Emma Sidi
Emma Sidi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sidi at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | |
| Born | Emma Francesca Sidi February 1991 (age 33) United States |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Emma Francesca Sidi (/ˈsɪdiː/ SID-ee,[1] born February 1991[2]) is an English actress, comedian and writer for radio, stage and screen.[3]
Early life
[edit]Sidi was born to English parents in the United States. Her father Paul was working in banking at the time and played rugby union for Harlequins.[4] The family returned to the United Kingdom when Sidi was three years old, and after a career in the City, her father retrained as a physiotherapist in Chertsey, Surrey. Sidi was brought up and schooled near Woking, before studying French and Spanish at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, which included studying abroad in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico.[4]
Career
[edit]In 2016, Sidi appeared in James Acaster's web series Sweet Home Lahnsteineringa alongside Jack Barry. The mockumentary received a £5,000 budget from crowdfunding and was filmed in Lahnstein, Germany.[5]
Stand-up
[edit]Sidi was a finalist for the NATYS: New Act of the Year Show in 2016.[6] Her solo shows have often included Sidi playing many different characters. Sidi's Edinburgh Festival Fringe show ‘Character Breakdown’, in 2015, saw her play six different roles, including a feminist professor who delivers a lecture entirely in Spanish. Sidi's 2016 show, ‘Telenovela’, a Mexican soap opera and a European woman who dreams of a life as a TV presenter. In 2018 her show '‘Faces of Grace'’ included an American fresh from a bizarre blind date and a tearful wannabe Love Island contestant. There was also an aspiring nurse described as having “a clench-jawed Katharine Hepburn style drawl”.[7][8][9]
In 2024, she performed a one-woman parody Sue Gray show Emma Sidi is Sue Gray at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before touring the show nationwide.[10]
Television and radio
[edit]Sidi appeared in W1A and as Vlogger Millipede in BAFTA-nominated Pls Like.[11] Sidi's other television appearances include in Stath Lets Flats, Drunk History, King Gary, Ghosts and in Starstruck with real life housemate Rose Matafeo.[12] Sidi has also written and performed on The Now Show.[13] In June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic Sidi released La Princesa de Woking, a web pilot based on a character from her 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show in which a Spanish-language soap opera is set in a British cul-de-sac.[14] In July 2021 she appeared as Natalie, Secretary to ex-Prime Minister Henry Tobin, on the BBC radio comedy Party's Over.
Sidi is a contestant in the eighteenth series of Taskmaster, alongside Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé, Jack Dee and Rosie Jones.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Sidi was a member of the Cambridge Footlights.[16] She is married to Al Roberts, also her on-screen husband in TV series Starstruck.[17][18]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Pickle | Barbara | Short film |
| 2014 | Gregor | Ellen | |
| 2015 | Pillow Talk | Liv | Short film |
| 2019 | Quiet Carriage | Misha | Short film |
| Whippersnap | Maxine | Short film | |
| 2020 | La Princesa de Woking | Becky Hello | Short film |
| 2022 | My First Dick | Hannah Bills | Short film |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dave Talks | Dr. Beatriz Carranza | Series 1, Episode 3: "Dance Your Destiny" |
| Year Friends | Doctor Emma | Series 1, Episode 7: "July" | |
| 2017 | Drunk History | Local Woman | Series 3, Episodes 2 & 5 |
| Hospital People | Helena's aide | Series 1, Episode 5: "The New Ward" | |
| Summer Comedy Shorts | Herself | Mini-series, Episode 7: "Emma Sidi's Summer: Last Resort" | |
| W1A | Zoe | Series 3, Episodes 2, 3 & 6 | |
| 2017–2018 | Climaxed | Sian | Series 1, Episodes 2 & 6; Series 2, Episodes 1 & 6 |
| 2017–2020 | Curious Under the Stars | Diane | Series 3–10 (34 episodes) |
| 2017–2021 | Pls Like | Millipede | Series 1–3 (16 episodes) |
| 2018 | News Crack | Various | Television film |
| 2019 | Stath Lets Flats | Esme | Series 2, Episode 5: "A Stressfully Date" |
| 2020 | Industry | Amy | Series 1, Episode 1: "Induction" |
| 2020–2021 | King Gary | Anne | Series 1 & 2 (4 episodes) |
| 2021 | Black Death | Spirit | Mini-series, Episode 1: "The Humble Fisherman" |
| 2021–2023 | Ghosts | Eleanor | Series 3, Episode 5: "Something to Share"; Series 5, Episode 3: "Pineapple Day" |
| Starstruck | Kate | Series 1–3 (15 episodes) | |
| 2022 | Don't Hug Me I'm Scared | Bubble Bath Memory (voice) | Series 1, Episode 4: "Friendship" |
| Prince Andrew: The Musical | Emily Maitlis | TV Special | |
| Red Flag | Various | Mini-series | |
| 2023 | Extraordinary | Woman with kid | 1 episode |
| Black Ops | Marsh Ranger | Series 1, Episodes 2 & 3 | |
| A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou | Faye | Series 1, Episode 1 | |
| 2024 | Death in Paradise | Amelia Templeton | Series 13, Episode 7 |
| Taskmaster | Herself / Contestant | Series 18 | |
| Richard Osman's House of Games | Herself / Contestant | Season 8 Episodes 21-25 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Alex Horne Interviews EMMA SIDI - SERIES 18 - Taskmaster" on YouTube
- ^ Rahier, Julie (30 April 2023). "7 Inspiring Underdog Stories In Short Films". Klipist. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ "Emma Sidi". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ a b Dessau, Bruce (7 February 2019). "Emma Sidi interview: 'My theory is that character comedy is less well regarded than stand-up'". The Standard. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "James Acaster hits Germany". Chortle. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Bennett, Steve (2 February 2016). "Naty New Act Of The Year final 2016". Chortle. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (6 August 2018). "Emma Sidi: 'You can only fully write a character if you can love them'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Fleckney, Paul (18 August 2016). "Emma Sidi: Telenovela". Chortle. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Bennett, Steve (17 August 2018). "Emma Sidi: Faces Of Grace". Chortle. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Aroesti, Rachel (18 October 2024). "'Oh god I'm Sue Gray – don't, I'm cringing': comic Emma Sidi brings the embattled civil servant to the stage". The Guaridan. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Kalia, Ammar; Davies, Hannah J.; Virtue, Graeme; Harrison, Phil; Howlett, Paul (31 March 2021). "TV tonight: influencers attract ire in series three of Pls Like". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Barr, Sabrina (20 April 2021). "BBC star recalls 'crazy' meeting with cut-throat LA exec who said to 'f*** your friends' on road to stardom". Metro. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "The Now Show - Series 52 Episode 5". BBC Radio 4. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (10 January 2020). "La Princesa de Woking: Sex, Brexit and big hair in Emma Sidi's glorious spoof". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Mensah, Katelyn (30 May 2024). "Taskmaster season 18 line-up confirmed: Rosie Jones, Jack Dee and more join cast". Radio Times. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Bennett, Steve (18 August 2015). "Emma Sidi: Character Breakdown". Chortle. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ Aroesti, Rachel (28 August 2023). "Starstruck series three review – Rose Matafeo's romcom ditches the love story (and is better than ever)". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Allfree, Claire (16 July 2024). "Emma Sidi: 'When I was at Cambridge, men kept telling me I hadn't found my voice'". The Telegraph.
