Samantha Baines


Samantha Louise Baines is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her appearances in , The Crown, Lee Nelson's Well Funny People, Hank Zipzer and A Royal Night Out.

Early life

Baines grew up in Bromley, where she attended Newstead Wood School for Girls. She was a member of the National Youth Theatre. She studied drama at Exeter University and trained in acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Comedy career

Since 2010, Baines has been a member of all female sketch group Vinegar, alongside Harriet Fisher and Katie Burnetts. Vinegar were finalists in the NATYS 2014. Vinegar took two comedy sketch shows to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011 and 2012, and received four and five star reviews.
In 2011, Baines played Clarissa Ankle in the online gaming sensation Behind the Bytes, a sitcom based on the world of video games. The character of Clarissa Ankle proved so popular that she had her own spin-off series, Bytes Breaks.
In 2013, Baines played posh chav Steph, in Lee Nelson's Well Funny People , and receptionist Susan in Hank Zipzer.
Baines took the lead role of Kate in the play Blueprint in 2013, which she reprised in 2014 at the BikeShed Theatre. The role was an emotional look at the life of a woman dying of Leukaemia, for which Baines received positive reviews. Belinda Dillon of Exeunt Magazine stated that the role was "superbly played", and the festival publication Wildfire said, "Samantha Baines takes the lead, giving a performance of amazing honesty and courage, which compels the audience to take her to their hearts".
She performed her first spot at The Comedy Store in London in 2015.
In 2015, Baines starred as Mary in UK cinema release A Royal Night Out, directed by Julian Jarrold for Lionsgate and Ecosse Films. Baines plays Mary in The Crown also directed by Julian Jarrold.
Baines writes comedy posts for the Huffington Post Comedy. and Time Out. She also creates her own comic poetry which she posts via her personal blog and which she published as a book, Poentry: silly po-faced entries.
Baines took the role of the Female MC in Magic Mike Live London at the Hippodrome Casino in London's West End in 2018. Magic Mike Live London is a show based on the Magic Mike film franchise and is directed by Channing Tatum. WhatsOnStage stated Baines was "out and out hilarious", whilst The Independent commented on her "winning stage presence" in the role.
In October 2019 she published a children's novel Harriet Versus the Galaxy about a girl who wears a hearing aid.

Radio

In 2014, Baines began co-hosting the show Ladies What Brunch on Hoxton Radio, with comedian Helen Sorren. Baines and Sorren starred in the "Busy Battle" sketch by production company Rubber Public, which went viral. From 2014 to 2015 Baines also hosted her own solo show on Wandsworth Radio as well as the popular Week on the Web segment for Soho Radio. From 2015 onwards she appeared on various radio shows reporting the alternative news, doing the paper review and offering her opinions – shows include Woman's Hour on Radio 4, XFM, BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Ulster, Absolute Radio and BBC London 94.9. Baines hosted her own show on Hoxton Radio which was also available as a podcast on iTunes. Baines' started a new podcast in 2018 called .
Baines began presenting on BBC Radio London in 2017 and BBC Radio Kent in 2018.

Recognitions

Samantha won the What the Frock! Best Newcomer Award in 2015. One year into her stand up comedy career, Baines was a finalist in the Funny Women Awards 2014, as well as a semi-finalist in the Laughing Horse New Act Competition 2014. Baines was the first woman to appear in the UK Pun Championship Final 2017 and also appeared in the final in 2018.
She also won a Best Actress Award in 24 Hour Film Race for the short film New Model.

Filmography

YearTitleCharacterProductionNotes
2013Lee Nelson's Well Funny PeopleStephBBCEpisode 3
2013Lee Nelson's Well Funny PeopleSexy Woman BBCEpisode 2
2014Hank ZipzerReceptionistCBBCEpisode 8
2015A Royal Night OutMaryLionsgate and Ecosse FilmsUK cinema release: 15 May 2015
2015DoctorsHarriet BrysonBBCEpisode 110
2015The 95thLeader of the RefugeesPost-production
2016Call the MidwifeDotBBCSeries 5, Episode 4
2016Sunny DJanetBBCSeries 1
2016The CrownMaryNetflixSeries 1
2017Pop SludgeVarious4MusicSeries 1, Pilot
2017BucketMirandaBBCSeries 1, Episode 1
2018Silent WitnessGemma KingBBCSeries 21