Maria McErlane


Maria McErlane is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including The Fast Show, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Thin Ice and Happiness, "straight" roles in The Bill and Holby City and as the narrator for Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier's Eurotrash.
Starting on the comedy circuit in the 1990s, under the name 'Maria Callous', she has also guested on shows such as Have I Got News for You, If I Ruled the World and Just a Minute on Radio 4.
In June 1984, she appeared in 'Out of Order' at the Finborough Theatre.
McErlane co-presented the ITV quiz show Carnal Knowledge with her friend Graham Norton in the mid 1990s and co-presents the "Grill Graham" agony aunt feature with Norton on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. She also stood in when he was ill in 2013 and when he failed to turn up on 28 June 2014. In 2016, McErlane caused offence when she referred to the Irish Olympic medal winning O'Donovan brothers as embodying an Irish stereotype: “Very good at rowing but not that great at talking”.
McErlane is a friend of Nigella Lawson and appeared on 16 episodes of Nigella Lawson's ITV chat show Nigella.
She has had regular columns in The Sunday Times Style and Esquire Magazine.

Personal life

McErlane says she is a lapsed Catholic. She divides her time between Hastings and a London mews house.

Filmography

Television series