Helen Lederer has starred in a great number of top TV comedy and radio shows. She was part of the group of early 1980’s comedians who changed the country’s comedy landscape, including Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ben Elton, and the late Rik Mayall who made their names at London’s Comedy Store.

Helen’s first break came when she co-starred in the BBC Radio 4 sketch show In One Ear, which won a Sony Award for best comedy.

She was a guest on ITV’s Saturday Night Live with her solo comedy act as well as performing at the first ‘Just for Laughs’ comedy festival in Montreal with Lenny Henry.

TV appearances span such shows as The Young Ones, French and Saunders, Happy Families, One Foot in the Grave, Bottom, Love Soup, Miss Marple, and Hollyoaks.

Helen has made regular appearances on stage, radio and screen for nearly 40 years, her quick wit meaning she is much in demand as a guest on chat shows and panel shows. She is not averse to exposing herself, both literally and metaphorically, having appeared in uncompromising positions in celebrity diving show Splash!, removing more clothes than is decent on The Real Full Monty, and surviving longer than she intended in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

Despite her longevity, Helen believes funny women are still underappreciated and under-represented in the media, so in 2019 she founded the Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) Awards celebrating the best comedy novels written by women and recognising the achievements of some of our finest female comedy writers, including Jilly Cooper and Meera Syal. The CWIP Awards are now firmly established in the literary calendar.

Helen Lederer Kids TV Presenter

Children’s TV includes the much-loved children’s favourite Miss Bowline-Hitch along with Bernard Cribbins for CBeebies’ Old Jacks Boat and played Rich Aunt Ruby in Horrid Henry: The Movie.

On BBC radio she has written and performed her own comedy series ‘Life with Lederer’ and ‘All Change’ as well as being a panellist on shows such as ‘The News Quiz’, ‘Just a Minute’, ‘Quote…Unquote’, ‘A Good Read’, ‘Open Book’ and ‘Woman’s Hour’.

Helen Lederer Writing Work

She’s been a columnist for Woman & Home and The Independent as well as contributing to The Mail on Sunday, The Express and The Daily Telegraph. She has been the ‘agony aunt’ for Woman’s Weekly. Her first comedy novel Losing It (2015) was nominated for the PG Wodehouse comedy literary prize, as well as the Edinburgh First Book Award.

Helen Lederer Theatre Actor

Her theatre work includes ‘Educating Rita’, and playing Doreen in Alan Bleasdale’s ‘Having a Ball’, ‘The Vagina Monologues’, ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘The Killing of Sister George’, in London’s West End, interspersed with many fringe plays.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Helen for your next live event or corporate video.  Contact us.