The best of Olivia Colman’s films and TV shows
Who is Olivia Colman?
If you don’t know who Olivia Colman is, then it's time you found out. Born in Norwich on 30th January 1974, Olivia’s real name is Sarah Caroline Sinclair nee Colman. She changed it to her stage name of Olivia Colman when she took up acting as there was already another actress called Sarah Colman.
In her early career, Olivia featured in a range of classic British comedies, including Black Books and The Office (that’s right, she was in The Office!). Her first real breakthrough role was in Peep Show on Channel 4– but more on that later.
Since then, Colman has received an array of awards, including a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed Broadchurch, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s The Crown, and even an Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading role in The Favourite. That’s not even everything she’s won, but it’s a long list...
And because we couldn’t leave it out, here’s Olivia’s iconic acceptance speech for when she won the Academy Award for The Favourite:
Iconic, we love her.
As for her personal life, Olivia Colman met Ed Sinclair in the late 1990s – a law student at the time who was more interested in writing. The pair married in 2001, have three children together and live in South London. Now, on to her roles on screen...
Best Olivia Colman TV shows:
Great Expectations
BBC iPlayer
We can’t quite put this on the list yet, because it's not out yet, but we’re excited! From Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, the mini-series of Charles Dickens’ classic novel will be airing very soon on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Olivia Colman will star in the iconic role of Miss Havisham, the jilted (but very rich) eccentric old woman who remains in her wedding dress years after her would-be wedding day. She’ll star opposite Fionn Whitehead as Pip, the young, poor boy who dreams of becoming a gentleman, and Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella, Miss Havisham’s ward. Find out more about the BBC's new adaptation of Great Expectations.
The Crown
Colman’s role as Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix’s The Crown earned her a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. After taking over the role from Claire Foy who played the Queen in her younger years, Colman had a big task ahead, but her wryly humorous take on the monarch in her middle age during the 1970s and 1980s was highly acclaimed.
Flowers
This black comedy stars Olivia Colman, Julian Barratt and Leila Hoffman. Colman takes on the role of Deborah Flowers, the matriarch of the Flowers family and wife of Maurice Flowers (Julian Barratt). The couple remain married, just about, but are hardly a picture of marital bliss, and live with their maladjusted twin children. Anyone who knows Julian Barratt from his Mighty Boosh days won’t be surprised that it’s a surreal watch, but it’s also incredibly poignant on subjects like mental health, family and relationships
Watch on Prime Video
Broadchurch
In a darker role, Olivia Colman stars as Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller opposite David Tennant as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy in acclaimed crime drama Broadchurch. Together the pair attempt to work together to solve the murder of an 11-year-old boy in the small town of Broadchurch. The power duo returns for three seasons investigating cases in the small British town, and you can watch all three seasons now on ITVX.
Fleabag
In Phoebe Waller-Bridge's critically acclaimed black comedy series, Colman artfully plays the role of wicked stepmother Matrigna. She's the faux-friendly and sharp godmother of Fleabag, the new wife of Fleabag’s father and former friend of her now-deceased mother. She’s an artist, and the worst, and Colman plays her perfectly while still somehow being funny. We honestly don’t know how she did that.
Heartstopper
Although she plays the relatively small role of Nick’s mum, she made us all want her as our mum. Colman’s warm, genuine and accepting response to her son coming out as bi was beyond lovely in a show which was already cuter than we thought possible. Watch the feel-good LGBTQ+ show now and you’ll see what we mean.
Green Wing
This surreal British comedy following doctors and hospital staff features Colman as the adorable Harriet Schulenburg – a slightly ditsy and frazzled mother of three who works as an admin assistant whose big pants stole the show. Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, Oliver Kris, Mark Heap and more big names in British comedy star in the genre-defying hospital comedy, and if you’ve not watched it yet, do it, STAT.
Peep Show
One of Colman’s stand-out performances from her early roles is Sophie in Peep Show. Arguably her breakthrough role, Peep Show stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb in this cringe-inducing point-of-view comedy.
Best Olivia Colman films:
The Favourite (2018)
Olivia Colman bagged her Oscar for the leading role of Queen Anne in this black comedy (if you haven’t noticed the pattern, black comedy is Colman’s speciality). Emma Stone (Abigail) and Rachel Weisz (Sarah Churchill) also star alongside the eccentric queen as they both vie for the Queen’s affection and favour.
The Lost Daughter (2021)
In this recent psychological drama from Netflix, Olivia Colman stars as Leda Caruso who, while on holiday, becomes obsessed with a woman (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter who she sees on the beach. In an unsettling portrait of motherhood, it’s one of Colman’s most hard-hitting performances to date.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Ending with a comedy, Colman features in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s police comedy Hot Fuzz as PC Doris Thatcher. The hilarious film follows a brilliant police officer, Nicholas Angel, who is sent to a small British village that begins to see a strange series of deadly accidents, leading Angel to uncover a dark conspiracy.
Honourable mentions:
And finally, a couple of honourable mentions where Colman has guest starred in these well-known comedies:
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Doctor Who as Mother: S5 Ep1, The Eleventh Hour
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The Office as Helena: S2 Ep6, Interview
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Black Books appearance as Tanya: S3 Ep2, Elephants and Hens
What’s your favourite Olivia Colman performance, and what are you going to watch first?
Isabelle Grimshaw
