As careers in comedy go, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who has been as consistently busy and successful as Helen Lederer. The 68-year-old comedian and actress was barely off our screens in the 80s and 90s and starred in hugely successful shows such as Naked Video, Bottom, The Young Ones and Absolutely Fabulous.
Helen rose to fame alongside the likes of Ade Edmondson, the late Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French and made us all laugh with iconic characters such as the Drunk Sloane in Naked Video and dizzy journalist Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous.
But even though some of the shows that she’s most well known for were on our screens over 20 years ago, comedy remains a huge part of Helen’s life, and one of her current passions is the Comedy Women In Print prize, of which she is the founder. This is the UK & Ireland’s first literary prize dedicated to celebrating witty women’s writing and as we chat to Helen at the first ever Winner’s Event at the Groucho Club in London, it’s clear that she’s a huge champion of female talent.
