Laura Solon
| Laura Solon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Laura Madalene Solon |
| Born |
April 1979 (age 34) Merton, London, England |
| Medium | Television, theatre, radio |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 2004-present |
| Genres | Sketch comedy, stand-up |
| Notable works and roles |
Man Stroke Woman Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking Laura, Ben and Him Harry and Paul Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder |
Laura Madalene Solon (born April 1979) is an English comedian, actress, writer, and winner of the 2005 Perrier Comedy Award, only the second woman to win as a solo performer (the first being Jenny Eclair in 1995).
Background
She was raised in Great Kimble near Aylesbury. She attended Downe House School followed by Worcester College, Oxford where she received a scholarship[1] to read English and started writing and performing in the Oxford Revue.
Career
Solon tried her hand at being a stand up comedian but found character comedy suited her better.[2]
In 2005 she won the Perrier Award for her one-woman Edinburgh Fringe show Kopfraper's Syndrome: One Man and His Incredible Mind. Following this the BBC and Channel 4 were keen to acquire her to produce material for them, and in April 2006 it was announced by the BBC that Solon had been signed to develop projects for them on Radio and TV.[3]
The first series of Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking, a sketch and character comedy series, ran on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2007. The second series ran in May and June 2008, and the third in November 2009.[citation needed]
She recorded a BBC sitcom pilot from the creators of People Like Us, featuring Man Stroke Woman's Daisy Haggard, called Great News.[4]
She appeared in Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's sketch show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, broadcast from 2007 on BBC One. She was seen in a sketch show for ITV2 Laura, Ben and Him (2008) with Marek Larwood and Ben Willbond. She was part of Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder, shown on ITV1.[citation needed]
Alongside Tony Hawks and Angus Deayton she will appear in the feature film Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, which was recorded in 2010 for release in 2012.
In the first half of 2010 she toured with Rabbit Faced Story Soup, a play set in a publisher's office in which she played every character including an American super agent, a lightly tanned boss, a call centre worker, a diversity officer, and a publisher who has to cope with 'The French' and a dead rabbit called Ian. It contained characters from her radio show, talking and not talking, including Carol Price, who is a divorcee children's author, and Gwynneth the 'terrible' call centre worker. New characters included Marcia, an American super publishing agent.[citation needed] She always comes up with new ways of putting people down.
Her award-winning[5][6][7][8] 2010 short film Tooty's Wedding, which Solon co-wrote with Ben Willbond, will be screened as part of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.[9]
In 2011 Solon was one of the players in the BBC Two improvisational show Fast and Loose, hosted by Hugh Dennis.[10]
Kopfraper's Syndrome: One Man and His Incredible Mind
The title is in fact a holdover from an entirely different show that Solon had planned to perform with a male partner[citation needed]. When the partner dropped out she rewrote the show in the three weeks leading up to the festival but retained the title in order not to negate the value of the advance publicity or confuse those who had already purchased tickets.
Solon plays eight different characters in the show, which consists of sketches of varying lengths, including:
- An Andrew Lloyd Webber fan
- Caroline, an Australian disabled housewife who is possessed by the ghost of Diana, Princess of Wales
- Karen, a prize-winning beautician
- Borgesia, a Polish story-teller
- A wedding planner from Rotherham
- A hunter who does not believe in zebras
- Katrina, a corporate high-flier with an irrational terror of the Chinese
- A marketing assistant forced to dress as a bookworm
As a Perrier award winning show it secured a run in London's West End, at the Soho Theatre, in November 2005. Solon also received £7,500 with the prize.
Radio
- Ed Reardon's Week - Lucy, in Series 3
- Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking (2007–09)
- Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio - Stand-in for Emily Dean (2009, 2011–12)
- Dave Gorman on Absolute Radio - Stand-in for Danielle Ward (2010)
Television
- Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul (2007-)
- Laura, Ben and Him (2008)
- Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder (2009)
- Have I Got News For You (2010)
- Fast and Loose (2011)
Other drama
- Orbis (Doctor Who Audio) - Selta (Big Finish) (2009)
References
- ↑ "Oxford University Gazette". Ox.ac.uk. 28 October 1999. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ↑ Lee, Veronica (31 August 2005). "'Perrier winner? I shouldn't have been on the list'". Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ↑ "Press Office - Laura Solon signs to". BBC. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ↑ "Comedy news : News 2006 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. 16 November 2006. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ↑ "Accolade Competition Deadline: August 26, 2011". The Accolade Film, Television, New Media & Videography Awards. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ↑ "Aesthetica Short Film Festival". Aesthetica Magazine Ltd. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ↑ "Tooty's Wedding". LA Comedy Fest. 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ↑ "Work : Laura Solon". Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ↑ Mann, Andrea (15 December 2011). "British Comedy Short 'Tooty's Wedding' Is Sundance-Bound (EXCLUSIVE CLIP)". Huffington Post UK. Aol (UK). Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ↑ "British Comedy Guide entry for Fast and Loose". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2011-01-15.