Sharon Horgan

One of five children Sharon Hogan was born in London but moved to Dublin at the age of seven to grow up in Bellewstown, Co. Meath. She showed an early interest in acting and comedy but it was writing where her talents would eventually lead.

Horgan studied English at Brunel University in Bristol but it took a number of years before her talents were realised. Her big break in comedy came after meeting her long-term writing partner Dennis Kelly at a youth-theatre and sending dozens of scripts off to production companies.

Most sent back a plain ‘no thanks’ but their efforts did reach the BBC producer Jo Sargent, who recommended they submit their work for a new comedy sketch show.

Though the material wasn’t used, Horgan and Kelly did win the BBC New Comedy award for sketch-writing in 2001. Horgan went on to write the excellent Pulling with Kelly in 2006 for BBC Three and a second series in 2008. Her efforts in Pulling led her to a BAFTA nomination and British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Actress in 2008. Despite the awards and critical acclaim Pulling was cancelled by BBC Three before coming back for a one-off special in 2009.

Horgan and Kelly base their shows around female leads, says she is inspired by what she sees around her, her own hang-ups and failings and also those of her friends. She has been described by the Telegraph has an 'eloquent and intelligent with an adult-only wit sharp enough to cut glass'.

In an interview with the British Comedy Guide about Pulling Horgan said: “We wanted to show, and I think this is one of Dennis' quotes, "how lonely it can be trying to have fun".

More recent projects have included the BBC4 comedy panel show We Need Answers in 2010 as well as Channel 4’s You Have Been Watching. Later that year Morgan also appeared in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, however we at SSP  expect much more from her in the near future as she has been picked up by ABC for a new series in the US.