Maria McErlane
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Maria McErlane | |
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| Born | 9 December 1957 Buckinghamshire, England |
| Occupations | Television presenter, actress, director |
Maria McErlane (born 9 December 1957) is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including The Fast Show, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Thin Ice and Happiness, "straight" roles in The Bill and Holby City and as the narrator for Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier's Eurotrash.[1]
Career
[edit]Starting on the comedy circuit in the 1990s, under the name 'Maria Callous',[citation needed] McErlane has also guested on shows such as Have I Got News for You, If I Ruled the World and Just a Minute on Radio 4.[2] She also is part of the murder panel show Foul Play, alongside Lee Simpson.
In June 1984 she appeared in the revue Out of Order at the Finborough Theatre.[3]
McErlane co-presented the ITV quiz show Carnal Knowledge with her friend Graham Norton in the mid-1990s.[4] She co-presented the "Grill Graham" agony aunt feature with Norton on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show throughout its run and, on his departure for Virgin Radio in January 2021, joined him as co-presenter for his weekend shows.[5] Whilst on Radio 2, she also stood in when he was ill in 2013[6] and when he failed to turn up on 28 June 2014.[7][8] Since 2025 she has co-hosted the podcast Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane.[9]
McErlane is a friend of Nigella Lawson and has appeared on 16 episodes of Lawson's ITV chat show Nigella.[10][11]
She has had regular columns in The Sunday Times and Esquire magazine.[12]
Personal life
[edit]McErlane says she is a lapsed Catholic. She divides her time between Hastings[13] and a London mews house.
Filmography
[edit]Television series
[edit]- Press Gang (1989–1990) as Maria, a waitress
- Comedy Playhouse (1993) as Helen
- Sean's Show (1993) as Teresa
- This Life (1996) as Mrs Janet Webb
- Jack and Jeremy's Real Lives (1996) as Twix Lady
- Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's (1997) as Jill
- Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999) as Maureen
- Bostock's Cup (1999) as Margaret Masson
- Fat Friends (2000) as Brenda Falkinham
- The Fast Show (1997 and 2000) Various roles
- The Bill (2002) as Mrs. Walters
- Happiness (2001–2003) as Shirley
- Holby City (2004) as Martine Holbeck
- Thin Ice (2006) as Nikki Sumner
- Killing Eve (2020) as Diane
Films
[edit]- Children of Men (2006) as Shirley
- It2i2 (2006) as Maria Leghorn
References
[edit]- ↑ Rampton, James (17 February 1996). "Contentious? Moi?". The Independent. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Radio Series 36". Just A Minute. The Television and Radio Database. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "OUT OF ORDER | A revue by Christopher Middleton and Jonathan Kydd". Finborough Theatre. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
- ↑ "Maria McErlane And Graham Norton at the National Television Awards, 2014". Look. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
- ↑ "Maria McErlane signs up to join Graham Norton on Virgin Radio at the Weekend". Virgin Radio (Press release). 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020.
- ↑ "Maria McErlane". BBC Radio 2. 21 September 2013.
- ↑ Walsh, Collette (29 June 2014). "Graham Norton causes chaos by missing Radio 2 show morning after partying with Nigella Lawson". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Sing Something Sinful with Maria McErlane". BBC Radio 2. 29 December 2016.
- ↑ "Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Woods, Judith (20 April 2011). "Oh, Nigella! From Domestic Goddess to a burkini betrayal". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Wiggins, Dan (5 March 2022). "BBC Mastermind: Maria McErlane's life from being Graham Norton's 'wife' to forgotten EastEnders and The Bill roles". MyLondon. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Brook, Stephen (6 August 2007). "Let's hear it for the little guy". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ McErlane, Maria (23 June 2007). "A newcomer's view of Hastings..." Hastings & St Leonards Observer. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
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