130 Fun Facts About Fleabag

Who created, wrote and stars in Fleabag?

She turned a one-woman Edinburgh Fringe show into two series and three Emmys.

Fleabag began life as a one-woman show at which festival in 2013?

The stage show won a Fringe First Award before the BBC came calling.

Which BBC channel originally broadcast Fleabag in 2016?

By the second series the channel was online-only, so it also aired on BBC One.

Which US streaming service co-produced Fleabag and carried it in America?

Series two dropped in the US in full on 17 May 2019.

How are Fleabag and Claire related?

Sian Clifford, who plays her, met Waller-Bridge at RADA and the two made a pact to help each other.

Which storytelling device does Fleabag use constantly throughout the series?

The Priest is the first character to notice her doing it.

Who plays the Priest, the love interest of series two?

He was Golden Globe-nominated for the role and won a Critics' Choice award.

Before Fleabag, the actor who plays the Priest was best known as which Sherlock villain?

He won a BAFTA TV Award for the role opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.

The actor who plays the Priest was born in which city?

He studied drama at Trinity College Dublin for six months before joining the Abbey Theatre.

Which of the following is true of most of Fleabag's main characters?

Both the title character and the Priest go unnamed for the entire run.

Who plays Fleabag and Claire's godmother, who becomes their stepmother?

She was Emmy-nominated for the passive-aggressive artist.

What is the profession of Fleabag's godmother?

Her "sexhibition" in series two was filmed at the Tate Modern.

Who plays Fleabag and Claire's father?

The Scottish actor's credits stretch from Comfort and Joy to Doctor Who and Outlander.

Which American actor plays Martin, Claire's aggressive alcoholic husband?

He is also Murray Bauman in Stranger Things.

What is the name of Fleabag's late best friend and business partner?

Jenny Rainsford filmed the role while seven months pregnant.

Which comedian, later the creator of Stath Lets Flats, plays Bus Rodent?

Bus Rodent is one of Fleabag's more regrettable love interests in series one.

Which Outnumbered star plays the Bank Manager Fleabag asks for a loan?

He appears in the first, fourth and final episodes of series one.

Which actor plays Harry, Fleabag's on-off boyfriend?

He returned for series two as Fleabag's hapless ex.

Which actress plays Fleabag's counsellor in series two, earning an Emmy nomination?

She was also Killing Eve's Carolyn Martens for Waller-Bridge.

Which actress plays Belinda, who gives a monologue about menopause at an awards ceremony?

She was Emmy-nominated for the guest role.

What is the name of Claire's Finnish business partner and love interest?

The joke is that his name sounds just like her own.

Which of these locations hosted the silent retreat Fleabag and Claire attend?

The Italianate mansion is normally a wedding venue.

What kind of café does Fleabag run?

Bold Café in Dartmouth Park stood in for it.

In which north-west London neighbourhood was most of Fleabag filmed?

Streets like Southampton Road, Laurier Road and York Rise appear repeatedly.

Where was the series-two dinner-party premiere filmed?

Waller-Bridge wanted a single-setting episode because it felt theatrical.

Where was the Priest's church filmed?

It is a Romanian Orthodox and former Anglican church.

Through which London burial ground does Fleabag jog every day?

The godmother's sexhibition was filmed at Tate Modern.

Where was the feminist talk that Fleabag and Claire attend filmed?

It is the scene where they are the only two to raise a hand about trading years of their life for a perfect body.

Who composed the music for both series of Fleabag?

She later scored the 2020 film Emma.

Which director helmed both series of Fleabag?

He went on to direct Enola Holmes and won the comedy directing Emmy for the series-two premiere.

Which production company, founded by Harry and Jack Williams, made Fleabag?

The company had launched with The Missing in 2014.

Who directed the original 2013 stage production of Fleabag?

She co-founded the DryWrite Theatre Company with Waller-Bridge.

Where and when did its creator first perform Fleabag, before the full Edinburgh version?

The character grew from a friend's challenge to write a 10-minute sketch for a storytelling night.

How many episodes are in each series of Fleabag?

Series one ran from 21 July to 25 August 2016.

What was the French remake of Fleabag, starring Camille Cottin, called?

The title is French for "fly"; it aired on Canal+ from 2019.

Fleabag was the first British show to win which Emmy in September 2019?

Waller-Bridge also won lead actress and writing that night.

Which former US president named series two of Fleabag among his favourite TV of 2019?

He listed it alongside Unbelievable and Watchmen as TV "as powerful as movies".

What are the first words Fleabag says to camera in the series-two premiere?

She says it while cleaning blood from her nose in a restaurant toilet.

Whose miscarriage does Fleabag falsely claim as her own at the series-two dinner?

The two sisters had not spoken for a year before that dinner.

What belated birthday gift does Fleabag's father give her at the engagement dinner?

It leads to Fiona Shaw's counsellor scenes later in the series.

What job does the family discover Claire actually has at the series-two dinner?

They had all assumed she was a lawyer.

Where do Fleabag and Claire finally reconcile at the end of the series-two premiere?

They bond over agreeing that the Priest is attractive.

Where did the series-two premiere rank on Rolling Stone's 2024 list of the best TV episodes of all time?

It won three Emmys: writing, directing and lead actress.

Where in London was Fleabag's creator born?

She grew up in Ealing and now lives in Shoreditch.

From which drama school did Fleabag's creator graduate in 2006?

Sian Clifford graduated from the same school the same year.

Which spy thriller did Fleabag's creator write and showrun for its first series?

She handed the head-writer job to Emerald Fennell for series two.

Which droid did Fleabag's creator play in Solo: A Star Wars Story?

She later co-wrote No Time to Die and starred in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Which James Bond film did Fleabag's creator co-write?

She was brought on to add humour and her offbeat style.

What was the name of Fleabag's creator's 2016 Channel 4 comedy set in an abandoned hospital?

W Magazine called it her "twisted take on Friends".

Which Irish playwright did Fleabag's creator start dating in 2017?

They were first linked at the London premiere of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Which theatre company did Fleabag's creator co-found in 2007 with the director of the Fleabag stage show?

Wells Street Films is her later production house, formed in 2020.

Sian Clifford won a BAFTA TV Award for playing Claire in which category?

Waller-Bridge had won the same award for series one.

Sian Clifford played Diana Ingram in which ITV drama about the Millionaire coughing scandal?

She also played Martha Crawley in Vanity Fair.

Andrew Scott's 2019 Emmy nomination was for which Black Mirror episode about a rideshare driver?

He later played Tom Ripley in Netflix's Ripley.

The Priest actor's Fleabag role earned him which honour?

He was Golden Globe-nominated in 2020 but did not win.

Where does Metacritic's aggregate of decade-end lists rank Fleabag among shows of the 2010s?

Both series hold 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

On what date did the final episode of Fleabag air?

The second series had begun on 4 March 2019.

Where was Claire's penthouse office filmed?

Her hair salon, the site of the "Claire" haircut, was 137 – Taylor and Taylor in Shoreditch.

Where was the series-two funeral filmed?

The godmother's house was on Cambridge Park Road in Twickenham.

Jenny Rainsford, who plays Boo, was how far into a pregnancy while filming?

In 2014 she and Waller-Bridge appeared in separate plays at the Soho Theatre simultaneously.

What accolade did the one-woman Fleabag play win at Edinburgh in 2013?

The character began as a 10-minute sketch for a stand-up storytelling night, written on a friend's challenge.

The character of Fleabag began as a sketch for what kind of event?

A friend challenged Waller-Bridge to fill a 10-minute slot.

Which love interest is described in the cast list as 'so named for his taste for anal sex'?

Ben Aldridge plays him in series one and guests in series two.

Who plays Pam, who works at the Priest's church in series two?

Martin later played the Fugitive Doctor in Doctor Who.

Which character is Fleabag's lawyer and one of her love interests in series two?

He is played by Ray Fearon, once a Coronation Street regular.

What is the name of Claire's teenage stepson in series two?

He is played by Angus Imrie, son of Celia Imrie.

Which character is Claire's co-worker Lesley played by?

Christian Hillborg plays Klare, Claire's Finnish business partner.

Fleabag's first series had a repeat run on which channel in August–September 2016?

By series two, BBC Three was online-only, so episodes also went out on BBC One.

Series two of Fleabag went out on which BBC channel alongside its BBC Three release?

BBC Three had become an online-only channel by then.

Besides Amazon, which US cable channel picked up Fleabag?

In the Netherlands the show was picked up by Net5.

Which Dutch channel picked up Fleabag?

The show was also remade in France as Mouche.

Who directed Mouche, the French remake of Fleabag?

Mouche is French for 'fly'; the remake began airing on Canal+ in June 2019.

On which French pay channel did the remake Mouche start airing in June 2019?

Camille Cottin starred in the close remake, set in Paris.

Which Dartmouth Park eatery stood in for Fleabag's guinea-pig café?

Street scenes were shot on roads including Southampton Road, Laurier Road and York Rise.

Dad and Godmother's house was filmed on Cambridge Park Road in which London area?

Other locations included Hampton Hill, Tufnell Park, Kentish Town and Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Where was Godmother's 'sexhibition' filmed?

It sits on Bankside; the Priest's church was St Andrew's in Kingsbury.

The hair salon in series two was filmed in which London district?

The salon was 137 – Taylor and Taylor.

Filming for the first series of Fleabag began in which month of 2016?

Episodes were released from 21 July to 25 August 2016.

Filming for the second series started in late August of which year?

It was released from 4 March to 8 April 2019.

On which date did the first episode of Fleabag premiere?

The final episode aired on 8 April 2019.

What approval rating did both series of Fleabag receive on Rotten Tomatoes?

Series one averaged 8.5/10 from 42 reviews and series two 9.3/10 from 99 reviews.

What Metacritic score did the second series of Fleabag receive?

The first series scored 88; both counts as 'universal acclaim'.

Which New Yorker critic called series one 'a precision black-humour mechanism'?

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone called series two a 'tragicomic masterpiece'.

Which Daily Telegraph critic called series two 'a near-perfect work of art'?

Hannah Jane Parkinson of The Guardian called the finale 'the most electrifying, devastating TV in years'.

Which two shows joined Fleabag on Barack Obama's 2019 list of TV 'as powerful as movies'?

He released the list on Twitter on 29 December 2019.

Which two Golden Globes did Fleabag win in 2020?

Andrew Scott was nominated but did not win.

Which BAFTA did Phoebe Waller-Bridge win for the first series of Fleabag?

The second series later earned her three Primetime Emmys.

How many Emmys did Fleabag win at the main 2019 ceremony, leading all programmes?

Waller-Bridge personally won three, for producing, writing and acting.

Fleabag's Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy gave which streamer its second straight win there?

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had won for Amazon the year before.

At the 2020 Golden Globes, Fleabag tied for most TV wins with which two shows?

Each won two awards that night.

At which Edinburgh Fringe venue did Waller-Bridge first perform Fleabag in 2013?

In 2021 she was named the first-ever President of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

In 2021 Waller-Bridge became the first-ever President of which organisation?

Fleabag had been performed at the Fringe in 2013 before its TV adaptation.

Which sitcom about a bank was Waller-Bridge in from 2011 to 2013?

She also appeared in the second season of Broadchurch in 2015.

Waller-Bridge's father founded which electronic trading platform?

Her mother worked for the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers.

In September 2019, Waller-Bridge signed a three-year overall deal with which studio?

It continued the relationship formed for Fleabag's second series.

Which video-game heroine's TV series did Waller-Bridge develop for Amazon, ordered in 2024?

Waller-Bridge lives in Shoreditch, London.

Waller-Bridge met her future husband Conor Woodman while acting in which Jack Thorne play?

They married in 2014; her later partner is Martin McDonagh.

Sian Clifford was turned down how many times before RADA accepted her?

She met Waller-Bridge at RADA and the pair made a pact to help whichever succeeded first.

Sian Clifford played Martha Crawley in which 2018 ITV/Amazon adaptation?

She was also Emmy-nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress for Fleabag series two.

Andrew Scott won a BAFTA TV Award for playing which character in Sherlock?

He later earned Emmy nominations for Black Mirror and Ripley.

Andrew Scott won a 2019 Olivier Award for Best Actor for which Noël Coward revival?

He played Garry Essendine; he was also Olivier-nominated for Hamlet and Vanya.

Andrew Scott earned a Golden Globe nomination for which 2023 film opposite Paul Mescal?

Andrew Haigh's film is loosely based on Taichi Yamada's novel Strangers.

Andrew Scott played Tom Ripley in a 2024 series created by which writer-director?

Ripley won four Emmys, including directing for Zaillian.

Olivia Colman's breakthrough came in which Channel 4 sitcom?

She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Olivia Colman won her Academy Award for playing which monarch in The Favourite?

She later played Elizabeth II in The Crown, winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

Bill Paterson, who plays Fleabag's father, was born in which city?

He holds a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Scottish BAFTAs.

Brett Gelman is also known for playing Murray Bauman in which Netflix series?

He began as a comedian on Adult Swim shows such as Eagleheart.

Hugh Skinner played inept intern Will Humphries in which BBC comedy?

He also played Prince William in Channel 4's The Windsors.

Ben Aldridge played Captain James in which BBC military drama?

He went on to play Thomas Wayne in Pennyworth and star in Knock at the Cabin.

Fiona Shaw won a 2019 BAFTA for playing MI6 boss Carolyn Martens in which series?

Shaw also played Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films.

Kristin Scott Thomas was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for which 1996 film?

Since 2022 she has starred in the Apple TV+ spy series Slow Horses.

Ray Fearon, Fleabag's lawyer in series two, played mechanic Nathan Cooper in which soap?

Aged 24 he became the first Black actor in over 40 years to play Othello on RSC main stages.

Hugh Dennis appeared on every episode of the original run of which panel show?

He is one half of the double act Punt and Dennis.

Jenny Rainsford, who plays Boo, grew up in which Hertfordshire town?

She studied English at Oxford before training at RADA.

Vicky Jones, director of the Fleabag play, wrote which 2020 HBO series starring Merritt Wever?

She also wrote the Killing Eve episode 'Don't I Know You?'.

Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer went on to direct which Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown?

It was adapted by Jack Thorne from Nancy Springer's novels.

Two Brothers Pictures, which made Fleabag, launched with which BBC One series?

The company joined the All3Media Group in 2017.

Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge is the sister-in-law of which Downton Abbey actress?

Isobel also scored the films Emma (2020) and Vita and Virginia.

Waller-Bridge's spy thriller about the assassin Villanelle is based on novels by which author?

Each series had a different female head writer; Emerald Fennell led series two.

Which Bridgerton star appeared alongside Waller-Bridge in her 2016 sitcom Crashing?

Crashing aired on Channel 4 and went international as a Netflix Original.

Waller-Bridge polished the No Time to Die script in April 2019 at whose request?

She is credited alongside Fukunaga, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

In Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, what is Waller-Bridge's Helena Shaw to Indy?

Helena is an archaeologist researching the Dial.

Olivia Colman won a comedy-performance BAFTA in 2012 for which mockumentary series?

She also won Best Supporting Actress for the crime series Accused in 2012.

Olivia Colman, who plays the Godmother, was born in which English city?

Born Sarah Caroline Colman to a nurse and a chartered surveyor, she trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Andrew Scott made his film debut at 17 in which 1995 Irish drama?

He later left Trinity College Dublin after six months to join the Abbey Theatre before moving to London at 22.

Sian Clifford, who plays Claire, grew up in which London borough?

She and Phoebe Waller-Bridge met early at RADA and made a silent pact that whoever found success first would help the other.

Before RADA accepted her, Sian Clifford spent three years working in what job?

She had been turned down twice by the drama school before finally getting in, graduating in 2006.

Bill Paterson, who plays Dad, was a founding member of which touring Scottish theatre company?

He joined it after John McGrath saw him at the 1972 Edinburgh Festival performing with Billy Connolly.

Brett Gelman, who plays Martin, received his classical theatre training in which US state?

After college he moved to New York and became a regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Waller-Bridge's Channel 4 sitcom about property guardians was shot in a disused building in which district?

The setting was inspired by the abandoned Middlesex Hospital in Fitzrovia, near the production company's offices.