-harmed and attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

at 16. She has openly discussed her experience with depression in interviews and in her books.

Filmography

Television

Stand-up DVD releases

*2015 – ''Lady Like'' (

Go Faster Stripe Go Faster Stripe is an independent film production and distribution company that operates out of the Chapter Arts Centre, in Cardiff, Wales. The company specialises in the recording of live shows by stand-up comedians who, while in the public ...

)

Books

*2016 – ''Cheer Up Love: Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate'', Published by Two Roads () *2018 – ''Doctor Who: The Day She Saved The Doctor'', Published by BBC Children's Books *2018 – ''Sunny Side Up: a story of kindness and joy'', published by Hachette UK ()

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calman, Susan 1974 births Alumni of the University of Glasgow Comedians from Glasgow Lesbian comedians LGBT entertainers from Scotland LGBT writers from Scotland Living people People educated at the High School of Glasgow Scottish stand-up comedians Scottish women comedians 21st-century Scottish comedians Scottish lawyers Scottish television presenters Scottish women television presenters Scottish women radio presenters Scottish radio personalities Scottish radio writers Women radio writers Scottish women lawyers