Morgana Robinson

Early life

Robinson was born in Shepparton, Victoria, to parents working as a nurse and a paramedic. Her family moved to the United Kingdom when she was three. She was primarily raised by her mother and spent much of her childhood sofa surfing. She attended Benenden School in Kent. Her father was adopted, and her schooling at Benenden was paid for by her father's biological parents after he reconnected with them during her childhood. She studied sculpture at City and Guilds in London, earning a 2:2.

On her father's side, Robinson has four elder half-siblings, one of whom is Brody Dalle (born Bree Joanna Alice Robinson) of the punk rock band the Distillers and alternative rock band Spinnerette. They first met as adults, backstage at one of Dalle's 2004 concerts at the Brixton Academy.

Television career

Robinson got her start in television at age 25, after showing a homemade showreel to comedy agent John Noel while working as a waitress.

Robinson's television debut came in 2007, as she played an eastern European internet bride in BBC One's comedy The Green Green Grass. She then starred in the TV pilot Eight Steps to Enlightenment and a Nervous Breakdown, an improvised mockumentary, playing Rachel, a self-obsessed glamour model, trying to rid herself of cellulite. In 2009, she appeared as Anna in the BBC One comedy My Family in the episode "It's Training Men".

In 2009, she appeared in a running sketch segment, Gilbert's Special Report, in The TNT Show as Gilbert, a teenage boy who interviews celebrities, alongside his disabled crew members.

In 2010, Channel 4 commissioned a five-part comedy sketch show, The Morgana Show. Channel 4's head of comedy, Shane Allen, said: "Discovering, supporting and nurturing new talent is at the heart of Channel 4 comedy’s remit, and in Morgana we really feel we’ve found a fresh performer with a huge amount of potential." Her characters included giant-glasses wearing Gilbert, making TV shows from his bedroom, and her impressions of Fearne Cotton and mockumentary of Natalie Cassidy "Sonia off Eastenders".

In 2012, Robinson starred in the Channel 4 sketch show Very Important People also starring Terry Mynott. In the show, she impersonates a variety of performers, including Frankie Boyle, Danny Dyer, Amy Childs and Adele.

In 2014 to 2015, she appeared as sexy nymphomaniac cafe-owner Julie in Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's two-series surreal BBC Two television comedy sitcom House of Fools in which her appearances include an obsessive attraction to Vic Reeves.

In 2016, she appeared as Pippa Middleton in The Windsors, a comedy parody of the British royal family in which she uses her sexiness to try to ensnare her sister's brother-in-law Prince Harry.

In 2018, she appeared with Richard Ayoade in Travel Man, visiting Milan.

In 2021, Robinson played Hilary Bowden in series 2, episode 4 of Intelligence. The same year, she participated in the 12th series of Channel 4 comedy game show Taskmaster, which she won. She returned to the series in 2024 as part of the third "Champion of Champions" special episode.

In March 2022, Robinson appeared as Maxine in Gold comedy Newark, Newark. Also in 2022, she co-starred with Dylan Moran in the BBC Two sitcom Stuck.

Personal life

She was previously engaged.

Awards

At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, she won in the Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist category.

In 2018, she won the BAFTA Award in the Best Short Form Programme category for Morgana Robinson's Summer.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. Jones, Alice. (November 23, 2014). "Morgana Robinson interview: 'I've been picked on all my life'".
2. MacKenzie, Steven. (March 21, 2022). "Morgana Robinson: 'I'm the giant bogey that everyone sticks to'".
3. Lytton, Charlotte. (February 23, 2016). "Morgana Robinson: 'If you're not a white man in this industry, it's going to be tough for you'".
4. (July 10, 2011). "Track of the Day – Boots Electric (Jessie Hughes' Eagles of Death Metal) – Boots Electric Theme".
5. Samadder, Rhik. (May 4, 2014). "Comedian Morgana Robinson and singer Brody Dalle on their close sister relationship".
6. "The Green Green Grass Series 3, Episode 7 – Lust in Translation".
7. "'Unknown' lands her own C4 comedy series : News 2010 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide".
8. "Intelligence".
9. (31 August 2022). "Dylan Moran's Stuck gets debut date".
10. "British Comedy Awards – The Winners – Channel 4 – Info – Press".
11. (13 May 2018). "Morgana Robinson's Summer – Winners' Acceptance Speech, Short Form Programme, Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards in 2018". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
12. "C4 Comedy Presents: Them from That Thing – All 4".
13. "Toast of London – All 4".
14. Guide, British Comedy. (15 May 2014). "BBC iPlayer Original Comedy Shorts – British Comedy Guide".
15. "Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe – BBC Two".
16. (25 November 2015). "Beauty Calls". IMDb.
17. (24 December 2015). "Walliams & Friend". IMDb.
18. Rees, Jasper. (10 October 2016). "Morgana Robinson's The Agency is an affectionate but spiky lampooning of celebrity – BBC Two, review". The Telegraph.
19. "How We Forgot to Save the Planet".
20. "Stuck – BBC Two".
21. "Channel 4 Commissions New Apocalyptic Comedy 'Everyone Else Burns', Starring Simon Bird".
22. "Stuffed with Guz Khan comes to the BBC this Christmas".