Helen Monks

Helen Monks (born 2 October 1992) is an English writer, actress and comedian. She is best known for her roles in Raised by Wolves, Upstart Crow, The Archers, Holby City, The Last Kingdom, Genius, and Inside No. 9.[1][2][3][4][5]

Helen Monks
Born (1992-10-02) 2 October 1992
Birmingham
Alma materUniversity of Sheffield
OccupationActress, writer, comedian

Early life

Monks was born and raised in Birmingham. Both her parents work in theatre.[6] Her brother is a theatre lighting designer.[1]

When she was nine years old, Monks successfully auditioned for the Carlton Junior TV Workshop run by Colin Edwards and remained there until she left school.[7]

Career

In 2005, Monks became Birmingham's first Young Poet Laureate,[8] aged 13.[9] That same year she was cast in the radio soap-opera The Archers on BBC Radio 4, taking on the role of Pip Archer. She left the series in 2014.

Monks co-founded the Barnsley-based touring theatre company LUNG Theatre in 2012.[10] Lung is "a political documentary theatre company that makes theatre with communities, by communities and for communities."[11]

In 2015, Monks came third in the finals of the Funny Women Awards.[12][13] Together with actress and writer Tilly Steele, Monks has been a co-host of the Bitchin' podcast since 2018.[14]

Monks also appears in Ben Elton's BBC One sitcom Upstart Crow, Monks played the role of Susannah Shakespeare, daughter to Mitchell's William Shakespeare.

Writing

Monks' radio plays include "One Day", which won the BBC young writer's competition Radio Online in 2007 and "The Chicken Salad of a Troubled Mind", which was made by the Wireless Theatre Company in 2013.[15] Her stage play "The Piano Man" was performed at the Birmingham Rep as part of their Transmissions Festival 2008. Monks won the Taunton Young Writer's Award in 2014 and again in 2015 with her stage plays "Pillow Talk" and "No Fishing". In 2015 she co-wrote "E15" with Matt Woodhead about the Focus E15 campaign group. After winning a student drama award and being shortlisted for the Amnesty International Award, E15 went on a national tour with the Battersea Arts Centre. It has since been published by Oberon Books.[16]

Her one-woman play "Dolly Wants to Die" premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016.[6] In 2018, Monks co-wrote "Trojan Horse" with Matt Woodhead.[17] The play explores the impact of the Trojan Horse inquiry into an alleged Islamist takeover of a number of inner city schools in the east of Birmingham on the city and the people affected by the inquiry. It premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018 and has won the 2018 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and a Fringe First.[18][19][20]

Personal life

Monks earned a degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies from the University of Sheffield in 2014.[6][21]

She greatly admires the work of Caitlin Moran and David Mitchell, citing Mitchell as the reason she got into comedy.[22]

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
2003Red Sky at NightTV short
2013–16Raised by WolvesGermaine GarryPlayed one of the principal characters throughout the series.[23]
2015Holby CityTallulah HartSeason 17, episode 43: "A Good Man"
2016The Last KingdomGwen
2016–presentUpstart CrowSusanna ShakespeareAppeared in all episodes as of Series 2
2017TabooZilpha's MaidSeries 1, episode 7
2017GeniusMaja EinsteinEpisodes 1–3
2017Election Spy
2018Inside No. 9ColetteSeries 4, episode 1: "Zanzibar"
2019Hold the SunsetStephanie HughSeries 2, episode 4: "The Lemming Family"
2020MaxxxRose

References
  1. Gilbert, Gerard (29 February 2016). "Helen Monks on 'Raised by Wolves' and the real story of the writer Caitlin Moran and her feral siblings". The Independent.
  2. Huws Jones, Tudur (14 March 2015). "Raised by Wolves actress landed part after meeting her idol". northwales.
  3. Laws, Roz (15 March 2015). "Raised By Wolves: Meet Brummie actress Helen Monks who stars in the new Channel 4 sitcom – Birmingham Mail". Birmingham Mail.
  4. "Helen Monks Interview – Raised By Wolves". Student Rag.
  5. "Helen Monks interview for Raised By Wolves – Channel 4 – Info – Press". Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  6. Gilbey, Ryan (15 August 2016). "Helen Monks: 'The angrier I get, the funnier people seem to find it'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. Laws, Roz (15 March 2015). "Channel 4's Raised By Wolves: Meet the Birmingham actress playing Caitlin Moran". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. "Young poet laureate Birmingham". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  9. "Previous poet laureates". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  10. "LUNG". Helen Monks. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  11. "About LUNG". LUNG. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  12. Laws, Roz (11 September 2015). "Birmingham comic actress Helen Monks is one of the Funny Women of 2015". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  13. Jones, Alice (2 October 2015). "This is Desiree Burch, the funniest woman of the year". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  14. "bitchin' podcast". Patreon. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  15. "Helen Monks – Wireless Theatre Company". Wireless Theatre Company. 11 November 2013.
  16. "About The Young Poet Laureate Birmingham". Library of Birmingham. 7 February 2013.
  17. Weale, Sally (23 July 2018). "Play shines light on Trojan Horse 'Islamist plot' to run schools". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  18. Cavendish, Dominic (13 August 2018). "Trojan Horse at Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe, review: School for scandal? Birmingham's Islamist 'plot' revisited". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  19. "Trojan Horse wins Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award: The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  20. Wood, Alex. "Fringe First final week winners announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  21. "Sheffield Alumni – Helen Monks". Youtube. 10 August 2015.
  22. Laws, Roz (28 February 2016). "Channel 4's Raised By Wolves is back and star Helen Monks reveals how she has fulfilled her dreams". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  23. Hogan, Michael (2 March 2016). "Raised By Wolves series 2 episode 1: 'fizzingly funny'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
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