Sally Phillips

Early life and education

Sally Elizabeth Phillips was born on 10 May 1970 in Hong Kong, which at the time was under British rule. Her father Tim, later chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, was an executive with British Airways. With the family following her father's job, she grew up in the Far East, the Middle East, Italy, and Australia. At the age of 13 she was sent to board at Wycombe Abbey School, where she studied her O-Levels and A-Levels.

Phillips read Italian and linguistics at New College, Oxford, where she joined the Oxford Revue, playing mostly male parts, alongside contemporaries including Stewart Lee and Richard Herring (who went on to have their own television show, Fist of Fun, in which Phillips appeared as "the girl who smells of Spam"). She then co-wrote and performed the one-woman show Benadetta, the Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, based on a true story. She appeared in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH, which also starred Ed Smith.

Phillips gained a first-class honours degree, and applied to write a PhD on the Spaghetti Western. However, she changed her mind, and instead studied drama with the Théâtre de Complicité.

Career

Phillips performed at nine consecutive Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, appearing in shows including Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur Smith's version of Hamlet (as Ophelia) and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas, Julian Barratt and Lori Lixenburg. Her first television role was in Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun in 1994, followed shortly after by a cameo in Alas Smith and Jones with Mel Smith. In 1995, Phillips played the role of a reporter in the unbroadcast pilot of Chris Morris's spoof series Brass Eye. In Six Pairs Of Pants, six actors produced a number of regular sketches, which developed as the series progressed. The show was written in part by Phillips.{{cite web|author = |title = Six Pairs Of Pants - Writers.|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283795/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm#writer|website = IMDb |access-date = September 12, 2025}} Phillips had a role as Sophie, a "Travel Tavern" receptionist in I'm Alan Partridge (1997), and as Laura in Holding the Baby. |access-date = September 12, 2025}} She played radio DJ Gemma White in the TV series In the Red.{{cite web|author= |title = In The Red - Full cast & crew.

In 1997, Phillips had a starring role in the short-lived 1999 British comedy series Hippies with Simon Pegg and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Phillips garnered a nomination for best female newcomer at the 1999 British Comedy Awards as she, along with Fiona Allen and Doon Mackichan, co-created, wrote, and performed in Smack the Pony.

In 2001, she took the starring role in the David Nicholls series Rescue Me for BBC1. She also wrote episodes for the animation Bob and Margaret.

In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She appeared in Bridget Jones's Diary as Shazza, having previously auditioned for Bridget; the character was based upon the film's director, Sharon Maguire.

In 2004, she took the title role in the BBC radio sitcom Clare in the Community which ended after 74 episodes in 2019. In August 2005, she returned to the stage after a long absence, in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at the Oxford Playhouse. In 2006, she appeared in the Australian comedy feature BoyTown; on television, she appeared as Clare Winchester in the BBC2 science fiction comedy Hyperdrive.

In the second series of Green Wing, Phillips played the character of Holly, whose appearance threatens the blossoming relationship between Mac (Julian Rhind-Tutt) and Caroline (Tamsin Greig). Between 2006 and 2009, she had a recurring role in the BBC's comedy Jam & Jerusalem.

In 2009, Phillips took the role of Tilly in Miranda as Miranda Hart's character's irritating upper-class friend. The series found critical success and Phillips remained a part of the show throughout its duration, from 2009 to 2015.

Her first feature film script, The Decoy Bride, started production in spring 2010. Phillips appeared in a supporting role in the film, playing Emma, a Hollywood assistant. The film was released in February 2012, premièring first on cable television and as a digital download, and then had a limited theatrical release.

In 2012, she played the lead role in the Sky 1 comedy Parents and also appeared in the CBeebies television series Justin's House. The same year, she also appeared in the role of Mr Tumble in Something Special.

In the United States, Phillips has made five appearances in the HBO comedy series Veep as Minna Häkkinen, a fictional Finnish prime minister.

In 2014, she narrated the first series of The Supervet on Channel 4.

During 2015, Phillips appeared in several TV shows, notably House of Fools and Death in Paradise. She has also appeared in the comedy Burn Burn Burn as Ingrid, a main character, and also the TV film Distinguished Ladies in which she plays the lead role of Bianca.

Phillips appeared in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) as Mrs Bennet, and as Shazza in Bridget Jones's Baby.

In 2016, she presented the one-off BBC documentary A World Without Down's Syndrome?, which examined the potential impact of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

She appeared in All Star Musicals and Tim Vine Travels in Time in December 2017.

In 2018, she played the scatty new night manager Lou in Trollied.

In 2022, she starred as business owner Gina in Australian comedy film How to Please a Woman.

In 2023, she played Tessa in the Netflix romantic comedy Love at First Sight.

In January 2024, she was a guest co-host on the BBC One quiz show Pointless. She starred as Ingrid in the Australian-British comedy series Austin which premiered in June 2024.

Personal life

In 2002, Phillips was hospitalised with salmonellosis during a charity trip to Mexico. She said the illness led to a brain infection that made her body become a "microbrewery", causing neurological symptoms. Her recovery took months.

She was married to Andrew Bermejo for 14 years and has three sons from their marriage, one with Down syndrome. As a consequence, she made a documentary about the ethics of medical screening. In 2017, the couple divorced.

Phillips is a Christian. She is a patron of Blue Apple Theatre (Hampshire, UK) which specialises in creating performance work for adults with a learning disability.

Filmography

Film

Television

Audiobooks

References

References

1. [https://x.com/sallyephillips/status/1524034114730565632 Phillips' X account.]
2. Phillips, Sally. (15 June 2012). "Q&A: Sally Phillips". [[The Guardian]].
3. Kelso, Paul. (5 July 2007). "More screens to entertain drenched punters". The Guardian.
4. Farndale, Nigel. (8 April 2001). "Funny, bright, lovely".
5. "Six Pairs of Pants[13/10/95] (1995)". [[BFI]].
6. (June 29, 2012). "Quirk ethic: Sally Phillips finally lands a lead role after 20 years of playing oddballs". independent.co.uk.
7. . ["I'm Alan Partridge - Full cast & crew."](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129690/fullcredits/#cast?ref_=ext_shr_lnk).
8. Deans, Jason. (2002-05-14). "BBC decides not to rescue Sally Phillips drama". The Guardian.
9. (2021-04-04). "Bridget Jones's Diary cast then and now as film turns 20".
10. "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Clare in the Community, Series 4, And The Winner Is ...".
11. "BBC – Oxford Stage-The Importance of Being Earnest".
12. "Sally Phillips opens up about being cast as a cougar – and her "feral" maternal instincts".
13. Guide, British Comedy. (2019-11-15). "Sally Phillips making Swedish rom-com film".
14. (June 10, 2006). "The Amazing Mrs Pritchard".
15. "Comic actress Sally Phillips named Kbsa Designer Awards host - KBN".
16. O’Connell, Alex. (2014-12-13). "Miranda Hart: 'I killed off Miranda I didn't want the audience to pity her'".
17. Pelley, Rich. (2022-07-05). "Post your questions for Sally Phillips". The Guardian.
18. "Can't sit still telly - Justin's house is back on CBeebies for a new series".
19. (7 March 2013). "Anyone see 'something special' today?".
20. Gilbey, Ryan. (2015-07-08). "Justin Fletcher, king of CBeebies, gets ready to Tumble". The Guardian.
21. White, Peter. (2018-02-06). "'Veep' Star Sally Phillips: "British TV Is Still Sexist"".
22. Murray, Noel. (2016-06-13). "'Veep' Season 5, Episode 8: Into the Woods". The New York Times.
23. (9 January 2018). "Trollied - Episode 2".
24. "Love at First Sight cast: Meet the stars of Netflix romcom {{!}} Radio Times".
25. (5 January 2024). "Who are the Pointless guest hosts?". Radio Times.
26. Vnuk, Helen. (2024-06-16). "Sally Phillips opens up about her cougar Austin character".
27. (November 25, 2024). "Austin to return for a second season in 2025".
28. (11 September 2020). "Series Q, Episode 12 – Quagmire".
29. (11 September 2020). "QI XL S17E12 Series Q – HD – Quagmire 15 February 2020 (XL edition)".
30. (2019-11-27). "Interview with Sally Phillips on Down syndrome Awareness". [[This is Local London]].
31. Potton, Ed. (14 December 2017). "Sally Phillips: Whenever Weinstein saw my face in the edit suite he said, 'Cut it!'". [[The Times]].
32. Craw, Victoria. (February 27, 2018). "Iceland considers banning circumcisions amid debate about medical ethics".
33. (27 July 2018). "A Downside Of Feminism {{!}} Romesh Talks to Sally Phillips About Her Early Acting Career".
34. Gilbert, Gerard. (19 January 2013). "Always the best friend: Sally Phillips on Christianity, comedians and the class system". The Independent.
35. "Blue Apple".
36. "Bridget Jones characters ranked {{!}} From "almost purple" to "ding dong" {{!}} Radio Times".
37. Felperin, Leslie. (2018-04-12). "You, Me and Him review – savvy, salty pregnancy comedy". the Guardian.
38. Tartaglione, Nancy. (11 April 2018). "Gurinder Chadha's 'Blinded By The Light' Blessed By Bruce Springsteen; Cast Set". Deadline Hollywood.
39. "The Rizen: Possession – Goldfinch Studios".
40. Maxwell, Dominic. (2022-07-06). "Sally Phillips: 'I couldn't ask for what I wanted in bed if my life depended on it'".
41. (2023-04-11). "Kate Nash and Toby Sebastian hope to get on Pamela Anderson's radar with new film 'Coffee Wars'".
42. Swain, Marianka. (2024-02-26). "From a Hampstead teacher to... Keir Starmer? Who's who in the real-life Bridget Jones". The Telegraph.
43. "A World Without Down's Syndrome?". BBC.
44. "Henry IX cast and crew credits".
45. "BBC One – Sunday Morning Live – Sally Phillips". BBC.
46. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bmfpy5 "A new comedy series following the tourist team of Wow Wales, who are tasked with selling Wales to the world."] BBC One Wales website
47. "BBC One – Tourist Trap – Episode guide". BBC.
48. Butcher, David. "Series 6 – Episode 3 The Au Pair". Radio Times.
49. "My Life at Christmas with Sally Phillips".
50. (27 October 2022). "The Satsuma Complex".