Well hellllooooo to you and thanks for reading. She is what I call, the funniest lady on television these days, although I do quite like that Sarah Millican and Claudia Winkleman always generates a giggle. But anyway… Miranda, blooming hilarious. She has managed to scoop a rather healthy amount of awards this year including, “Best Comedy Actress, People’s Choice Award For The King Or Queen Of Comedy, Best New British TV Comedy” and a nomination for, bare with, bare with… a BAFTA, yes BAFTA which has somewhat placed a yummy cherry on top of that yummy cake. But who is she? WHO IS SHE? (Besides being that, you know, rather tall comedienne with funny hair.)
Miranda began writing comedy after suffering a mental breakdown in her early 20s. She put on five stone while taking antidepressants and didn’t leave the house for a shocking two years due to agoraphobia. She exposed “It all happened after university. I think I was just very anxious. I thought the world was a bit scary. Some people get depressed for six months and then pull themselves together. I just hid in a room and didn’t go out for two years.” Miranda later forced herself to move to Edinburgh to focus on comedy festivals.
You can tell with her accent that she came from a ‘good background,’ a fortunate background if you ask me. Miranda attended the prestigious Downe House School, a girl’s boarding school in Berkshire, where fees today cost £28,000 a year. But she was far from being a teacher’s pet. “I was the clown and I felt I could be myself, more than I’ve ever been until now,” she admitted.
While at school, Miranda became best friends with head girl Clare Balding, who is now a leading TV sports presenter. The pair are still great pals to this day.
Miranda, who was born in Torquay, Devon, bases some of her comedy on her own life. She recently said, “In the first episode of Miranda, I was called ‘sir’ by a delivery man. I have been called ‘sir’ before in real life.”
Miranda’s cousin is the famous plant finder Thomas Guy Hart Dyke, whom literally risks his life to acquire rare species around the world. In 2000, Thomas was kidnapped by guerillas in South America and threatened with death. It seems he kept strong by mentally designing a garden and was released nine months later.
Following a sudden growth spurt in her teens, Miranda, stands at a whopping 6 ft 1 inches tall. When she was 15 her parents became increasingly worried and took her to see a growth specialist.
Miranda, who is single, has recently taken up power walking with her pet dog – but she refuses to use walking poles. “I hate the gym, but power walking means both me and the dog can exercise together, but I don’t want to look like a weirdo!”
When Miranda was 10, her father, Captain David Hart Dyke, was severely burned when his ship HMS Coventry, was bombed during the Falklands War. In total, 19 men lost their lives. “I remember when his ship sank and coming home from school and a whole mass of news reporters being outside. I didn’t fully understand.”
Although her family is considered upper class, Miranda hates admitting it. Her family tree can be traced back to the 12th Century and her aunt and uncle live in a splendid castle.
She also has a degree in politics but has barely read a newspaper in 15 years. She says “my parents made me study politics but I got so annoyed reading about it that I just stopped. It’s awful – I’ve got no knowledge.”
