114 Fun Facts About Fleabag

Who created, wrote and stars in Fleabag?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge created, wrote and starred in Fleabag, adapting her own 2013 one-woman stage show; in 2019 she won Emmys for lead actress, writing and outstanding comedy series.

Fleabag began life as a one-woman show at which festival in 2013?

Fleabag premiered at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe as an hour-long one-woman show, and the BBC commissioned the TV adaptation from it.

Which BBC channel originally broadcast Fleabag in 2016?

Fleabag premiered on BBC Three in July 2016, five months after the channel had moved online-only in February that year.

Which US streaming service co-produced Fleabag and carried it in America?

Amazon Prime Video co-produced Fleabag with the BBC and carried it in the US, releasing series two in full on 17 May 2019.

How are Fleabag and Claire related?

Sian Clifford, who plays her, met Waller-Bridge at RADA and the two made a pact to help each other.

Which storytelling device does Fleabag use constantly throughout the series?

The Priest is the first character to notice her doing it.

Who plays the Priest, the love interest of series two?

Andrew Scott plays the Priest; the role made him a 2020 Golden Globe nominee and turned 'Hot Priest' into a catchphrase.

Before Fleabag, the actor who plays the Priest was best known as which Sherlock villain?

He won a BAFTA TV Award for the role opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.

The actor who plays the Priest was born in which city?

He studied drama at Trinity College Dublin for six months before joining the Abbey Theatre.

Who plays Fleabag and Claire's godmother, who becomes their stepmother?

Olivia Colman plays the passive-aggressive Godmother who marries Fleabag's father; the role earned her a 2019 Emmy nomination for supporting actress in a comedy series.

What is the profession of Fleabag's godmother?

Fleabag's Godmother is an artist whose work is a running joke; series two builds to her provocative 'Sexhibition' gallery show.

Who plays Fleabag and Claire's father?

Bill Paterson plays Dad; the Scottish actor's credits run from Bill Forsyth's Comfort and Joy (1984) to Doctor Who and Outlander.

Which American actor plays Martin, Claire's aggressive alcoholic husband?

Brett Gelman plays Martin, Claire's boorish American husband, whose marriage finally collapses at the series-two finale wedding.

What is the name of Fleabag's late best friend, her business partner in the café?

Boo, played by Jenny Rainsford, who filmed the role while seven months pregnant.

Which comedian, later the creator of Stath Lets Flats, plays Bus Rodent?

Jamie Demetriou, later creator and star of Stath Lets Flats, plays Bus Rodent, the toothy date who is one of Fleabag's more regrettable series-one love interests.

Which Outnumbered star plays the Bank Manager Fleabag asks for a loan?

Hugh Dennis, star of Outnumbered, plays the Bank Manager who turns down Fleabag's loan; he appears in the first, fourth and final episodes of series one.

Which actor plays Harry, Fleabag's on-off boyfriend?

Hugh Skinner plays Harry, Fleabag's hapless on-off boyfriend, who leaves her in the first episode and returns in series two with a new girlfriend.

Which actress plays Fleabag's counsellor in series two, earning an Emmy nomination?

Fiona Shaw plays the Counsellor in series two, earning a 2019 Emmy nomination for guest actress in a comedy series.

Which actress plays Belinda, who gives Fleabag a monologue about menopause in a bar?

Kristin Scott Thomas plays Belinda, the award-winning businesswoman whose bar-room speech on menopause is a series-two highlight; the guest role earned her a 2019 Emmy nomination.

What is the name of Claire's Finnish business partner and love interest?

Claire's Finnish colleague is Klare; the running joke is that his name is pronounced exactly like hers, which Fleabag finds hilarious.

Which recurring character does Fleabag unexpectedly run into at the silent retreat?

Fleabag meets the Bank Manager again at the retreat, where he is on the men's course next door; their talk there sets up her return to his bank in the finale.

What kind of café does Fleabag run?

Bold Café in Dartmouth Park stood in for it.

Which animal is the Priest afraid of, turning up repeatedly through series two?

The Priest is terrified of foxes, which keep appearing around him; in the finale a fox trots up to him at the bus stop as he leaves.

What does the Priest reply when Fleabag tells him she loves him at the bus stop?

The Priest answers 'It'll pass.' after Fleabag says 'I love you' at the bus stop in the final episode, then walks away; she waves goodbye to the camera.

At the feminist lecture, what would Fleabag and Claire trade five years of their lives for?

Asked who would swap five years of life for the perfect body, Fleabag and Claire are the only two in the lecture hall to raise their hands, then quickly lower them.

Who composed the music for both series of Fleabag?

Isobel Waller-Bridge, Phoebe's sister, composed the score for both series of Fleabag; she went on to score the 2020 film Emma.

Which director helmed both series of Fleabag?

Harry Bradbeer directed most of series one and all of series two, winning the 2019 Emmy for comedy directing for the series-two opener.

Which production company, founded by Harry and Jack Williams, made Fleabag?

Two Brothers Pictures, the production company of the brothers Harry and Jack Williams, made Fleabag for the BBC and Amazon.

Who directed the original 2013 stage production of Fleabag?

She co-founded the DryWrite Theatre Company with Waller-Bridge.

How many episodes are in each series of Fleabag?

Each series has six episodes; series one ran weekly on BBC Three through July and August 2016.

What was the French remake of Fleabag, starring Camille Cottin, called?

The French remake was Mouche — French for 'fly' — starring Camille Cottin; it aired on Canal+ in 2019.

Fleabag was the first British show to win which Emmy in September 2019?

Fleabag won Outstanding Comedy Series at the September 2019 Emmys, the first British show to do so; Waller-Bridge also won lead actress and writing that night.

Which former US president named series two of Fleabag among his favourite TV of 2019?

Barack Obama's 2019 year-end favourites list included Fleabag series two among the TV he found 'as powerful as movies'.

What are the first words Fleabag says to camera in the series-two premiere?

Fleabag's first line to camera in series two is 'This is a love story', delivered while she wipes blood from her nose in a restaurant toilet.

At the family dinner that opens Fleabag's second series, whose miscarriage does Fleabag falsely claim as her own?

It was her sister's: Claire miscarries in the restaurant bathroom and Fleabag claims it to cover for her; the two had not spoken for a year.

What belated birthday gift does Fleabag's father give her at the engagement dinner?

It leads to Fiona Shaw's counsellor scenes later in the series.

What job does the family discover Claire actually has at the series-two dinner?

Claire works in finance; the joke at the engagement dinner is that her whole family had assumed she was a lawyer.

Where do Fleabag and Claire finally reconcile at the end of the series-two premiere?

Fleabag and Claire reconcile in a taxi to the hospital after the dinner, bonding over their agreement that the Priest is attractive.

Where in London was Fleabag's creator born?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge was born in Hammersmith, west London, in July 1985 and grew up in Ealing.

From which drama school did Fleabag's creator graduate in 2006?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge graduated from RADA in 2006, where she met Sian Clifford, her future Fleabag co-star.

Which spy thriller did Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag's creator, write for its first series after Fleabag's stage success?

Killing Eve was commissioned by BBC America in 2016 on the back of Fleabag's stage run; she handed the head-writer job to Emerald Fennell for series two.

Which droid did Fleabag's creator play in Solo: A Star Wars Story?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge performed and voiced the droid L3-37, Lando Calrissian's outspoken co-pilot, in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Which James Bond film did Fleabag's creator co-write?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares the screenplay credit on No Time to Die (2021), brought in to sharpen the film's humour and dialogue.

What was the name of Fleabag's creator's 2016 Channel 4 comedy set in an abandoned hospital?

Crashing (2016) follows property guardians living in a disused hospital; Waller-Bridge wrote and starred in it for Channel 4 months before Fleabag aired.

Which Irish playwright did Fleabag's creator start dating in 2017?

They were first linked at the London premiere of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Which theatre company did Fleabag's creator co-found in 2007 with the director of the Fleabag stage show?

Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones co-founded the DryWrite theatre company in 2007, staging new-writing nights in London pubs years before Fleabag.

Sian Clifford won a BAFTA TV Award for playing Claire in which category?

Waller-Bridge had won the same award for series one.

Sian Clifford played Diana Ingram in which ITV drama about the Millionaire coughing scandal?

Sian Clifford played Diana Ingram in Quiz, ITV's 2020 drama about the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? coughing scandal, opposite Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Ingram.

Andrew Scott played a rideshare driver in which Black Mirror episode?

Andrew Scott plays Chris, a rideshare driver who takes a tech-company employee hostage, in Smithereens (2019); he later played Tom Ripley in Netflix's Ripley.

Who drunkenly tries to kiss Fleabag at Claire's birthday party in series one?

Martin, Claire's husband, lunges at Fleabag at Claire's birthday party; when Fleabag tells her, Claire refuses to believe her, deepening the sisters' rift.

On what date did the final episode of Fleabag air?

Fleabag's final episode aired on 8 April 2019, closing a second series that had begun on 4 March 2019.

What does Claire say she looks like after her disastrous series-two haircut?

After the hairdresser butchers her hair in series two, Claire wails that she looks like a pencil; Fleabag marches her back to the salon to complain.

What accolade did the one-woman Fleabag play win at Edinburgh in 2013?

The one-woman Fleabag won a Fringe First Award, The Scotsman's prize for new writing, at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe.

What does Fleabag steal from her Godmother in the first episode?

Fleabag pockets a small golden sculpture of a woman's torso from her Godmother's studio in episode one; the statue keeps changing hands right through series two.

Which of Fleabag's series-one love interests is played by Ben Aldridge?

Ben Aldridge plays Arsehole Guy, the handsome, self-absorbed hook-up who drifts in and out of Fleabag's bed through series one.

Who plays Pam, who works at the Priest's church in series two?

Jo Martin plays Pam, the Priest's unimpressed church helper; she later played the Fugitive Doctor in Doctor Who.

Which character is Fleabag's lawyer and one of her love interests in series two?

The Hot Misogynist, the lawyer Fleabag sleeps with in series two, is played by Ray Fearon, a Royal Shakespeare Company veteran.

What is the name of Claire's teenage stepson in series two?

Jake, Claire's awkward teenage stepson who is infatuated with Fleabag, is played by Angus Imrie, son of Celia Imrie.

Fleabag's first series had a repeat run on which channel in August–September 2016?

BBC Two gave series one its first linear-TV run in August and September 2016, following the online-only BBC Three release.

Series two of Fleabag went out on which BBC channel alongside its BBC Three release?

Series two was shown on BBC One from 4 March 2019 alongside its BBC Three release, since BBC Three had been online-only since 2016.

Which family member tells Fleabag she knows 'how to love better than any of us'?

At his wedding in the finale, Dad tells Fleabag 'I think you know how to love better than any of us, that's why you find it all so painful.'

Who directed Mouche, the French remake of Fleabag?

Jeanne Herry, director of the 2018 film Pupille, directed Mouche, the French remake of Fleabag starring Camille Cottin.

What does the Priest ask when he catches Fleabag glancing at the camera?

The Priest asks 'Where did you just go?' when Fleabag turns to the camera in series two, the first time anyone notices her fourth-wall asides.

What does the Priest offer Fleabag to drink at the church in series two?

The Priest produces gin and tonic in cans when Fleabag visits the church in series two, and the pair drink them together in the church garden.

To which church does the Priest belong?

The Priest is a Roman Catholic, bound by a vow of celibacy, which is what makes his attraction to Fleabag the central conflict of series two.

What does Fleabag wear to the engagement dinner that opens series two?

Fleabag wears a black jumpsuit to the engagement dinner in the series-two premiere; the outfit became the show's most imitated look.

In his wedding speech, what does the Priest say love is?

The Priest's wedding speech opens 'Love is awful. It's awful. It's painful. It's frightening', before he argues that it is still worth the trouble.

Filming for the second series started in late August of which year?

It was released from 4 March to 8 April 2019.

On which date did the first episode of Fleabag premiere?

Fleabag's first episode premiered on BBC Three on 21 July 2016, and the first series ran weekly until 25 August.

What approval rating did both series of Fleabag receive on Rotten Tomatoes?

Both series of Fleabag hold a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes; series one averaged 8.5/10 and series two 9.3/10 among critics.

What Metacritic score did the second series of Fleabag receive?

Series two scored 96 on Metacritic, one of the highest TV scores of 2019, against 88 for series one; both count as 'universal acclaim'.

Who does Claire say is the only person she would run through an airport for?

In the finale Claire tells Fleabag 'The only person I'd run through an airport for is you', before leaving the wedding to catch Klare's flight.

What does Fleabag say she wants in her confession to the Priest?

In the confessional Fleabag says she wants someone to tell her what to wear, what to eat and what to do, 'because so far I think I've been getting it wrong'.

Which two shows joined Fleabag on Barack Obama's 2019 list of TV 'as powerful as movies'?

Obama's list, posted on 29 December 2019, named Fleabag's second series alongside Unbelievable and Watchmen as TV 'as powerful as movies'.

Which two Golden Globes did Fleabag win in 2020?

Fleabag won Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress for Waller-Bridge at the 2020 Golden Globes; Andrew Scott was nominated but did not win.

Which relative of Fleabag's died before the series begins?

Fleabag and Claire's mother died before the series starts; her death, and Dad's remarriage to the Godmother, hangs over both sisters throughout.

How many Emmys did Fleabag win at the main 2019 ceremony, leading all programmes?

Fleabag won four Emmys at the main 2019 ceremony — comedy series, lead actress, writing and directing — more than any other programme that night.

Which Amazon comedy had won Outstanding Comedy Series the year before Fleabag?

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018, so Fleabag's 2019 win gave Amazon's Prime Video two straight victories in the category.

At the 2020 Golden Globes, Fleabag tied for most TV wins with which two shows?

Each won two awards that night.

At which Edinburgh Fringe venue did Waller-Bridge first perform Fleabag in 2013?

Waller-Bridge first performed Fleabag at the Underbelly during the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe, in an hour-long solo show directed by Vicky Jones.

In 2021 Waller-Bridge became the first-ever President of which organisation?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge became the first-ever President of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in 2021, eight years after Fleabag's own Fringe debut.

Which Sky1 sitcom was Waller-Bridge a regular in from 2011 to 2013?

Waller-Bridge was a regular in The Café, Ralf Little and Michelle Terry's Sky1 sitcom set in a Weston-super-Mare seafront café, from 2011 to 2013.

Waller-Bridge's father founded which electronic trading platform?

Phoebe's father, Michael Waller-Bridge, founded Tradepoint, an electronic share-trading platform; her mother worked for the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers.

In September 2019, Waller-Bridge signed a three-year overall deal with which studio?

Waller-Bridge signed a three-year overall deal with Amazon Studios in September 2019, extending the relationship built on Fleabag's second series.

Which video-game heroine's TV series did Waller-Bridge develop for Amazon, ordered in 2024?

Waller-Bridge wrote and executive-produces a Tomb Raider series centred on Lara Croft, which Amazon ordered for Prime Video in 2024.

In which ITV crime drama did Waller-Bridge play a junior solicitor in 2015?

Waller-Bridge played Abby Thompson, a junior solicitor on the defence team, in the second series of ITV's Broadchurch in 2015.

Sian Clifford played Martha Crawley in which 2018 ITV/Amazon adaptation?

Sian Clifford played Martha Crawley in the 2018 ITV/Amazon adaptation of Thackeray's Vanity Fair; she was also Emmy-nominated for Fleabag's second series.

In which 2014 film did Andrew Scott play the Welsh activist Gethin Roberts?

Andrew Scott played Gethin Roberts, the Welsh bookshop owner in the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group, in Matthew Warchus's 2014 film Pride.

Andrew Scott won an Olivier Award for Best Actor for which Noël Coward revival?

Andrew Scott won the 2020 Olivier for Best Actor as Garry Essendine in the Old Vic's Present Laughter; he was also Olivier-nominated for Hamlet and Vanya.

Andrew Scott earned a Golden Globe nomination for which 2023 film opposite Paul Mescal?

Andrew Scott was Golden Globe-nominated for All of Us Strangers (2023), Andrew Haigh's film loosely based on Taichi Yamada's novel Strangers.

Andrew Scott played Tom Ripley in a 2024 series created by which writer-director?

Steven Zaillian wrote and directed every episode of Ripley (2024), winning the Emmy for directing a limited series.

Olivia Colman's breakthrough came in which Channel 4 sitcom?

Olivia Colman's breakthrough was as Sophie in Channel 4's Peep Show, alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb, from 2003.

Olivia Colman won her Academy Award for playing which monarch in The Favourite?

Olivia Colman won the 2019 Best Actress Oscar as Queen Anne in The Favourite; she later played Elizabeth II in The Crown, winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

Bill Paterson, who plays Fleabag's father, was born in which city?

Bill Paterson was born in Glasgow in 1945 and trained at the city's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Brett Gelman, Martin in Fleabag, is also known as Murray Bauman in which Netflix series?

Stranger Things made Gelman a Netflix regular as Murray Bauman; he began as a comedian on Adult Swim shows such as Eagleheart.

Hugh Skinner played inept intern Will Humphries in which BBC comedy?

Hugh Skinner played the hopeless intern Will Humphries in the BBC's W1A; he also played Prince William in Channel 4's The Windsors.

Ben Aldridge played Captain James in which BBC military drama?

Ben Aldridge played Captain Charles James in the BBC's Our Girl; he went on to play Thomas Wayne in Pennyworth and star in Knock at the Cabin.

Fiona Shaw played which character in the Harry Potter films?

Fiona Shaw played Petunia Dursley, Harry's disapproving aunt, across the Harry Potter films from The Philosopher's Stone in 2001.

Kristin Scott Thomas was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for which 1996 film?

Kristin Scott Thomas was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress as Katharine Clifton in The English Patient (1996), a film that won nine Academy Awards.

Ray Fearon, Fleabag's lawyer in series two, played a garage mechanic in which soap?

Ray Fearon played the garage mechanic Nathan in Coronation Street in 2005–06; he had played Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1999.

Hugh Dennis appeared on every episode of the original run of which panel show?

Hugh Dennis appeared in every episode of Mock the Week across its 2005–2022 BBC Two run; he is also half of the double act Punt and Dennis.

Vicky Jones, director of the Fleabag play, wrote which 2020 HBO series starring Merritt Wever?

Vicky Jones created and wrote Run, the 2020 HBO series starring Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson, with Waller-Bridge as executive producer and guest star.

Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer went on to direct which Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown?

Harry Bradbeer directed Enola Holmes (2020) for Netflix, with Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock's sister, adapted by Jack Thorne from Nancy Springer's novels.

Two Brothers Pictures, which made Fleabag, launched with which BBC One series?

Two Brothers Pictures launched with The Missing, the 2014 BBC One thriller starring James Nesbitt; the company joined All3Media in 2017.

Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge is the sister-in-law of which Downton Abbey actress?

Michelle Dockery married Jasper Waller-Bridge, brother of Isobel and Phoebe, in 2023, making the composer her sister-in-law.

Waller-Bridge's spy thriller about the assassin Villanelle is based on novels by which author?

Each series had a different female head writer; Emerald Fennell led series two.

Which Bridgerton star appeared alongside Waller-Bridge in her 2016 sitcom Crashing?

Jonathan Bailey, later Bridgerton's Anthony, played Sam in Crashing, Waller-Bridge's 2016 Channel 4 sitcom that went international as a Netflix Original.

Waller-Bridge polished the No Time to Die script in April 2019 at whose request?

Daniel Craig asked for Waller-Bridge to punch up the No Time to Die script in April 2019; she shares the screenplay credit with Fukunaga, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

In Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, what is Waller-Bridge's Helena Shaw to Indy?

Helena Shaw is Indy's goddaughter, the daughter of his old friend Basil Shaw, who drags him into the hunt for Archimedes' Dial.

Olivia Colman won a comedy-performance BAFTA in 2012 for which mockumentary series?

She also won Best Supporting Actress for the crime series Accused in 2012.

Olivia Colman, Fleabag's godmother, was born in 1974 in which East Anglian city?

Norwich-born Sarah Caroline Colman, daughter of a nurse and a chartered surveyor, trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Andrew Scott made his film debut at 17 in which 1995 Irish drama?

Andrew Scott made his film debut as a teenager in Korea (1995), Cathal Black's drama set in 1950s Ireland, before joining Dublin's Abbey Theatre.

Bill Paterson, who plays Dad, was a founding member of which touring Scottish theatre company?

Bill Paterson was a founding member of 7:84 Scotland in 1973, joining after John McGrath saw him in The Great Northern Welly Boot Show alongside Billy Connolly at the 1972 Edinburgh Festival.

Brett Gelman, who plays Martin, received his classical theatre training in which US state?

Brett Gelman trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts before moving to New York, where he became a regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.