Diane Morgan (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She is notable for portraying Philomena Cunk on the review programme '' Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe'' (2013–2020), the

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 ...

series '' Cunk on Britain'' (2018), '' Cunk on Earth'' (2022), and the extended special ''Cunk on Life'' (2024). She also played Liz on the

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 ...

sitcom ''

Motherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

'' (2016–2022) and Kath in the

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 ...

dark comedy series '' After Life'' (2019–2022), as well as writing and starring in the BBC Two comedy series '' Mandy'' (2019–present).

Early life

Morgan was born in Farnworth,

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, on 5 October 1975, to Peter, a

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

, and Eirwen (née Roderick), a

stay-at-home mother A stay-at-home mother (alternatively, stay-at-home mom or SAHM) is a mother who is the primary caregiver of the children. The male equivalent is the stay-at-home dad. The gender-neutral term is stay-at-home parent. Stay-at-home mom is distinct ...

. She has one elder brother. She grew up in Farnworth and Kearsley and attended George Tomlinson School in Kearsley. When she was 20, she studied at the East 15 Acting School in

Loughton Loughton () is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. The town borders Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell, Chingford, and Buckhurst Hill, and lies north-east of Charing Cross. For statistical purposes ...

. She said in a 2020 interview: "There were a few actors on y fathers side of the family:

Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear (' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English retired actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming a ...

Frank Finlay Francis Finlay, (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an English actor. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Iago in ''Othello'' (1965). His first leading television role came in 1971 in '' Casanova''.

and Jack Wild. What a dynasty. We're like the Redgraves. Julie's got a touch of the Mandys, actually. Maybe I could cast her as Mandy's mum."

Career

Morgan had a small acting role as Dawn in Peter Kay's ''

Phoenix Nights '' Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights'', sometimes shortened to ''Phoenix Nights'', is a British sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. The show is a spin-off from the "In th ...

'', before taking various other jobs, including as a dental assistant, a telemarketer, a potato peeler at a chip shop, selling Avon, and boxing up worming tablets in a factory. She subsequently made her first attempt at stand-up comedy at age 30. She was placed second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year award in 2006, and as runner-up in the 2006 Funny Women Awards. Morgan and Joe Wilkinson later formed a

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 ...

duo called Two Episodes of Mash. From 2008, they performed at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

for three consecutive years, and in 2010, they appeared on

Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...

's satirical news show ''

Robert's Web ''Robert's Web'' is a topical comedy show hosted by Robert Webb, broadcast in 2010. The show looks at the latest news, happenings, videos and pictures from the Internet in the last week. Cast * Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 Sept ...

''. In 2012, the act completed its second BBC radio series (co-starring David O'Doherty), and appeared in

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 for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

's '' Live at the Electric''. In the same year, she appeared in '' Him & Her'', which featured Wilkinson, and in 2013, she played Nicola in the TV series '' Pat & Cabbage''. In 2014, she made an appearance in the

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 ...

TV series ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

'', as Tess. In 2015, she appeared in two episodes of '' Drunk History''. She was on '' Mock the Week'' in 2010 and 2011. She appeared on '' Would I Lie to You?'' filmed on 13 May 2016 and 19 May 2018. She was a guest on '' Have I Got News For You'' in April 2015 and April 2016, and hosted ''Have I Got News For You'' in May 2023.

Philomena Cunk

Morgan is perhaps best known for her

deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...

portrayal of Philomena Cunk, a dim-witted, ill-informed, yet earnest interviewer and commentator on history, culture and current affairs. The character first appeared on '' Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe'' (2013–2015), including as the presenter of a regular segment titled "Moments of Wonder". Cunk has since appeared in other

contexts. In December 2016, she presented BBC Two's ''Cunk on Christmas''. In April 2018, the five-part historical mockumentary '' Cunk on Britain'' began broadcasting on BBC Two. In December 2019, Morgan appeared as Cunk for short episodes of ''Cunk and Other Humans'', once again on BBC Two. She returned in a one-off episode of ''Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe'' titled "Antiviral Wipe", about the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, in May 2020. Another series, '' Cunk on Earth'', began broadcasting in September 2022. For her performance in the latter, Morgan was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. In 2024, Morgan appeared as Cunk in the one-off extended special ''Cunk on Life'', which was broadcast in December 2024 on BBC Two.

Other roles

Morgan played David Brent's

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

expert in the film '' David Brent: Life on the Road'' (2016). She played Sharon in the film '' Me Before You'', starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. She has appeared in several short films, including ''The Boot Sale'', which was shortlisted in the Virgin Media Shorts film competition 2010. In 2016 Morgan played Mandy 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 comedy '' Rovers'', appearing in all six episodes of the first series. She appeared in the pilot for the BBC2 comedy ''We the Jury'' as Olivia. She also plays receptionist Talia in Sky's comedy drama '' Mount Pleasant'' and Liz in the

sitcom ''

''. Morgan plays Kath in the

black-comedy series '' After Life'', written by

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...

. She starred in the

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

sitcom '' The Cockfields'', again alongside Wilkinson, and in comedy-drama '' Frayed'' in 2019. In 2019, she wrote, directed, and starred in the BBC2 comedy short ''Mandy'', described as "a comedy by Diane Morgan about Mandy, a woman who really, really wants a sofa, and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it". Carol Decker appeared as herself in the short. The character returned in August 2020 for the full series '' Mandy'', with Shaun Ryder,

Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in ''Dinnerladies (TV series), dinnerladies'', a sitcom on BBC One (1998–2000), as List of Shameless (British TV series) characters#Vero ...

, and Natalie Cassidy in guest roles. A Christmas special, ''We Wish You a Mandy Christmas'', loosely based on ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'', was broadcast in December 2021. Also in 2020, Morgan played Gemma Nerrick in the British mockumentary '' Death to 2020'', created by

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 ...

and Annabel Jones. She reprised the role in '' Death to 2021''. She voiced the character 105E in the 2021 animated

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

series '' Elliott from Earth''. In April 2022 Morgan starred as Donna in the first episode of the seventh series of ''

Inside No. 9 ''Inside No. 9'' is a British black comedy Anthology series, anthology television programme written and created by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It aired on BBC Two from 5 February 2014 to 12 June 2024, running for 9 series and 55 episo ...

''. In December 2022, Morgan reprised her role as Liz on ''Motherland'' for the Christmas special. In 2023 Morgan appeared in a radio advertisement for Pot Noodle "Lost the Pot" Chicken-flavour noodles as a woman zealously defending the product's status as "champion" against the witless "Julia". In 2024 Morgan starred in the music video for

Paul Heaton Paul David Heaton (born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer and main lyricist of the Housemartins, who had commercial success in the UK and other European countries between 1985 and 1988, releasing several singl ...

's "Fish 'N' Chip Supper". In December 2024, Morgan starred in the

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...

production '' Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl'' as local news reporter Onya Doorstep.

Personal life

Morgan lives in the

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 ...

district of

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 ...

with her partner, BBC comedy producer Ben Caudell. Interviewed by Stuart Jeffries for ''

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 ...

'' in May 2016, she said: "I've always wanted to make people laugh. It's been my only ambition, ever since my dad introduced me to the genius of the great comedians: Tony Hancock,

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

, people like that. While other kids were into

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had ...

, I was into

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

and

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel ( ; born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, director and writer who was in the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 sh ...

. I'm still like that. I don't have any hobbies." In July 2023, Morgan was awarded an

honorary doctorate 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 hon ...

by the

University of Bolton The University of Greater Manchester (legally: The University of Bolton Higher Education Corporation) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester in England. The university is commonly referred to as a 'post-92' institution, which is a ...

for her contribution to television and comedy. She is "mostly"

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

My life in food: Diane Morgan
- National Geographic, August 17 2021 and an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist. A rescue dog adopted by Morgan, credited as Robert "Bovril" Morgan, appeared in a ''Mandy'' Christmas special in 2021. Morgan traced her family history in a 2025 episode of the BBC genealogy series '' Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Profile on agent's website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Diane 1975 births Living people 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English comedians Actresses from London Entertainers from London Writers from London Actors from the London Borough of Camden People from Bloomsbury Comedians from the London Borough of Camden Comedians from Greater Manchester Actresses from Bolton Actors from Farnworth Alumni of East 15 Acting School English film actresses English television actresses English voice actresses English women comedians Surreal comedy