Sarah Doon Mackichan (/məˈkiːxən, -ˈiːkən/;[1] born 7 August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double-Emmy-award-winning Smack the Pony. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, having played multiple characters in The Day Today, Brass Eye and Alan Partridge, and has also appeared in Toast of London and Two Doors Down. Mackichan was nominated for Best Female Comedy Performance at the 2014 British Academy Television Awards for her performance in Plebs and won critical praise for her performance alongside John Malkovich in Bitter Wheat in 2019.
Doon Mackichan | |
|---|---|
 Mackichan appearing in Bitter Wheat at the Garrick Theatre in 2019 | |
| Born | 7 August 1962 London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editMackichan was born on 7 August 1962 in London and later moved with her family to the Scottish village of Upper Largo.[2] She studied drama at Manchester University.[3]
Career
editMackichan had her television debut in comedy series Five Alive, shown by Channel 4 between 1987 and 1988, along with Brian Conley (also making his television debut), Peter Piper, Joanna Brookes and Andrew Secombe. In series 2, shown in 1988, Andrew Secombe was replaced by Phil Nice.
Mackichan, one of the writers and stars of the Channel 4 comedy series Smack the Pony, has appeared in a number of Chris Morris radio and television comedy series such as On the Hour, The Day Today and Brass Eye. Mackichan's own BBC Radio show, Doon Your Way, was broadcast in 1996. She also appeared in the sitcoms Beast and Bedtime, and was a regular performer in Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge and The Mary Whitehouse Experience. She appeared in several of The Comic Strip Presents... films in the early 1990s, and appeared in the 1995 comedy The Glam Metal Detectives. In 2009, she appeared as Jane Thomason, the news producer for the BBC in Taking the Flak. She portrayed Cherie Blair in the Channel 4 satirical drama A Very Social Secretary, and appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom Nathan Barley. She portrayed a BBC news presenter, Louise Marlowe, in series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010.
In film, Mackichan played Victoria Lender in 1997's The Borrowers and teamed up with her former Smack the Pony co-stars for the 2004 film Gladiatress. Also in 1998 she appeared in the BBC TV mini-series of Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend as Sophronia Lammle.
On stage, she appeared with Matt Di Angelo and David Haig in the Joe Orton black farce Loot. In July 2011, Mackichan performed alongside Julian Barratt in Nikolai Gogol's comedy The Government Inspector at the Young Vic Theatre, London. Later in 2011, she played the part of Frances in April de Angelis' play Jumpy at the Royal Court Theatre. Since 2013, Mackichan has starred in Toast of London as Steven Toast's (Matt Berry) quirky agent Jane Plough.
She has narrated several TV series including The Honey Trap and Bank of Mum and Dad. She has also voiced characters in several animated series including Bob and Margaret, Stressed Eric, Don't Eat the Neighbours and Bromwell High.
She fronted a TV ad campaign for Hallmark in the UK, and appeared alongside Darren Boyd as one half of a married couple for a series of Direct Line insurance TV ads in 2012.
She was a contestant in the 2003 BBC charity singing contest Comic Relief does Fame Academy, in which she came fourth.
She has appeared twice on the BBC panel show QI, in series C, episode 2, ("Cummingtonite", 2005) and series E episode 11, ("Endings", 2007).
From 2013 until 2018, Mackichan played Flavia, a recurring character, in the ITV comedy Plebs, for which she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2014. She played Cathy in the BBC comedy Two Doors Down from 2013 until 2022, when she decided to quit the show to concentrate on other acting roles. In June 2023 it was announced she would be returning to this role in the forthcoming series.
In 2017 she played Feste in the Royal National Theatre's production of Twelfth Night and television film Death on the Tyne in 2018. Mackichan appeared as the Archangel Michael in the Amazon Prime/BBC mini-series Good Omens and as Sarah in Channel 4 comedy-drama Pure in 2019.
In 2019 she appeared as Sondra in David Mamet's Bitter Wheat at the Garrick Theatre. Writing in The Guardian, Michael Billington praised her as having given the show's best performance.[4]
Personal life
editIn 1997, Mackichan married the actor Anthony Barclay.[3] In 1998, she swam the English Channel as part of a six-person relay team.[5][6]
Mackichan and Barclay were divorced in 2005, after having three children together. She then lived with her children in Clapham, South London.[3] In 2016, she was living in Hastings, East Sussex.[7]
In March 2016, Mackichan was part of a team of well-known people who attempted to sail around a section of Britain in just five days, as part of the BT Sport Relief Challenge: Hell on High Seas.[8]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Borrowers | Victoria Lender | |
| 1999 | With or Without You | Deirdre | |
| 2000 | Wild About Harry | Tara Adair | |
| 2003 | Indian Dream | Penny | TV film |
| 2004 | Gladiatress | Dwyfuc | |
| Churchill: The Hollywood Years | Radio Host | Deleted scenes | |
| 2005 | A Very Social Secretary | Cherie Blair | TV film |
| 2006 | The Good Housekeeping Guide | Lydia | TV film |
| 2011 | Anuvahood | Patricia | |
| 2012 | Acts of Godfrey | Jacqui | |
| Never Had You | Miss Bewson | Short | |
| 2013 | Homeboys | Sue | TV film |
| Two Doors Down | Cathy | TV film, pilot to TV series | |
| 2014 | Breaking the Bank | Caroline | |
| 2015 | Draw on Sweet Night | Lady Elizabeth Kytson | |
| 2016 | Scarlet | Female Shopper | Short |
| 2017 | National Theatre Live: Twelfth Night | Feste | |
| 2018 | Death on the Tyne | Emily | TV film |
| Winterlong | Barbara | ||
| Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Sandy | ||
| 2022 | The Sea Beast | Queen | Voice role |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Five Alive | Various roles | 15 episodes |
| 1986, 1989 | Hale and Pace | Various roles / Have a Nice Time Presenter | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Harry Enfield's Television Programme | Dont's Daughter | 2 episodes |
| Birds of a Feather | Nurse | Episode: "Parting" | |
| Up Yer News | Various roles | ||
| 1991 | The Mary Whitehouse Experience | Various roles | Episode: "Series 1, Episode 1" |
| London's Burning | Female Journalist | Episode: "Series 4, Episode 10" | |
| 1992 | Sean's Show | Scriptwriter | Episode: "Blind Date" |
| 1992–1993 | The Comic Strip Presents... | Various roles | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | The Day Today | Various roles / Collaterlie Sisters | Series regular, 7 episodes |
| Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge | Shona McGough | Episode: "Show 1" | |
| Wanda Harvey | Episode: "Show 6" | ||
| 1995 | The Glam Metal Detectives | Various roles | Series regular, 5 episodes |
| Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge | Liz Heron | Episode: "Knowing Me Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge" | |
| Agony Again | Debra | 7 episodes | |
| 1997 | I'm Alan Partridge | Jenny | Episode: "Watership Alan" |
| Brass Eye | Various roles | 4 episodes | |
| 1998 | Our Mutual Friend | Sophronia Lammle | Mini-series, 4 episodes |
| Bob and Margaret | Various roles / Moira | 6 episodes, voice role | |
| 1998–2000 | Stressed Eric | Maria Gonzalez / Alison Scabie | Series regular, voice role, 13 episodes |
| 1999–2003, 2017 | Smack the Pony | Various roles | Series regular, 24 episodes |
| 2000 | The Strangerers | Galadriel | 2 episodes: "Space Cadets" and "Angels" |
| The Canterbury Tales | Alison | Episode: "The Journey Back", voice role | |
| 2000–2001 | Beast | Kirsten | Series regular, 12 episodes |
| 2001 | Brass Eye | Swanchita Haze | Episode: "Paedophilia" |
| Don't Eat the Neighbours | Lucy | ||
| Bob and Margaret | Various roles | Episode: "A Very Fishy Christmas", voice role | |
| 2002 | Bedtime | Faith | Series 2 regular, 6 episodes |
| Wire in the Blood | Amanda Vane | 2 episodes: "Shadows Rising, Parts 1 & 2" | |
| 2005 | Nathan Barley | Her Preposterous Voice | Mini-series, 1 episode |
| Twisted Tales | Sandra Barnes | Episode: "Cursed House" | |
| The Comic Strip Presents... | Diana | Episode: "Sex Actually" | |
| Bromwell High | Carol Jackson / Various roles | Series regular, voice role, 13 episodes | |
| 2008 | Modern Toss | Various roles | Series regular, voice role, 6 episodes |
| 2009 | Taking the Flak | Jane Thomason | Series regular, 7 episodes |
| 2010 | New Tricks | Gillian Withall | Episode: "Left Field" |
| The Sarah Jane Adventures | Louise Marlowe | Episode: "The Nightmare Man" | |
| 2012 | Me and Mrs Jones | Selina | Episode: "Series 1, Episode 6" |
| Little Crackers | Mum | Episode: "Darren Boyd's Little Cracker: Le Concert de L'ecole" | |
| 2013 | Quick Cuts | Sue | 3 episodes |
| 2013–2015 | Toast of London | Jane Plough | Series regular, 18 episodes |
| 2013–2018 | Plebs | Flavia | Series regular, 20 episodes |
| 2014 | Psychobitches | Various roles | Mini-series, 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Mountain Goats | Norma | Episode: "Homeless" |
| 2016 | Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge | The Partridge Playhouse Players / Caller | 3 episodes, voice roles |
| The Rebel | Doctor McGill | Episode: "Law" | |
| 2016–2022, 2023 | Two Doors Down | Cathy | Series regular 1–5 and 7, 36 episodes |
| 2019 | Pure | Sarah | Recurring role, 4 episodes |
| 2019–present | Good Omens | Archangel Michael | Recurring role, 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Flack | Victoria | Episode: "Duncan" |
| The Duchess | Cheryl | 3 episodes | |
| 2022 | Toast of Tinseltown [9] | Jane Plough / Brooke Hooberman (credited as Cocoah Mankind) | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Funny Woman | Miss Sykes | 2 episodes: "Series 1, Episodes 1 and 3" |
| Death in Paradise | Melanie Parker | 1 episode: "Christmas Special" |
Theatre
editAwards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Supporting Actress In A Play | Jumpy | Nominated |
| 2014 | BAFTA Television Awards | Best Female Comedy Performance | Plebs | Nominated |
| British Comedy Awards | Best Female Television Comic | Toast of London | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Jones, Daniel (3 June 2003). An English Pronouncing Dictionary. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415233392 – via Google Books.
- ^ Jones, Alice (19 June 2019). "Doon Mackichan on starring in David Mamet's #MeToo play Bitter Wheat". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Tears behind theatre's unsung funniest woman - Doon Mackichan". Evening Standard. London. 10 April 2012.
- ^ Billington, Michael (19 June 2019). "Bitter Wheat review – Malkovich and Mamet's monstrous misfire". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "How doon survived the school of hard scots". The Scotsman. 19 January 2002. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ Shoard, Catherine (4 December 2008). "My whole life has been a black comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ Williams, Zoe (20 November 2016). "Doon Mackichan: 'We were sexy, funny women – perhaps that was a bit much'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ "All aboard for celebrity sailing challenge". sportrelief.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Toast of Tinseltown". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.