Aisling Clíodhnadh O'Sullivan (born 16 March 1984)[2], known professionally as Aisling Bea (/ˈæʃlɪŋ ˈb/ ASH-ling BEE), is an Irish comedian, actress and screenwriter. She created, wrote and starred in the comedy series This Way Up on Channel 4.[3][4] As a stand-up comedian, she won the So You Think You're Funny award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012, being only the second woman to win the award in its then-25-year history.[5] She also appears regularly on light entertainment comedy panel shows such as QI and 8 Out of 10 Cats and was a contestant on series 5 of Taskmaster.

Aisling Bea
Bea in 2017
Born
Aisling Clíodhnadh O'Sullivan

(1984-03-16) 16 March 1984 (age 42)
Alma materTrinity College, Dublin (B.A.)
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actress
  • screenwriter
Years active2009–present
Known for
PartnerJack Freeman (2022–present)
Children1[1]
Websiteaislingbea.com

Early life and education

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Bea was born Aisling Cliodhnadh O'Sullivan[6] in Kildare, Ireland.[7][8][9] Her father, Brian, was a horse veterinarian who died by suicide when Bea was three years old; she was not told how he had died until she was 13.[10][11][12] She adopted the stage surname "Bea" as a tribute to her father, taking it from a short form of his first name.[2][13][14] Bea and her younger sister, Sinéad (who is now a Hollywood costume designer),[13] were raised by their mother, Helen (née Moloney), a secondary school teacher who had previously trained jockeys at the Racing Academy and Centre of Education.[15] She was also a professional flat-race jockey, and later ran a jockey school.[13][14] Her family was "obsessed" with horses and race meetings.[16]

Her great-aunt was playwright Siobhán Ní Shúilleabháin,[17] and musician Liam O'Flynn was a family friend.[18] It has been said that Bea's grandfather is Gaelic poet, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin,[13][12][19] but this has been disputed.[20]

In her youth, Bea worked as a tour guide at the Irish National Stud.[13][citation needed] However, she knew from a young age that she was not interested in the horse racing industry; instead, she had a passion for performing.[10]

Bea was educated at Presentation Secondary School, Kildare Town, a convent school.[13] She studied French and philosophy at Trinity College Dublin.[21][22] While there, she was an active member of the drama society,[13] and part of a student sketch comedy group.[23] She then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[24] She has said she did not enjoy this experience, but that it has helped with her comedy.[13]

Career

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After graduating from drama school, Bea spent two years trying to get work in theatre as a dramatic actress.[25] Instead, she was cast mainly in comedic television series including Cardinal Burns and Sharon Horgan's Dead Boss (both 2012).[13] While filming Dead Boss in 2011, Bea decided to try stand-up comedy.[2][13][26] In 2012, she was the first woman in 20 years (and only the second in its history)[13] to win the Gilded Balloon So You Think You're Funny award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[2][27] In 2013, she was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for her show C'est La Bea.[28]

The exposure brought by these awards and festival appearances marked a "turning point" in Bea's career[24] and she began to appear as a regular guest on panel shows including QI and Insert Name Here.[29] Bea and Yasmine Akram co-wrote and co-hosted the BBC Radio 4 comedy folklore series Micks and Legends (2012, 2015);[30] it was nominated for a Chortle Award in 2013.[31] Bea won the 2014 British Comedy Award for Best Female TV Comic,[32] and returned to Edinburgh in 2015 with the live show Plan Bea.[33] In 2015, she presented Channel 4's alternative election coverage with David Mitchell and Jeremy Paxman.[34] In 2016, she became a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats[35] and was a contestant on series 5 of Taskmaster in 2017.

Bea in 2014

Bea has continued to act in television sitcoms including Trollied (2014–2015),[13][citation needed] The Delivery Man (2015),[13] Amy Huberman's Irish television series Finding Joy (2018),[citation needed] and Living with Yourself (2019).[36][37][38] She acted in the crime dramas The Fall (2016) and Hard Sun (2018), She starred in the ITV drama series Quiz (2020) based on the true story of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire coughing scandal.

In 2018, she and Sara Pascoe began to co-host the BBC Radio 2 comedy chat show What's Normal?[39] She recorded a 15-minute stand-up special that was released on Netflix in late 2018.

Bea wrote and starred in the Channel 4 comedy series This Way Up (2019–2021).[12] For her writing, she won the BAFTA 2020 British Academy Television Craft Award for Breakthrough Talent.[2][40][41] In 2022, she also received a nomination for British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for the series.[42]

In January 2024, Bea was one of 10 comedians in Amazon Prime Video's LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland.[43]

Personal life

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Bea previously dated Michael Sheen and Andrew Garfield.[12] In June 2024, Bea announced that she was expecting her first child, with her partner Jack Freeman.[44] Their daughter was born in late August 2024.[45]

Bea is close to fellow comedians Roisin Conaty, Katherine Ryan and Sharon Horgan, calling them her "comedy sisters".[12]

Bea lives in London.[12]

Bea has ADHD.[46][47]

In May 2025, Bea appeared on Who Do You Think You Are and found out that her great-great-grandmother, Áine O’Donoghue, was the first teacher on the Blasket Islands.[48]

Activism

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Bea was a vocal supporter of the Repeal the 8th campaign in the successful 2018 Irish referendum to introduce legal abortion in the Republic of Ireland;[24][49] she contributed an essay to Una Mullally's Repeal the 8th a month before the vote.[50] She previously campaigned for same-sex marriage legislation in the successful 2015 Irish referendum.[24]

She frequently shares posts about the humanitarian situation in Palestine.[51][52] In 2024, Bea participated in the Cinema for Gaza auction,[53] and was a signatory calling for the end of arms sales to Israel.[54] In September 2025, she signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."[55]

Filmography

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Acting

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Television

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Year Title Role Channel Notes Ref.
2009 Fair City Cliodhna Norris RTÉ One 3 episodes
We Are Klang Inspector BBC Three 1 episode [56]
The Roy Files Ticket girl (voice) TRTÉ and RTÉ TWO (Ireland), CBBC (UK) Episode: "Truth and Lies"
Belonging to Laura Leanne Thompson TV3/BAI Television film
2009–2014 The Savage Eye Various RTE 4 episodes
2010 Inn Mates Elf BBC Three Pilot [57]
L.O.L Various BBC Pilot; also writer
Freedom Aisling BBC Two Pilot [58]
Come Fly with Me Mary O'Mara BBC One 1 episode [59]
2011 Lewis Hotel receptionist ITV 1 episode
Holby City Amelia Warner BBC One 1 episode
2012 Cardinal Burns Sally E4 5 episodes [13]
Dead Boss Laura Stephens BBC Three 6 episodes [13]
In with the Flynns Naimah BBC One 1 episode [60]
The Town Carly ITV 3 episodes
Trivia Ruth 6 episodes
2013 Fit Various CBBC 13 episodes [61]
Quick Cuts Customer BBC Four 1 episode
2014 Playhouse Presents Toddler Woman Sky Arts 1 episode
The Assets Kara Jensen ABC 1 episode
Vodka Diaries Nic BBC Three Pilot [62]
The Sunny Emma BBC Two Pilot [63]
2014–2015 Trollied Charlie Sky One 13 episodes [13]
2015 Funny Valentines Sarah BBC iPlayer 2 episodes [64]
The Delivery Man Lisa ITV 6 episodes [13]
Nish Kumar's Christmas Agent Sky Arts Comedy short
2016 Damned Anne-Marie Channel 4 1 episode
The Fall Kiera Sheridan ZDFneo (Germany), RTÉ One (Ireland), BBC Two (UK) 4 episodes
2017 Drunk History Guinevere Comedy Central 1 episode
Gap Year Kendra E4 2 episodes
Taskmaster Series 5 contestant Dave 8 episodes
2018 Hard Sun Mari Butler BBC One (UK), Hulu (US) 5 episodes
Plebs Minerva ITV2 1 episode
I Feel Bad Simone NBC 1 episode
Finding Joy Amelia ITV 6 episodes [65]
2019 State of the Union Anna BBC (UK), Sundance TV (US) Episode: "Plaster Cast"
Living with Yourself Kate Elliot Netflix 8 episodes [12]
20192021 This Way Up Aine Channel 4 12 episodes; also writer, executive producer
2020 Quiz Claudia Rosencrantz ITV 3 episodes
20212022 Amphibia Captain Beatrix (voice) Disney Channel (US) 3 episodes
2022 Doctor Who Sarah BBC Episode: "Eve of the Daleks" [2][66]
2023–2024 Avoidance Megan BBC One Season 2
2024 Alice & Jack Lynn Channel 4 (UK), PBS (US) Miniseries [67]
Upcoming Grown Ups Cara Netflix [47]

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref
2013 Tattooed Eve Short film
Very Few Fish Gráinne Short film
2015 The Trap Marie
2016 Bullet to the Heart Jane Short film; co-writer [68]
2020 Love Wedding Repeat Rebecca Rom-com [12]
2021 Home Sweet Home Alone Carol Mercer
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure Margot (voice) Animated film
2023 Greatest Days Rachel
2024 Swede Caroline Louise
And Mrs Gemma [69]
Get Away Susan [70]
TBA Hello & Paris TBA Filming

Radio

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Year Title Station Role Notes Ref
2012, 2015 Micks and Legends BBC Radio 4 Co-host Also co-writer; with Yasmine Akram [30]
2014 The Architects BBC Radio 4 Hayley (voice) 4 episodes

Video games

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Year Title Publisher Role Ref.
2012 Assassin's Creed III Ubisoft Emily Burke (voice)
2013 Soul Sacrifice Sony Computer Entertainment Similia (voice)

Stand-up comedy

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Year Title Channel Venue Ref.
2009 Sabotage BBC Radio 4 Extra Live at Hoxton Hall
Fresh From the Fringe BBC Radio 4 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2013 C'est La Bea Gilded Balloon,
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
[71]
Galway
Seann Walsh's Late Night Comedy Spectacular BBC Three Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Russell Howard's Good News BBC Three Riverside Studios
Set List Nerdist Channel
2014 C'est La Bea Soho Theatre, London [71]
Live at the Apollo BBC One Hammersmith Apollo
2014–2016 Channel 4's Comedy Gala Channel 4 O2 Arena
2015 Plan Bea Edinburgh Festival Fringe [13]
2018 Netflix Comedy Lineup Netflix
2026 Older Than Jesus UK and Ireland tour

Panel show appearances

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From 2016 to 2017, Bea was a team captain (the first female captain on the show)[12] on 8 Out of 10 Cats, having previously been a guest on the show in 2013 and 2014.[72] Her guest appearances on other panel shows include:

Awards and nominations

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References

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