Catherine Tate (born Catherine Jane Ford, 5 December 1969) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
series ''
The Catherine Tate Show
''The Catherine Tate Show'' is a British television comedy sketch programme written by Catherine Tate and Derren Litten featuring a wide range of characters. ''The Catherine Tate Show'' aired on BBC Two and was shown worldwide through the BBC ...
'' (2004–2007), as well as being nominated for an
International Emmy Award
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...
and seven
BAFTAs. Tate played
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a companion of the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors (both portr ...
in the 2006
Christmas special
Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared Christmas in literature, in literature and Christmas music, in music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth o ...
of the BBC science fiction series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', and reprised her role for the
fourth series in 2008,
[Tate to be Doctor's companion]
. BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, 3 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007. and the 60th anniversary
episodes
Episodes may refer to:
* Episode, a part of a dramatic work
* Episodes (TV series), ''Episodes'' (TV series), a British/American television sitcom which premiered in 2011
* Episodes (journal), ''Episodes'' (journal), a geological science journal
...
in 2023.
Following the success of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', Tate starred as
Joanie Taylor ("Nan") in its spin-off series ''
Catherine Tate's Nan'' (2009–2015) and in the film ''
The Nan Movie'' (2022). In 2011, she began a recurring role as
Nellie Bertram in the
U.S. version of the sitcom ''
The Office
''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'' and was a regular until the series ended.
She also played the role of Miss Sarah Postern in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
sitcom ''
Big School'' (2013–2014) and voiced
Magica De Spell in the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
and
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
animated series ''
DuckTales DuckTales refers to:
Film and television
* ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series
** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp''
* ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series
Video games
* ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...
'' (2017–2021). In the 2020s, Tate created and starred in two sitcoms,
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's ''
Hard Cell'' (2022) which she also co-directed, and BBC One's ''
Queen of Oz'' (2023)''.''
Tate has appeared in films, including ''
Love and Other Disasters
''Love and Other Disasters'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written and directed by Alek Keshishian. It had its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, the film had its UK premiere in London as the gala scree ...
'' (2006), ''
Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution'' (2007), ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...
'' (2010), ''
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
'' (2011), and ''
SuperBob'' (2015).
Early life
Tate was born in
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, on 5 December 1969 and was raised in the
Brunswick Centre
The Brunswick Centre is a grade II listed residential and shopping centre in Bloomsbury, London, England. It is located between Brunswick Square and Russell Square and is administratively in the London Borough of Camden.
Planning and design
...
. Her mother, Josephine, was a florist.
[Sawyer, Miranda.]
Catherine the Great
. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 15 October 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2007. Tate has said that the character of
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
in ''The Catherine Tate Show'', who shrieks at the slightest of disturbances, is based largely on her mother.
Tate never knew her father as he left very early on in her life
and, consequently, she was brought up in a female-dominated environment, being cared for by her mother, grandmother, and godparents.
As a child, Tate had
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and was obsessed with word association. For example, she was not able to leave a jumper on the floor because it might have brought misfortune to her mother, whose name began with the letter "J" like "jumper."
Tate attended St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School in
Holborn
Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...
, and
Notre Dame High School, a convent secondary school for girls in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
.
By the time she was a teenager, she knew she wanted a professional acting career; following the abolition of the
sixth form
In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...
at her secondary school, she was sent to a boys' Roman Catholic school,
Salesian College in
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park.
Hist ...
, at the age of 16, as it had the necessary facilities for drama.
She left school without sitting her
A levels
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...
.
["I'm a lazy control freak"](_blank)
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 12 July 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2007. She then tried for four years to get a place in the
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...
, succeeding on her fourth attempt.
She studied there for three years.
Prior to getting a place there, Tate went to the
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent school in Marble Arch, London, England. It is a specialist performing arts school named after its founder and principal, Sylvia Young OBE.
Outline
The Sylvia Young Theatre School was founded in 19 ...
, but left after a week, later stating, "Even at that age, I realised I wasn't
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series '' Just William''.
In the 1980s, she played companio ...
. It was very competitive."
She was also a member of the
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...
.
Born Catherine Ford, she changed her name when she got her
Equity card as an actress.
She chose her new surname after the character of Jessica Tate, played by
Katherine Helmond, from the American
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
television series
''Soap''.
Career
1988–2003: Early acting and stand-up career
From 1988 to 1990 Tate toured with the National Youth Theatre production of ''
Blood Wedding'', which also starred
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. His accolades include two National Board of Review Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
...
and
Jessica Hynes
Jessica Hynes (''née'' Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011–2012) and ''W1A'' (2014–2 ...
.
In 1994, she got the part of Lydia Lubey in the
Oxford Stage Company production of
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's ''
All My Sons
''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...
''.
She then worked at the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
, playing small roles in ''
The Way of the World
''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best works of Restoration comedy ev ...
'' (1995) and ''
The Prince's Play'' (1996).
Tate also performed with the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
during its 10-month tour across the UK, Australia and the US with
Lee Hall's adaptation of ''
The Servant of Two Masters'' (2000–2001).
Her television acting career began with roles in serial dramas such as ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'' and ''
London's Burning''.
Her debut happened in an episode of the sitcom ''
Surgical Spirit'' in 1991. She was offered an audition for the part by the casting director who also owned a sandwich shop Tate used to go in and knew she was about to go to drama college. On the set, she got to work with actor
Duncan Preston, of whom she was a big fan.
In 1996 Tate began performing stand-up comedy.
[Gibson, Owen.]
The Guardian profile: Catherine Tate
. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 23 December 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2007. Soon after, she co-wrote and starred in ''
Barking'' (1998), a late-night sketch show broadcast on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
featuring a host of performers who included
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
,
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. Born and raised in Farnworth, Kay studied media performance at the University of Salford and later began working part-time as a stand-up comedian. In 199 ...
and
Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook (born Paul James Crook, 29 September 1971) is an English actor, director, comedian and writer best known for his roles in television and film. He gained widespread recognition for portraying Gareth Keenan in the British sitcom '' ...
.
In 2000, she became involved with
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
's
Perrier Comedy Award-nominated ''New Bits'' show at the
Edinburgh Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival.
EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...
and appeared in television sketch shows such as ''
The Harry Hill Show'' and ''
That Peter Kay Thing''.
The next year, she returned to the festival with her own sell-out
one-woman show,
which was followed by roles in comedy series ''
Big Train'',
''
Attention Scum'',
Charlie Brooker
Charlton ‘Charlie’ Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English screenwriter, producer, presenter, author, cartoonist, and social critic. He first became known for creating and presenting satirical television shows that featured biting criticis ...
's ''
TVGoHome'' and several
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
productions.
After being spotted at Edinburgh by the casting director Tracey Gillham, she was given her first major television role as Angela in the comedy ''
Wild West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
'' (2002–2004) set in the small
Cornish town. Tate became pregnant before filming the first series and had to wear a lot of baggy clothes as Angela. The show also starred
Dawn French
Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series '' French and Saunders'' (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Sa ...
as her lesbian partner and local shop and
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
co-owner Mary,
[Catherine Tate profile]
. bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
. Retrieved 26 May 2007. who commented, "Catherine Tate is far too talented and she must be destroyed."
2004–2005: Breakthrough with ''The Catherine Tate Show''
Tate was approached at a post-show party at the
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...
by then-BBC controller of comedy
Geoffrey Perkins
Geoffrey Howard Perkins (22 February 1953 – 29 August 2008) was a British comedy producer, writer and performer. He was BBC head of comedy between 1995 and 2001, and produced the first two radio series of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ...
, who encouraged Tate to develop her character ideas, especially to push the boundaries with her teenage character
Lauren Cooper
Dame Lauren Alicia Mishika Tanisha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in '' The Catherine Tate Show''. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is portrayed by Catherine Tate. The character was "killed off" in the 2007 Christmas S ...
. Undertaking Perkins's advice, after a live show, Tate found the audience walking out of the show repeating the character's catchphrase "Am I bovvered?".

Produced by Perkins at
Tiger Aspect, Tate was given her own programme on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
in 2004, which she co-wrote and starred in with
Derren Litten, entitled ''
The Catherine Tate Show
''The Catherine Tate Show'' is a British television comedy sketch programme written by Catherine Tate and Derren Litten featuring a wide range of characters. ''The Catherine Tate Show'' aired on BBC Two and was shown worldwide through the BBC ...
'', which ran for three series.
Two of the show's well-known characters are teenager Lauren Cooper and
Joanie "Nan" Taylor, the cockney grandmother.
Tate's inspiration for the grandmother character came from visits to old people's homes when she was at drama college.
Tate won a
British Comedy Award
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
for Best Comedy Newcomer for her work on the
first series
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', and with the first series becoming a success, in March 2005, Tate made a guest appearance during the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
Red Nose Day as the character of Lauren, alongside boy band
McFly
McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...
, which gained her further exposure.
In November 2005 Tate appeared in another charity sketch as part of the BBC's annual
Children in Need
''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
. The segment was a crossover between ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' and ''The Catherine Tate Show'', featuring ''EastEnders'' characters
Peggy Mitchell,
Little Mo Mitchell
Little Mo Mitchell (also Morgan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kacey Ainsworth from 18 September 2000 to 26 May 2006.
Little Mo originally appears in a turbulent marriage with her abusive husband Tr ...
and
Stacey Slater, whilst Tate appeared as Lauren. Also at that time, she was a guest star at the 77th ''
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
'', appearing again in the guise of Lauren Cooper. During the sketch, Tate looked up at the
Royal Box
In a theatre, a box, loge, or opera box is a small, separated seating area in the auditorium or audience for a limited number of people for private viewing of a performance or event.
Boxes are typically placed immediately to the front, side an ...
and asked
the Queen, "Is one bovvered? Is one's face bovvered?", while her co-star
Niky Wardley
Nichola Petra "Niky" Wardley (born 11 August 1973) is an English stage and screen actress. Her most notable role is schoolgirl Lauren Cooper's sidekick in the BBC's Emmy and BAFTA-nominated sketch series '' The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–20 ...
(in character as Liese) remarked: "That
old man sitting next to her has fallen asleep." Prince Philip then reportedly complained to the show's executive producer, saying he had been insulted.
Tate later won a British Comedy Award for Best British Comedy Actress for her work in the
second series of ''The Catherine Tate Show''.
In January 2005, Tate appeared as Mitzi Kosinki in the
ITV adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
of
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
's novel ''
A Murder Is Announced'', starring
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...
as
Miss Marple
Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...
.
Towards the end of the year, Tate played the part of Kate in the unaired pilot episode of
Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
's sitcom ''
Not Going Out
''Not Going Out'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom created, written by and starring Lee Mack. It has aired on BBC One since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010). Th ...
'' and Mrs Chadband in an episode of the BBC
television adaptation of ''
Bleak House
''Bleak House'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode Serial (literature), serial between 12 March 1852 and 12 September 1853. The novel has many characters and several subplots, and is told partly by th ...
''.
[Bleak House – on BBC ONE from Thursday 27 October 2005 at 8.00pm]
. BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, 4 October 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2008.
Tate returned to the stage for the first time since working with the Royal Shakespeare Company,
[Thorpe, Vanessa.]
Proletarian utopia? Am I bovvered?
. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 24 September 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2008. to play a role in the original
West End production of ''
Some Girl(s)'' (2005), alongside
Sara Powell,
Lesley Manville
Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, four British Academy Television ...
,
Saffron Burrows
Saffron Burrows (born 22 October 1972) is a British and American actress who has appeared in films such as '' Circle of Friends,'' '' Wing Commander,'' '' Deep Blue Sea,'' '' Gangster No. 1,'' '' Enigma,'' ''Troy,'' '' Reign Over Me'', and '' Th ...
and ''
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' star
David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director, and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom '' Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Pri ...
. In an interview, Tate commented that she could not look Schwimmer in the eye during her time with him, leading to speculation that the pair did not get on.
Tate immediately denied the rumours, explaining that she was joking about her attempts to act "cool" around Schwimmer, whom she described as "a very funny, personable man, and easy to get along with".
2006–2010: ''Doctor Who'' and films
The
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system
Places
* 3rd Street (dis ...
of ''The Catherine Tate Show'' aired in 2006, going on to win the
National Television Award
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...
for most popular comedy as voted for by the public, and Tate's catchphrase "bovvered", used by her character Lauren Cooper, became so influential in popular culture that it was named
Word of the Year and was even poised to enter the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
''. Tate also played the role of
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a companion of the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors (both portr ...
in ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', a
temp worker from
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...
who suddenly appears in the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...
at the end of the episode "
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
".
[Catherine Tate to star in Doctor Who Christmas Special](_blank)
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, 9 July 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2008. The following episode, the Christmas special entitled "
The Runaway Bride", saw Tate's character in a major role, where she was temporarily the Doctor's companion.
On her appearance in the series, Tate commented, "I'm honoured and delighted to be joining
David Tennant
David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
aboard the TARDIS. I was holding out for a summer season at
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
rep but as a summer job, this'll do."Tate had roles in three films in 2006, these included ''
Starter for 10'' starring
James McAvoy
James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work inclu ...
,
''Sixty Six'' starring
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...
and
Eddie Marsan
Edward Maurice Charles Marsan (born 9 June 1968) is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008).
Early life and ...
,
and ''
Scenes of a Sexual Nature'', a debut feature screenplay from ''The Catherine Tate Show'' co-writer
Aschlin Ditta.
She later appeared in the films ''
Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution'', in which she played the title character opposite
Iain Glen
Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil (film series), ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont, Jorah Morm ...
,
and ''
Love and Other Disasters
''Love and Other Disasters'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written and directed by Alek Keshishian. It had its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, the film had its UK premiere in London as the gala scree ...
''.
[Love And Other Disasters]
. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. Retrieved 7 April 2008. In the television adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name, ''
The Bad Mother's Handbook'', she played the dramatic lead role and co-starred with
Anne Reid
Anne Reid (born 28 May 1935) is an English 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 C ...
,
Holliday Grainger and
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
.
[Oatts, Joanne]
'Bad Mother' Tate pulls in 5.7 million
. Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
, 20 February 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
On 16 March 2007 Tate appeared for a second time on the
Red Nose Day telethon as some of her well-known characters from ''The Catherine Tate Show''. She acted in sketches with David Tennant, her fellow National Youth Theatre alumni
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. His accolades include two National Board of Review Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
...
,
Lenny Henry
Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...
and the then
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
, who used the show's famous catchphrase, "Am I bovvered?". Tate also appeared as Nan in an episode of ''
Deal or No Deal
''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions'').
The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a ...
'', hosted by
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...
.
She has been nominated for four
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
s for her work on ''The Catherine Tate Show'', including
Best Comedy Performance. Despite speculation that the third series of the show would be the last, Tate and the BBC have not ruled out further episodes.
She later filmed a one-off special episode which aired on Christmas Day 2007. The episode was subject to criticism when 42 viewers complained about the amount of swearing, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of
knuckle dusters, in reference to
the Troubles
The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
. After the complaints were made, an
Ofcom
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-rang ...
report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations. An extract from the Ofcom report read: "Overall this episode was typical of ''The Catherine Tate Show'' and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."
In summer 2008, Tate starred as Michelle, a promiscuous mathematics teacher, in
David Eldridge's ''
Under the Blue Sky'' at the
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...
, alongside
Francesca Annis and
Nigel Lindsay. The first preview performance was canceled after she injured her ankle during the final dress rehearsal. Tate, however, returned to the stage the next day and performed preview shows with the aid of a crutch. Earlier that year, she returned to ''Doctor Who'' to reprise the role of the Doctor's companion throughout the
fourth series, which was shown on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
starting on 5 April for a 13-week run. Producer
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...
said, "We are delighted that one of Britain's greatest talents has agreed to join us for the fourth series." Tate added, "I am delighted to be returning to ''Doctor Who''. I had a blast last Christmas and look forward to travelling again through time and space with that nice man from
Gallifrey
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel technology and their non-linear perception of t ...
."
At the 2008
TV Quick Awards and
SFX Awards, Tate was voted best actress for her dramatic ''Doctor Who'' performance. She also earned a nomination at the
14th National Television Awards. A year and a half after the heartbreaking
finale of the fourth series, she returned as Donna in the first part of the show's festive special "
The End of Time", which was broadcast on Christmas Day 2009 and became the final story for both David Tennant as the
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series and nine specials. The character has also appeared in other ''Docto ...
and Russell T Davies as
showrunner
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
.
Later that day, ''
Nan's Christmas Carol'' premiered, a one-off special spin-off to ''The Catherine Tate Show'' focused on Nan, who gets visited by three ghosts (played by David Tennant,
Ben Miller
Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English comedian, actor and author. He rose to fame as a member of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, with Alexander Armstrong. He is known for roles as Angus Jeremy Bough in the '' Johnny Eng ...
and
Roger Lloyd-Pack
Roger Anthony Lloyd-Pack (8 February 1944 – 16 January 2014) was a British actor. He is best known for playing Trigger in ''Only Fools and Horses'' from 1981 to 2003, and Owen Newitt in ''The Vicar of Dibley'' from 1994 to 2007. He later star ...
) in her council flat. The next day, Tate and Tennant guest hosted
Jonathan Ross's
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
show, having already done so on 11 April and later appearing on the show once again on 30 January 2010.
In March 2010, Tate took part in ''
Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a
benefit show held in aid of
Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the
O2 Arena in London. She went on to make her directorial debut in
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
's series of short comedy films called ''
Little Crackers''. The autobiographical short film ''
My First Nativity'' (2010), also written by and starring Tate as her mother Josephine, showed the young Catherine performing an impression of
Gary Glitter
Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s. His career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography i ...
in her school
nativity play
A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity. For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the Nativity play is o ...
.
It received a nomination for the
Best Comedy Programme at the
2011 British Academy Television Awards.
On Christmas Day 2010 Tate appeared as Queen Isabelle of
Lilliput in the
film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...
'' starring
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
in the title role. She then starred opposite
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
in another American comedy film, ''
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
'' (2011).
2011–present: Further television and stage work
In March 2011, the video for
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
's new single "
Happy Now Happy Now or Happy Now? may refer to:
Film and theatre
*Happy Now? (play), ''Happy Now?'' (play), a play by Lucinda Coxon
*Happy Now? (film), ''Happy Now?'' (film), a British film starring Ioan Gruffudd
Music Albums
* Happy Now (Gang of Four alb ...
" was debuted on
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
. The video showed Tate alongside comedians
Alan Carr
Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards.
In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...
,
James Corden
James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, singer, and television host. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom '' Gavin & S ...
,
John Bishop and
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
, all auditioning to become Take That's ultimate
tribute band
A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...
, Fake That. In December, she presented
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's two-hour documentary ''Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties'', in which she met Carr, Walliams,
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...
,
Rob Brydon
Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. He was appointed Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order ...
and her ''Doctor Who'' co-star David Tennant to discuss the comedy highlights of the 2000s.
It was soon after she served as a guest host on the comedy shows ''
The Sunday Night Project'' (2009) and ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...
'' (2010).
From May to September 2011, Tate appeared alongside Tennant in the
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
comedy ''
Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
'' at the
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...
. The production was recorded by
Digital Theatre and is available to watch on their website. For her performance as
Beatrice, Tate won the
BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play, while her reunion with Tennant won the
WhatsOnStage Award
The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...
for the Theatre Event of the Year.
[2011 BWW UK Award Winners Announced! ROCK OF AGES, GHOST, WIZARD and PHANTOM All Win!](_blank)
Broadwayworld.com (5 December 2011). Retrieved 14 May 2012. At the same ceremony, she received an award in the Best Supporting Actress category for the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
production of
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...
's ''
Season's Greetings
The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...
'' (2010–2011), in which she played Belinda.
Tate guest starred in the two-part
seventh season finale of the American
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
sitcom ''
The Office
''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'', which aired on 19 May 2011. She portrayed
Nellie Bertram, who was interviewed for the Regional Manager position of the
Dunder Mifflin
Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series ''The Office''. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings ...
Scranton
Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
branch, the position that
Michael Scott (played by
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2011, 2013), and also worked at several points as a producer, executive producer, writer, a ...
) held for the majority of the series. She was reportedly the top choice to replace Carell, but was unable to join the filming, due to her commitment to ''Much Ado About Nothing''. However, in January 2012 Tate returned to ''The Office'' as a series regular for the second half of
season eight, reprising her role as Nellie, who was hired as a "misguided special projects manager". She continued in the role for the
ninth and final season.
In May 2013, she starred alongside Lee Mack in the unaired BBC One pilot for ''
Everybody Loves Raymond
''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American television sitcom created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch and Wor ...
'' remake, titled ''The Smiths''.
Two promotional photos were released in August but the project was eventually scrapped, with Mack concentrating more on his sitcom ''
Not Going Out
''Not Going Out'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom created, written by and starring Lee Mack. It has aired on BBC One since 2006 and is the second-longest-running British sitcom, behind ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1973–2010). Th ...
''. Coincidentally, Tate played Kate in the original 2005 pilot of the show, which was also never broadcast. Around the same time in 2013, she joined David Walliams and
Philip Glenister
Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William Bell ...
in the BBC One sitcom ''
Big School'' (2013–2014), playing the main role of French teacher Sarah Postern in both series of the show.
Tate later appeared as a
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
alongside Walliams as
Lou Todd in a
Red Nose Day 2015 sketch, featuring
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking (8January 194214March 2018) was an English theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between ...
in the
Andy Pipkin role.
In 2013, she accepted the role in the
low-budget
A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor.
Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced o ...
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
comedy film ''
SuperBob'' (2015) written by and starring
Brett Goldstein
Brett Goldstein (born July 17th, 1980) is an English actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. Known for his role as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series ''Ted Lasso'', he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppo ...
as the title character, which led to a number of collaborations with Goldstein. Three episodes of her sitcom ''
Catherine Tate's Nan'', co-written with Goldstein, aired in January 2014 and December 2015 on BBC One.
The role of Joanie Taylor earned her a nomination at the
2015 British Academy Television Awards
The 61st British Academy Television Awards nominations were announced on 8 April 2015.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and emboldened.
Programmes with multiple nominations
Most major wins
In Memoriam
*Dona ...
for
Best Female Comedy Performance.
Tate calls Nan "the one
haracterthat's got the legs to carry on" and her favourite to play: "It's the one character I can look at on screen and not find myself in. It's a very good
transformation
Transformation may refer to:
Science and mathematics
In biology and medicine
* Metamorphosis, the biological process of changing physical form after birth or hatching
* Malignant transformation, the process of cells becoming cancerous
* Trans ...
. In lots of
the others it's clear that it's me. I just enjoy playing that character mainly because you get the privilege of age where you can swear and people laugh. Old people swearing is funny."
She reprised the role several times between 2009 and 2018 on
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...
,
Michael McIntyre
Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents the variety and stand-up comedy show '' Mic ...
,
Paul O'Grady
Paul James O'Grady (14 June 1955 – 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, broadcaster, drag queen, actor, and writer. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag persona Lily Savage, through which he gained ...
and Alan Carr's television shows and performed
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...
's song "
Holding Out for a Hero" in character for ''
Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief'' (2017).
Tate portrayed both
Eva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich in 1929 (aged 17) when she was an assistant and model ...
and
Édith Piaf
Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...
in the pilot episode of the
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, films, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
sketch show ''
Psychobitches
''Psychobitches'' is a Sky Arts British sketch comedy show directed by Jeremy Dyson, in which famous women from history and fiction seek help from a psychologist (played by Rebecca Front).
Broadcast history
''Psychobitches'' was originally air ...
'' (2012).
In autumn 2014, she was cast as another real-life person in her first musical production, the
Menier Chocolate Factory revival of
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
's ''
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
The origin of the term is the medieval Order of Assassins, a sect of Shia Islam 1090–1275 CE.
Assassin, or variants, may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Assassin, in the Japanese adult ...
'' (2014–2015). Her character was
Sara Jane Moore, a woman who
attempted to assassinate U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
.
She went on to play alongside
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...
and
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
in ''
The Vote'', a
James Graham play set in a fictitious London
polling station
A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English, British English and Canadian English although a polling place is the building and polling station is the specific ...
, which was broadcast live on
More4
More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas.
Content
The i ...
on
election night 2015. In spring 2016, Tate appeared as fashion designer Myrna in another musical comedy, ''
Miss Atomic Bomb'', at the
St. James Theatre. Benjamin McDonald, writing in ''
Gay Times
''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...
'', praised Tate's performance, saying she "proves she has the strong vocal ability to match her impeccable
comic timing
Comic timing or comedic timing emerges from a performer's joke delivery: they interact with an audience— intonation, rhythm, cadence, tempo, and pausing—to guide the audience's laughter, which then guides the comedic narrative. The pacing ...
". The show itself received much poorer reviews, including a one-star review from ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
''.
On New Year's Day 2016, Tate played the role of hand model Sapphire Diamond in the television adaptation of David Walliams's children's book ''Billionaire Boy''.
She appeared in ''Bruce's Hall of Fame with Alexander Armstrong'' the following day with a musical tribute to her childhood hero Victoria Wood, calling her the first woman she had seen being funny on television. She then chose Wood as her inspirational female figure when promoting ''Leading Lady Parts'' (2018), a short film inspired by the Time's Up (organization), Time's Up movement and starring Tate as a Casting (performing arts), casting director auditioning several A-list actresses for a leading lady role.
In October 2016, Tate began touring British theatres with ''The Catherine Tate Show#Live show, The Catherine Tate Show Live'', guest starring Brett Goldstein (who also co-wrote the show with Tate) and her long-time collaborators Mathew Horne and
Niky Wardley
Nichola Petra "Niky" Wardley (born 11 August 1973) is an English stage and screen actress. Her most notable role is schoolgirl Lauren Cooper's sidekick in the BBC's Emmy and BAFTA-nominated sketch series '' The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–20 ...
. Most of the main characters from the original television show, such as Nan, Lauren, nurse Bernie, Geordie Georgie and Derek Faye, all featured in the show. Some pre-recorded sketches, including cameos by Nick Grimshaw and Billy Connolly, were shown during each of the many changes of Tate's costumes and wigs. In late 2018, she brought the show to Australia and New Zealand with the help of two new cast members, David O'Reilly and Alex Carter (British actor), Alex Carter, before finishing her tour at London's
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...
in January 2019. Around the same time, she hosted the 2018 Laurence Olivier Awards.
An edited version of the ceremony was broadcast on ITV (TV channel), ITV. It was also covered live on Magic Radio, where listeners heard Tate hilariously going back on fluffed lines multiple times, occasionally swearing. She later apologised after it was pointed out the event was going out live.
In 2016 and 2019, Tate and David Tennant reprised their ''Doctor Who'' roles in two volumes of the full-cast audio series ''Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, The Tenth Doctor Adventures'' from Big Finish Productions. Talking about his frequent colleague during the recording session, Tennant said: "I love working with Catherine because of the life that she brings to something and the way that she can turn the most mundane line into something glorious and sparkling. I love Catherine for what she is most famous for, and that's being funny and brilliant and witty and quick, but I love the fact that she's a great and proper actress." In October 2017, Tate was revealed to be part of the cast of
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
's ''
DuckTales DuckTales refers to:
Film and television
* ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series
** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp''
* ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series
Video games
* ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...
'' reboot, providing the voice of the villainous sorceress
Magica De Spell following the death of the character's long-time voice actor, June Foray, in July of the same year. Tennant provided the voice of the show's protagonist, Scrooge McDuck.
In April 2020, Tate revived her popular character Lauren Cooper for ''The Big Night In'', a telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a skit that had her being Distance education, schooled remotely by a teacher played again by Tennant. Another popular character from ''The Catherine Tate Show'', Nan, made a return the next year in a Comic Relief sketch starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, followed by the feature film ''
The Nan Movie'' (2022).
In April 2022, she starred as six different characters in ''
Hard Cell'', a Netflix original mockumentary sitcom set in a women's prison. She co-wrote the series with
Niky Wardley
Nichola Petra "Niky" Wardley (born 11 August 1973) is an English stage and screen actress. Her most notable role is schoolgirl Lauren Cooper's sidekick in the BBC's Emmy and BAFTA-nominated sketch series '' The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–20 ...
and Alex Carter (British actor), Alex Carter and co-directed all six episodes with James Kayler.
In May, it was announced Tate would reprise her role as Donna Noble, alongside David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, for the Doctor Who (2023 specials), 60th anniversary specials of ''Doctor Who''.
In August, the BBC commissioned ''
Queen of Oz'', a sitcom written by and starring Tate as a disgraced member of a fictional British royal family sent to rule Australia, which aired in June 2023.
In May 2023, Tate was the UK's jury spokesperson in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in which she announced the UK's jury points directly from the Liverpool Arena, where the event was held.
Personal life
Tate was formerly in a relationship with stage manager Twig Clark,
with whom she has a daughter, who was born in January 2003.
Tate suffered from post-natal depression,
from which she only recovered after the filming of the second series of ''The Catherine Tate Show''.
She also suffers from occasional panic attacks.
Regarding her personal outlook, Tate has said, "I'm an incredibly negative person, so any form of success is only ever going to be a relief to me and set my default position back to neutral."
Tate has been married to American screenwriter Jeff Gutheim since at least 2018.
Tate is also fluent in French language, French and Spanish language, Spanish.
Charity work

Tate is a patron of the The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, supporting the charity since 2006. Since then, she has hosted a fundraising auction, filmed a five-minute film featuring herself and
David Tennant
David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
on the set of ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' for the charity's annual ball and taken part in its 2011 calendar with the Huddersfield Giants. She is also the current patron of the Addie Brady Foundation, raising funds for research into high-grade paediatric brain tumours and supporting families with Li–Fraumeni Syndrome, and was a patron of the children's cancer charity the Joe Glover Trust for a number of years since its launching in 2007.
Since 2005, Tate has been a frequent supporter of two BBC
telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
charities,
Children in Need
''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
and Comic Relief. For the latter, she so far has starred in eleven sketches and a Happy Now (Take That song)#Music video, music video. She also appeared as
Lauren Cooper
Dame Lauren Alicia Mishika Tanisha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in '' The Catherine Tate Show''. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is portrayed by Catherine Tate. The character was "killed off" in the 2007 Christmas S ...
from ''The Catherine Tate Show'' live on stage during the Red Nose Day 2005 and 2017 events, and as Joanie Taylor, Nan in 2009.
In August 2017, after being asked at the Wizard World Chicago convention about what her career would look like if she hadn't become an actress and comedian, Tate said: "I'd definitely work with animals. In fact, sometimes I do feel, 'Oh, am I sort of wasting my time doing [acting] when I should be doing sort of like stuff with animals in need?' because I'm a big animal welfare kind of person, animal rights person." She has supported the animal rescue centre Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on multiple occasions and adopted cats from there. In 2018, she presented the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
hour-long documentary ''Saving the British Bulldog'' about the health issues affecting one of the most popular dog breeds in the UK.
In 2020, she featured in a video aimed to raise funds for the Zoological Society of London after it was badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Filmography
Film
Television
Acting credits
Presenting and game show credits
Radio and audio dramas
Video games
Music videos
Theatre
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
;Notes
;Citations
External links
Catherine Tateat
bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
/comedy
''The Catherine Tate Show''at
bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
/comedy
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Catherine
1969 births
Living people
20th-century English actresses
20th-century English comedians
21st-century English actresses
21st-century English comedians
21st-century English women writers
21st-century English writers
Actresses from London
Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Audiobook narrators
British women television writers
Comedians from the London Borough of Camden
English women screenwriters
English film actresses
English Shakespearean actresses
English sketch comedians
English stage actresses
English television actresses
English television directors
British television show creators
English television writers
English voice actresses
English women comedians
National Youth Theatre members
Actors from the London Borough of Camden
People with obsessive–compulsive disorder
Royal Shakespeare Company members
People from Bloomsbury
People from Holborn