Susan Calman
Encyclopedia
Susan Calman is a Scottish comedian. She is a frequent panellist on BBC Radio 4
topical shows The News Quiz
and I Guess That's Why They Call It The News
, has appeared in Channel 4
sketch shows and covers for Fred MacAulay on his BBC Radio Scotland
show. She has also appeared in Rab C. Nesbitt
. She is a regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and at The Stand comedy clubs.
She studied law at Glasgow University, winning a Judge Brennan scholarship and a three-month stint in North Carolina
working with criminals on death row
. She gradually became dissatisfied with working as a specialist in freedom of information and data protection and developed her stand-up comedy during evenings, eventually giving up her job with Dundas & Wilson
to develop a career in comedy.
She reached the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards
in 2005 and was a finalist in the Funny Women
competition in 2006. Along with the rest of the cast of Channel 4
’s sketch show Blowout, she won a Scottish BAFTA in 2007, and in 2009 she was awarded the Best New Scottish Comedian at the Real Radio
Variety Awards.
Her father is Sir Kenneth Calman
, chancellor of Glasgow University and former chief medical officer for England and Scotland.
The Times commented that Calman's "status as a diminutive lesbian — she is 4ft 11in — gives a certain grist to her mill but, her Hobbit-like stature aside, what strikes you about her is her chirpy, optimistic level-headedness."
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
topical shows The News Quiz
The News Quiz
The News Quiz is a topical panel game broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4.-History:It was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently it was chaired by Simon Hoggart, Barry Took , and then again by Simon Hoggart until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in...
and I Guess That's Why They Call It The News
I Guess That's Why They Call It The News
I Guess That's Why They Call It The News is a BBC Radio 4 satirical panel game hosted by Fred MacAulay and created by James Sherwood. The only series began broadcasting on 21 August 2009 and lasted for five episodes.-What's the Story?:...
, has appeared in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sketch shows and covers for Fred MacAulay on his BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
show. She has also appeared in Rab C. Nesbitt
Rab C. Nesbitt
Rab C. Nesbitt is a Scottish sitcom which began in 1988. Produced by BBC Scotland, it stars Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who believed unemployment was the life for him...
. She is a regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and at The Stand comedy clubs.
She studied law at Glasgow University, winning a Judge Brennan scholarship and a three-month stint in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
working with criminals on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
. She gradually became dissatisfied with working as a specialist in freedom of information and data protection and developed her stand-up comedy during evenings, eventually giving up her job with Dundas & Wilson
Dundas & Wilson
Dundas & Wilson LLP is a leading commercial UK law firm with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. The firm is based in Scotland, but like other large Scottish law firms, it now has an established practice in London, which earns 39% of its total revenues...
to develop a career in comedy.
She reached the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards
BBC 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...
in 2005 and was a finalist in the Funny Women
Funny Women
Funny Women is a stand-up comedy competition in the UK entirely devoted to women. It is the only UK Comedy competition that is Pay to Play charging performers to take part. It was founded in 2003, with the sole intention of honouring female comedians in a generally male-dominated profession...
competition in 2006. Along with the rest of the cast of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
’s sketch show Blowout, she won a Scottish BAFTA in 2007, and in 2009 she was awarded the Best New Scottish Comedian at the Real Radio
Real Radio
Real Radio is a network of adult contemporary independent local radio stations in England, Scotland and Wales and is operated by . Each station broadcasts local breakfast through to drive time shows and network programming in the evening and through the night...
Variety Awards.
Her father is Sir Kenneth Calman
Kenneth Calman
Sir Kenneth Charles Calman, KCB, DL, FRSE is a Scottish cancer researcher and former Chief Medical Officer of Scotland, and then England. He was Warden and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 1998 to 2006, before becoming Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He has held the position of...
, chancellor of Glasgow University and former chief medical officer for England and Scotland.
The Times commented that Calman's "status as a diminutive lesbian — she is 4ft 11in — gives a certain grist to her mill but, her Hobbit-like stature aside, what strikes you about her is her chirpy, optimistic level-headedness."