Nina Conti
Encyclopedia
Nina Conti is a British actress, comedian
and ventriloquist. Her on-stage puppet sidekick is a depressed monkey named Monk.
, London, the daughter of actors Tom Conti
and Kara Wilson. She studied at the University of East Anglia
(UEA).
's 2000/2001 company in Stratford
and London. Ken Campbell
subsequently devised the ventriloquist play Let Me Out!!! for her, which she took to the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
. She appeared as half-Afghan camera operator Azadine in Henry Naylor
's play Finding Bin Laden at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
.
Conti has appeared in several television shows, including Black Books
, Holby City
, Single, and, recently, the Australian panel show Spicks and Specks. Her radio performances include characters in Radio 4 comedy Clare in the Community.
Conti and Monk portrayed a morning weather team
on the fictional "Wake Up L.A." in Christopher Guest
's 2006 film, For Your Consideration
.
, came second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
and came third in Laughing Horse New Act of The Year
competitions.
Conti regularly headlines at London comedy venues and has appeared at The Comedy Store
.
She took her first solo full length show, Complete and Utter Conti, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, she introduced some new characters as well as performing familiar routines. In 2008 she won the Barry Award for this show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
, tying with Kristen Schaal
.
At the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010 she debuted a new puppet, an elderly woman who is her "Granny".
Nina and Granny appeared in episode six of the I series
of the BBC comedy quiz show QI
in 2011.
, Sneakiepeeks
and guesting on Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and ventriloquist. Her on-stage puppet sidekick is a depressed monkey named Monk.
Early life
Conti was born and raised in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London, the daughter of actors Tom Conti
Tom Conti
Thomas "Tom" Conti is a Scottish actor, theatre director and novelist.-Early life:Born Thomas Conti in Paisley, Renfrewshire, he was brought up Roman Catholic, but he considers himself anti-religious...
and Kara Wilson. She studied at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
(UEA).
Acting
Conti has worked as an actress since 1996. She appeared in multiple roles in Ken and Daisy Campbell's 1999 and 2000 productions of The Warp, Neil Oram's 24 hour play cycle, and was a member of the RSCRoyal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
's 2000/2001 company in Stratford
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and London. Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
subsequently devised the ventriloquist play Let Me Out!!! for her, which she took to the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the 54th Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Fringe ran from 5–27 August 2001 and presented 1462 shows over 176 venues.-Scotsman Fringe First Awards:Week One:*Gagarin Way*Runt*Like Thunder*Bedbound...
. She appeared as half-Afghan camera operator Azadine in Henry Naylor
Henry Naylor
Henry Naylor is a British comedy writer and performer, best known for his work with comedy partner Andy Parsons in Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections....
's play Finding Bin Laden at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the 56th Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Fringe ran from 3–25 August 2003 and presented 1541 shows over 207 venues...
.
Conti has appeared in several television shows, including Black Books
Black Books
Black Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
, Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, Single, and, recently, the Australian panel show Spicks and Specks. Her radio performances include characters in Radio 4 comedy Clare in the Community.
Conti and Monk portrayed a morning weather team
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
on the fictional "Wake Up L.A." in Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several improvisational "mockumentary" films that...
's 2006 film, For Your Consideration
For Your Consideration (film)
For Your Consideration is a 2006 comedy film directed by Christopher Guest. It was co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy, both also starring in the film....
.
Stand-up comedy
In 2002, Conti won the BBC New Comedy AwardsBBC New Comedy Awards
The BBC New Comedy Awards first appeared in 1995 and were considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards until they were axed in 2006. It was announced in the summer of 2006 that they were being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed...
, came second in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year was a long-running annual competition that ran at the Hackney Empire theatre in London in order to encourage, discover and promote new stand-up comedy and New Variety talent...
and came third in Laughing Horse New Act of The Year
Laughing Horse New Act of The Year
The Laughing Horse New Act of The Year is an annual competition, running since 2001, to find the best new stand-up comedy act in the UK.The current holder is Adam Belbin, who won the allocade on the 29 May 2011.-2011:* Adam Belbin - winner...
competitions.
Conti regularly headlines at London comedy venues and has appeared at The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store, London
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.It was named after The Comedy Store club in the United States, which Rosengard had visited the previous year...
.
She took her first solo full length show, Complete and Utter Conti, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, she introduced some new characters as well as performing familiar routines. In 2008 she won the Barry Award for this show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
, tying with Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
.
At the Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010 she debuted a new puppet, an elderly woman who is her "Granny".
Nina and Granny appeared in episode six of the I series
QI (I series)
This is a list of episodes of QI, the BBC comedy panel game television programme hosted by Stephen Fry. It will air on BBC Two, rather than BBC One as it has in recent years. It is the ninth series of QI.- Episodes :...
of the BBC comedy quiz show QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
in 2011.
Monk
Monk is a depressed monkey who is constantly insulting Nina and swearing when it does not have its demand fulfilled. It often deliberately shows irritation towards performing on stage, as when Nina responds saying she doesn't know if she has repeated her act on stage, Monk quickly vanishes into the bag and says: You're on your own, bitch!. Monk also often disagrees with Nina and makes Nina laugh at his words.Granny
Granny is an elderly Scotswoman to whom Nina refers as someone who is a lot like her own grandmother. Granny often chides Nina for the simplest things Nina has done; for instance, when Nina reveals she has two legs, Granny responds by saying "Oh, two legs? You're spoiling me!" Her main act is to telepathically guess numbers or words, which she always guesses correctly. She also talks about her dead husband, Frank. Granny refers to people with words like "dear", "child" or "my daughter".Radio
Conti's radio work includes Clare in the CommunityClare in the Community
Clare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a pun on care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4....
, Sneakiepeeks
Sneakiepeeks
Sneakiepeeks is a situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 2009 and 2010. It was written by Harry Venning and Neil Brand and produced by Katie Tyrell.-Situation:...
and guesting on Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections.