Funny Woman

This article is about the television series. For the 1975 American film, see Funny Lady.

Funny Woman is a British drama television series directed by Oliver Parker and adapted for the screen by Morwenna Banks from the best-selling novel Funny Girl by Nick Hornby. It stars Gemma Arterton with an ensemble cast including Tom Bateman, David Threlfall, and Rupert Everett. The first series began airing on Sky Max on 9 February 2023, with all six episodes available on Now.^[1][2] In August, it was renewed for a second series.^[3]

Funny Woman
Genre	Drama Comedy
Based on	Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
Written by	Morwenna Banks
Directed by	Oliver Parker
Starring	Gemma Arterton Arsher Ali Tom Bateman Matthew Beard Leo Bill Alexa Davies Rosie Cavaliero Morwenna Banks David Threlfall Rupert Everett
Composer	Nainita Desai
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Gemma Arterton Morwenna Banks Andrea Calderwood Gail Egan Tilusha Ghelani Nick Hornby Jessica Malik Jon Mountague Jessica Parker
Cinematography	Matthew Wicks
Running time	46–47 minutes
Original release
Network	Sky Max
Release	9 February 2023 (2023-02-09) – present

Season 2 launched in the UK on Sky Max, Sky Showcase and Now on 6 September 2024.

Synopsis

The series follows Barbara Parker (stage name Sophie Straw), a Blackpool beauty queen who becomes a comedy star in the male-dominated sitcom industry in 1960s London.

Cast

• Gemma Arterton as Barbara Parker/Sophie Straw
• Arsher Ali as Dennis Mahindra
• Tom Bateman as Clive Richardson
• Matthew Beard as Bill Gardiner
• Leo Bill as Tony Holmes
• Alexa Davies as Marjorie "Marj" Harrison
• Clare-Hope Ashitey as Diane Lewis
• Rosie Cavaliero as Marie Parker
• Alistair Petrie as Ted Sargent
• Morwenna Banks as Patsy Debenham
• David Threlfall as George Parker
• Rupert Everett as Brian Debenham

The show includes fictionalized portrayals of personalities from the period including Frankie Howerd (Robert Forknall), Eleanor Bron (Emma Humpston), Val Doonican (Mike Prior), Spike Milligan (Alexander Jonas) and John Fortune (Nathan Chatelier).

Reception

Seventy-three per cent of critics reviews for Funny Woman are positive on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.^[4] It received mixed reviews in the press on the grounds that the title caused some to believe it was intended as a comedy rather than a drama about a comedy actress. This led to reviews of a "mediocre" and "uneven" series.^[5][6] Meanwhile, Funny Woman received three-, four- and five-star reviews from other reviewers, including The Guardian, who considered Arterton's performance "absolutely captivating", and The Independent, who felt "this show feels like a warm hug" with a "plucky, bold heroine".^[7][8] The Upcoming praised Arterton's "flirtatious, witty and charismatic" performance and considered Funny Woman "fast, fluid and incredibly clever".^[9]

References

1. "New comedy series starring Gemma Arterton based on Nick Hornby novel 'Funny Girl' has been commissioned for Sky and NOW". www.skygroup.sky. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
2. "Funny Woman | Sky Max | Sky.com". www.sky.com. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
3. Darvill, Josh (24 August 2023). "Funny Woman renewed for second series on Sky". TellyMix. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
4. "Funny Woman - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
5. Singh, Anita (9 February 2023). "Funny Woman, review: Gemma Arterton dazzles but this is a Mediocre Mrs Maisel". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
6. Einav, Dan (6 February 2023). "Funny Woman review — Gemma Arterton stars in uneven comedy". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
7. Nicholson, Rebecca (9 February 2023). "Funny Woman review – Gemma Arterton is absolutely captivating in this Nick Hornby adaptation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
8. Thompson, Jesse (9 February 2023). "Funny Woman is a paean to a certain era of innocent, slapstick comedy – review". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
9. Trumata, Mae (5 February 2023). "Funny Woman | Show review". The Upcoming. Retrieved 2 June 2023.

External links

• Funny Woman at IMDb
• Funny Woman at British Comedy Guide