Sian Gibson
Sian Gibson | |
|---|---|
Gibson on the set of Murder on the Blackpool Express in 2017 | |
| Born | Sian Foulkes 1976 (age 48–49) Mold, Flintshire, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Comedy actress, writer |
| Years active | 1997–2008, 2015-present |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | Ian Gibson |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards |
|
Sian Gibson (née Foulkes; born 1976)[1] is a Welsh comedy actress and television writer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the sitcom Peter Kay's Car Share,[2] alongside Kay - for which she won the 2016 BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy and the National Television Award for Best Comedy.
Between 2017 and 2024, Gibson appeared as Gemma in 11 original UKTV films from the Murder on the Blackpool Express and Murder, They Hope series. She co-wrote and co-starred in the Royal Television Society's North West award-winning show, The Power of Parker, and later joined the cast of Mammoth.
Early life
[edit]Gibson was born and raised in Mold, Flintshire, Wales.[3] Her father was a builder and her mother a housewife. She joined the local youth theatre in Theatr Clwyd.[4] She studied performing arts at the University of Salford, where she met fellow students - and future stand-up comedians - Kay and Steve Edge.[5]
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]After gaining a HND for Media Performance, Gibson quickly got an agent.[6] She had a series of small credits in the late-90s and early 2000s, including Peak Practice, Hospital People and Emmerdale. She played Tessie Thompson in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks during 1998 and 1999, returning in autumn 2007 for four further appearances. Gibson also played Trish in a trio of episodes for The League of Gentlemen.
More work came her way alongside Kay, including The Services episode of Channel 4's Comedy Lab, the Eyes Down episode of That Peter Kay Thing - and then a role as Young Mary in three episodes of Phoenix Nights. There were also cameos in Kay's music video for the Texas song Sleep.[7], as well as the Geraldine McQueen song Once Upon a Christmas Song as her Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice character, Wendy.
Outside of those jobs with Kay, aside from "parts which were three lines", other roles seemed elusive, with Gibson saying acting had largely "run its course" towards the middle of the 2000s.[8]
Premature retirement
[edit]The struggle for acting work was "soul-destroying" and, with a mortgage to pay, Gibson moved to Mold, north Wales, with husband, Ian, and their daughter, Gracie. She worked at a call centre for Card One Banking, where her co-workers had little idea she had previously been an actress.[6] [8] [9][10]
I hit 30 and had to stop ... I started temping in a bank. Peter (Kay) was always really supportive and put me in his stuff, but I wasn’t getting much else. One day, I found myself thinking: I haven’t had an audition or casting call for so long, and I looked at my agent’s website and I wasn’t on it any more. I thought: that’s sad. But I accepted it. I’d always wanted to act but I wasn’t from an acting family. My dad was a builder, and my mum had worked in a factory. So I got married and was working in a call centre in north Wales
Meanwhile, in 2013, Kay had received the script that became Peter Kay's Car Share from Paul Coleman and Tim Reid. Although Kay loved the idea, he initially had no intention of appearing in the series.
I met up with Sian for one of our regular catch-ups. They usually consisted of lunch followed by a drive, where we’d put the world to rights to a playlist of classic hits that we’d both sing along to. That’s when it suddenly dawned on me. This was, in essence, Car Share - Peter Kay[11]
After that, Kay asked Gibson if she wanted to work with them on the script. Main characters, John and Kayleigh, were originally meant to be slightly younger - but the four rewrote the script to fit Kay and Gibson into the roles.[10] Even with that, Kay said it was a struggle to convince bosses that Gibson was right for the role of Kayleigh, saying they preferred "somebody who's well known". He convinced them, insisting their "real-life chemistry could be the secret ingredient to the show’s success."[11]
At first, Gibson didn't tell her call centre bosses that she was leaving to work on the show, instead saying she was struggling with child care.[10]
The show was broadcast in spring 2015, becoming an instant hit, and breaking BBC iPlayer viewing figures, with 2.8 million people watching before it was broadcast on BBC One.[12]
Return to acting
[edit]As well as Car Share's successful viewing figures, the show brought a series of accolades for Gibson herself. As co-writer alongside Kay, Coleman and Reid, she won a BAFTA, National Television Award, Broadcast Award, and Broadcasting Press Guild Award. The quartet were also nominated for a pair of Royal Television Society Awards.
Gibson herself was nominated for individual acting awards from BAFTA, the Royal Television Society and the Broadcasting Press Guild.
April 2017 saw the second series of Car Share, with Gibson continuing to co-write alongside Kay, Coleman and Reid - plus co-star with Kay.[4][13] The second series became more popular than the first, with more than 10 million iPlayer requests that made it "the most popular comedy of the year by far."[14]
The success of the show brought Gibson to wider prominence and opened the door for other roles. Alongside Johnny Vegas, she was cast as Gemma Draper in UKTV's 2017 TV movie, Murder on the Blackpool Express. With 1.8 million viewers, the comedy murder mystery became Gold's highest-rated show, and was later rebroadcast on BBC Two.[15]
In 2018, Gibson guest-starred in an episode of Death in Paradise.[16] She also appeared in the Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room episode of Inside No. 9.[17] Multiple publications later ranked the episode as one of the best among the show's 11-year, 55-episode run.[18][19][20]
She also played Natasha, the wife of main character, Romesh, in two series of Romesh Ranganathan's The Reluctant Landlord across 2018 and 2019.[21]
Taskmaster series eight, in 2019, saw Gibson participate alongside Joe Thomas, Iain Stirling, Lou Sanders and Paul Sinha.[22] She finished fourth, winning episodes four and six.
Later the same year, she co-starred as Cinderella in Sky's TV movie, Cinderella: After Ever After, alongside David Walliams, Tom Courtenay and Celia Imrie.[23] The Sky One film was shown on Christmas Eve.
Alongside that other work, following the success of Murder on the Blackpool Express, Gibson and Vegas reprised their roles for the sequels, Death on the Tyne (2018) and Dial M for Middlesbrough (2019). UKTV commissioned a full series based on the viewing figures for the three movies. Re-titled Murder, They Hope, the pair continued as Terry and Gemma for six further films and a Christmas special between 2021 and 2023.[24] A separate, though connected, TV movie - Apocalypse Slough - came in 2024.[25] In all, Gibson has played Gemma Draper in 11 TV movies.
Continued work
[edit]Gibson returned to writing, with 2023's BBC One-commissioned The Power of Parker. Alongside Car Share writer, Coleman, Gibson co-wrote all six episodes of the 1990s-set, Stockport-based, sitcom. She also played main character, Kath Pennington.
The show's first series averaged 2.2 million viewers on iPlayer across its first month, making it the biggest new scripted comedy of 2023. The show was commissioned for a second series in May 2024.[26]
There was also critical success, with the show winning best comedy programme at the Royal Television Society's North West awards for 2024. Gibson was also nominated for best performance in a comedy, with Joe Gilgun taking the win.[27]
The second run of six episodes was set two years after the first, and broadcast in June 2025.[6]
As well as acting in her own show, Gibson was added to the cast of BBC sitcom, Mammoth in 2024. She played Mel Jones, the grown-up daughter of main character, Tony Mammoth for three episodes.[28] The series was recommissioned for a full run of eight episodes and a Christmas special, with Gibson reprising her role alongside creator, Mike Bubbins.[29] In March 2025, BBC chairman Samir Shah described the show as "brilliant".[30]
Personal life
[edit]Gibson is married to Ian Gibson, a gas fitter. They have a daughter, Gracie, who was born in 2013.[3][4]
Filmography
[edit]TV
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Peak Practice | Sandra | One episode |
| Where the Heart Is | Cheese Counter Girl | One episode | |
| The Grand | Florence | One episode | |
| 1998–1999, 2007 | Hollyoaks | Tessie Thompson | Four episodes |
| 1998 | Comedy Lab | Alison | "The Services" |
| 1999 | That Peter Kay Thing | Yvonne | Guest: Series 1, episode 2 - Eyes Down |
| 1999–2000, 2017 | The League of Gentlemen | Trish | Three episodes - "Lust for Royston Vasey", "The One-Armed Man Is King" (credited as Sian Foulkes) and “Return to Royston Vasey” (credited as Sian Gibson) |
| 2001 | Phoenix Nights | (Young) Mary | Three episodes |
| 2002 | Emmerdale | Suzie Brown | Two episodes |
| 2005 | Marian, Again | Fiona | TV film (Credited as Sian Foulkes) |
| 2008 | Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice | Wendy from the group 2 Up 2 Down | |
| 2015–2018, 2020 | Peter Kay's Car Share | Kayleigh Kitson | Main role; co-writer (with Peter Kay, Paul Coleman and Tim Reid) |
| 2016 | Do Not Disturb[31] | Sheila | Co-star, with Catherine Tate & Miles Jupp |
| 2017 | Hospital People | Hillary | Guest: Series 1, episode 2 - The Security Threat |
| Murder on the Blackpool Express[32] | Gemma | Main role, alongside Johnny Vegas | |
| 2018 | Inside No. 9 | Leanne | Guest: Series 4, episode 2 - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room |
| Death in Paradise | Gilly Wright | Guest: Series 7, episode 3 - Written In Murder | |
| Would I Lie to You? | Herself | Panelist: Series 12, episode 7. Lee's team, with James Acaster | |
| Death on the Tyne | Gemma | Main role, sequel to Murder on the Blackpool Express | |
| 2018–2019 | The Reluctant Landlord | Natasha | Main role: Two series, 13 episodes |
| 2019 | Taskmaster | Contestant | Panelist: Series 8, 10 episodes |
| Dial M for Middlesbrough | Gemma | Main role, third in the Murder on the Blackpool Express trilogy | |
| Cinderella: After Ever After | Cinderella | Co-star, alongside David Walliams | |
| 2020 | The Grand Party Hotel | Narrator | BBC One documentary |
| 2021-2024 | Murder, They Hope | Gemma | Main role: Six movies & two specials |
| 2021 | Johnny Vegas: Carry On Glamping | Narrator | Channel 4 mini-series |
| Beauty And The Beast: A Pantomime for Comic Relief | Ma | Television pantomime[33] | |
| 2022 | The Cleaner | Sis | Guest: Christmas special 2022: A Clean Christmas[34] |
| 2023-present | The Power of Parker | Kath | Main role & co-writer[35] |
| 2024 | David & Jay's Touring Toolshed | Narrator | BBC One Series |
| 2024-present | Mammoth | Mel Jones | Main role: Two series, 12 episodes |
| 2025 | Death Valley | Wendy | Guest: Series 1, episode 4[36] |
| 2025 | Mandy | Janice | Guest: Series 4, episode 1: Petty Woman[37] |
Audio
[edit]| Date | Format | Title | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | BBC Radio 4 Drama | School Drama | Acting role: Michelle | [38] |
| Feb 2021 | Podcast | The Taskmaster Podcast | Featured Guest | [39] |
| May 2025 | BBC Radio 4 | Woman's Hour | Featured guest | [40] |
Accolades
[edit]| Show | Series | Awards | Category | Other nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | BAFTA TV Awards 2016 | Best Scripted Comedy (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman) |
|
Won | [41] |
| Best Female Performance In A Comedy |
|
Nominated | [41] | |||
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | National Television Awards 2016 | Most Popular Comedy Series (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Won | [42] |
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | Royal Television Society Awards 2016 | Breakthrough Star |
|
Nominated | [43] |
| Best Scripted Comedy (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Nominated | [43] | |||
| Best Writer (Comedy) (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Nominated | [43] | |||
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | Broadcast Awards 2016 | Best Comedy Programme (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Nominated | [44] |
| Best Original Programme (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Won | [44] | |||
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2016 | Best Comedy (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Nominated | [45][46] |
| Best Made for Online (Digital First) (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Won | [45][46] | |||
| Breakthrough Artist |
|
Nominated | [45][46] | |||
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | British Screenwriters' Awards 2016 | Best Comedy Writing on Television (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Won | [47] |
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 1 | Royal Television Society NW Awards 2015 | Best Script Writer (Nominated alongside Peter Kay, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) |
|
Won | [48] |
| Best Performance in a Comedy |
|
Nominated | [48] | |||
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 2 | BAFTA TV Awards 2018 | Best Female Performance In A Comedy |
|
Nominated | [49] |
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 2 | BAFTA Awards, Cymru 2019 | Yr Actores Orau (Best Actress) |
|
Nominated | [50] |
| Peter Kay's Car Share | 2 | Royal Television Society Awards 2019 | Best Comedy Performance (Female) |
|
Nominated | [51] |
| The Power of Parker | 1 | Royal Television Society NW Awards 2024 | Best Performance In A Comedy |
|
Nominated | [52] |
| Best Comedy Programme (Nominated alongside Paul Coleman) |
|
Won | [53] | |||
| The Power of Parker | 1 | Comedy.co.uk Awards 2023 | Best New TV Sitcom (Nominated alongside Paul Coleman) |
|
Nominated | [54] |
| The Power of Parker | 1 | I Talk Telly Awards 2023 | Best New Comedy (Nominated alongside Paul Coleman) |
|
Nominated | [55][56] |
| Best Comedy Partnership (Nominated alongside Rosie Cavaliero) |
|
Nominated | [55][56] |
References
[edit]- ^ Morgan, Sion (13 June 2025). "Sian Gibson fears turning 50 because she loathes her looks". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Meet the actress giving Peter Kay a run for his money", mirror.co.uk; accessed 11 October 2015.
- ^ a b Alice Jones (13 January 2016). "Sian Gibson interview: How a phone call from Peter Kay changed the actress's life". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Sian Gibson: From call centre worker to Peter Kay's Car Share". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "North Wales actress Sian Gibson admits 'no one knew who I was before Car Share'". DailyPost.co.uk. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Ferguson, Donna (30 May 2025). "Sian Gibson: 'I don't feel famous at all. I can still pretty much go unnoticed'". The Observer. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Texas Feat. Peter Kay as Marc Park - SLEEP - Official Music Video". YouTube. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b Jones, Alice (13 January 2016). "Sian Gibson interview: How a phone call from Peter Kay changed the actress's life". The Independent. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Baker, Emily (13 June 2025). "Sian Gibson: 'I'm in crisis about turning 50. I want my 25-year-old body back'". The i Paper. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b c Pauley, Nigel (31 January 2016). "'I'm just a Welsh girl from a little village' - Car Share star Sian Gibson on life as an undercover TV star". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b Kay, Peter (28 September 2023). T.V.: Big Adventures on the Small Screen. Harper Collins. p. 279. ISBN 978-0008623319.
- ^ Wyatt, Daisy (30 April 2015). "Peter Kay's Car Share breaks BBC iPlayer record to become most popular box set premiere". Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ whatsontvstars (15 January 2016), Sian Gibson: 'I'm ready for a second series of Car Share when Peter is!', retrieved 4 June 2016
- ^ Marland, Sean (9 May 2017). "Car Share requested more than 10 million times on BBC iPlayer". What To Watch. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Singh, Anita (12 July 2023). "A funny comedy film? Well that's something you don't often see on the BBC". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Griffiths, Eleanor (9 February 2018). "Death in Paradise reveals full list of series seven guest stars – with actors from Car Share, Poldark, Game of Thrones and Doctor Who". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Frances (23 January 2018). "Emilia Fox, Nicola Walker and Car Share's Sian Gibson confirmed for series four of Inside No 9". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Harrisson, Juliette (24 April 2023). "Inside No. 9's Best Episodes (That Aren't The 12 Days of Christine)". Den Of Geek. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Tyrer, Ben (12 March 2020). "The 15 best Inside No. 9 episodes, ranked!". Games Radar. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ Dakers, Alex (7 May 2024). "Nine of the best Inside No 9 episodes according to fans". The i Paper. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Sian Gibson interview". British Comedy Guide. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Seddon, Dan (18 February 2019). "Inbetweeners and Love Island stars join Taskmaster series 8". Digital Spy.
- ^ Griffiths, Eleanor (24 December 2019). "Meet the cast of David Walliams' Cinderella: After Ever After". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson are joined by a host of comedy stars in three-part series Murder, They Hope". UKTV. 5 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Sanjeev Bhaskar, Shaun Williamson and Annette Badland, amongst other guest stars, join Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson for new Murder, They Hope special". UKTV. 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "The Power of Parker to return to the BBC for highly anticipated second series". BBC Media Centre. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "RTS NW Awards 2024 - The Winners". Royal Television Society. 22 November 2024. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Mammoth no longer extinct. First picture revealed today". BBC. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Hit BBC comedy Mammoth to return for second series". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Ardlidge, John (8 March 2025). "BBC chairman: We need working-class northerners to counter liberal bias". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Bolger, Keeley (18 January 2016). "Sian Gibson goes from a Car Share with Peter Kay to Do Not Disturb with Catherine Tate".
- ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Murder On The Blackpool Express - Gold Comedy Drama". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "Beauty and the Beast". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "A Clean Christmas". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "The Power of Parker comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Friday 28 July". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Death Valley - Episode 4". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Petty Woman". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Drama on 4 - School Drama -". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Ep 20. Sian Gibson - S2 Ep.2". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Sian Gibson, International aid, Author Agustina Bazterrica, Shein". BBC Sounds. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Bafta TV Awards 2016: Winners list". BBC. 8 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "National Television Awards 2016: Winners list". BBC. 20 January 2016. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "RTS Programme Awards 2016". Royal Television Society. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Have I Got News For You wins special prize at Broadcast Awards". Comedy.co.uk. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2016". Broadcasting Press Guild. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "Broadcasting Press Guild Award Nominations 20162016". BBC. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "British Screenwriters Awards 2016". British Screenwriters Awards. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b "RTS North West Award Winners Unveiled". 4rfv. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2018: All the nominees and winners". BBC. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Bafta cymru announce winners 2019 british academy cymru awards". BBC. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Winners of the RTS Programme Awards 2019 announced". Royal Television Society. 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "RTS NW Awards 2024 - The Winners". Royal Television Society. 22 November 2024. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "RTS NW Awards 2024 - The Winners". Royal Television Society. 22 November 2024. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Comedy.co.uk Awards 2023 results". Comedy.co.uk. 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Talk Telly Awards 2023 nominations announced". Comedy.co.uk. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ a b "I Talk Telly Awards 2023". I Talk Telly. 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
External links
[edit]- Sian Gibson at IMDb
- Peter Kay's Car Share, bbc.co.uk; accessed 18 January 2016.
- Interview, independent.co.uk; accessed 18 January 2016.
- Living people
- 20th-century Welsh actresses
- 21st-century Welsh actresses
- 21st-century Welsh comedians
- 21st-century Welsh women singers
- 21st-century Welsh writers
- 21st-century Welsh women writers
- Welsh television actresses
- Welsh soap opera actresses
- Welsh film actresses
- Comedians from Manchester
- People from Mold, Flintshire
- Alumni of the University of Salford
- Welsh television writers
- British women television writers
- Welsh women comedians
- Actresses from Flintshire