# Aisling Bea
**Aisling Bea** is an Irish comedian, actor, and writer, known professionally under a stage name taken in tribute to her late father. Born Aisling O'Sullivan in Kildare, Ireland, in 1984, she won the BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent for the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) comedy-drama *This Way Up*, which she created, wrote, produced, and starred in.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Aisling Cliodhnadh O'Sullivan, born 1984 in Kildare, Ireland; "Bea" honors her late father Brian[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/aisling_bea/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) |
| Training | French and philosophy at Trinity College Dublin, then the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)[4](https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-41695517.html) |
| Stand-up breakthrough | Won So You Think You're Funny? at the Edinburgh Fringe, the first woman to win it in 20 years[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) |
| Signature work | *This Way Up* (2019), Channel 4 in the UK and Hulu in the US; BAFTA Breakthrough Talent 2021[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) |
| Panel shows | First female team captain of *8 Out of 10 Cats* (2016); cast member on *Taskmaster* (2017)[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/aisling_bea/) |
| Acting credits | *Living with Yourself* opposite Paul Rudd, *Greatest Days*, *Get Away* with Nick Frost, *Home Sweet Home Alone*, *Alice & Jack*, and the *Doctor Who* New Year's Eve special[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) |
| Recent stand-up | Touring show *Older Than Jesus*, her first live show in more than a decade[6](https://www.thereviewshub.com/aisling-bea-older-than-jesus-kings-theatre-glasgow/) |
## Early life and name
Bea was born Aisling O'Sullivan in Kildare, Ireland, in 1984, to parents Brian and Helen O'Sullivan.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) Her father died when she was young; in a 2017 Guardian article marking the 30th anniversary of his death, she wrote that she thought he would have been proud to watch her do stand-up at the O2.[4](https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-41695517.html)
She studied French and philosophy at [Trinity College Dublin](https://www.edgepedia.org/trinity-college-dublin) before training at the [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-academy-of-music-and-dramatic-art).[4](https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-41695517.html) At drama school she adopted the professional name Bea, a tribute to her late father Brian, also to avoid confusion with the fellow Irish actress Aisling O'Sullivan.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) Her first name is pronounced "Ashling".[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/)
## Stand-up and panel shows
Bea won the Foster's So You Think You're Funny? competition for new stand-ups at the Edinburgh Fringe; her biography dates the win to 2012,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) while her management profile dates it to 2011, in both cases describing her as the first woman to win in 20 years.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) In 2014 she won the British Comedy Award for Best Female TV Comedian.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/) She has a mini stand-up special as part of Netflix's *The Comedy Lineup*.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13)
On British panel shows she became a regular on *QI*, *8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown*, *The Last Leg*, *Live at the Apollo*, and *The Big Fat Quiz of Everything*, among others.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) In 2016 she became the first female team captain of the long-running *8 Out of 10 Cats*, serving in that role through 2017.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/aisling_bea/) She appeared as a cast member on *Taskmaster* in 2017.[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/aisling_bea/) In 2024 she appeared as a contestant on the first Prime Video Original Irish comedy series, *LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland*, hosted by [Graham Norton](https://www.edgepedia.org/graham-norton).[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [7](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2023/06/10/aisling-bea-when-i-am-ovulating-there-is-no-limit-to-how-funny-i-can-be/)
## This Way Up
*This Way Up*, first broadcast in 2019, is the comedy-drama that established Bea as a writer-performer. She wrote, produced, and starred in both seasons, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK and on Hulu in the US.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/) The series follows Áine, an Irish English-language teacher in London leaning on her older sister Shona, played by [Sharon Horgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharon-horgan), in the aftermath of a nervous breakdown.[8](https://time.com/5752550/tv-shows-you-missed-2019/) *Time* listed it among the best TV shows viewers probably missed in 2019, noting a scene in which the sisters serenade their boyfriend's bewildered family with [The Cranberries](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cranberries)' "Zombie".[8](https://time.com/5752550/tv-shows-you-missed-2019/)
The show earned Bea the BAFTA TV Craft Award for Breakthrough Talent in 2021, a nomination for the Best Female Comedy BAFTA in 2022, and a National Comedy Award nomination for Best Actress.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/) Her management profile describes it as a five-star series about mental health that deftly preys on your fears and pricks your sympathies.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13)
## Acting career
Bea's screen roles span comedy and drama. She had a lead role opposite [Paul Rudd](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-rudd) in the Netflix series *Living with Yourself* (2019), appeared in James Graham's television adaptation of *Quiz*, played in the Disney remake *Home Sweet Home Alone*, and starred as Rachel in the [Take That](https://www.edgepedia.org/take-that) film musical *Greatest Days*, directed by [Coky Giedroyc](https://www.edgepedia.org/coky-giedroyc).[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/) She appeared in the *Doctor Who* New Year's Eve special.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) Later work includes the Nick Frost comedy horror *Get Away* (2025), the Channel 4 romantic drama *Alice & Jack* opposite Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough, and the dark comedy feature *& Mrs* with Colin Hanks and Billie Lourd.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/)
## Return to stand-up
In 2025 and 2026 Bea toured the UK and Ireland with *Older Than Jesus*, her first live show in more than a decade.[5](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13) • [6](https://www.thereviewshub.com/aisling-bea-older-than-jesus-kings-theatre-glasgow/) The show deals with Catholicism; *The Irish Times* review described her as radiating charm and joy in an upbeat show of clever one-liners and full-circle stories.[9](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/review/2026/03/23/aisling-beas-older-than-jesus-review-clever-one-liners-gags-and-delicious-full-circle-stories/) The *Reviews Hub* judged the writing markedly more ambitious and reflective than when she first broke through.[6](https://www.thereviewshub.com/aisling-bea-older-than-jesus-kings-theatre-glasgow/)
## Personal life and other work
Bea has spoken publicly about having ADHD, describing time blindness and time paralysis as constant features of her working life.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/24/aisling-bea-comedian-awards-baftas-and-learning-to-be-funny) On 3 June 2024 she announced she was expecting her first child; the birth was announced on 26 August that year, and the father is her partner, the musician Jack Freeman.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/)
She has taken on ambassadorial and festival roles. Oxfam Ireland named her the face of its Second Hand September 2025 campaign promoting second-hand clothing.[11](https://www.oxfamireland.org/press/aisling-bea-announced-as-the-face-of-oxfam-irelands-second-hand-september-2025) She was announced as a speaker at Ireland's Edge 2026, a Dingle, County Kerry event running alongside the Other Voices festival, whose theme examines democracy, press freedom, and the search for truth amid disinformation.[12](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2026/1013/1595197-irvine-welsh-aisling-bea-and-more-for-irelands-edge-2026/)
## References
1. [Aisling Bea – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3201406/bio/)
2. [Aisling Bea – Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/aisling-bea/)
3. [Aisling Bea – British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/aisling_bea/)
4. [Aisling Bea: 'It gives me joy to find a bargain', Irish Examiner](https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-41695517.html)
5. [Aisling Bea – Chambers Management](https://www.chambersmgt.com/artist/aisling-bea/?portfolioCats=13)
6. [Aisling Bea: Older Than Jesus – King's Theatre, Glasgow, The Reviews Hub](https://www.thereviewshub.com/aisling-bea-older-than-jesus-kings-theatre-glasgow/)
7. [Aisling Bea: I want to be 'easy and nice', The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2023/06/10/aisling-bea-when-i-am-ovulating-there-is-no-limit-to-how-funny-i-can-be/)
8. [The Best TV Shows You Probably Didn't Watch in 2019, Time](https://time.com/5752550/tv-shows-you-missed-2019/)
9. [Aisling Bea's Older Than Jesus review, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/review/2026/03/23/aisling-beas-older-than-jesus-review-clever-one-liners-gags-and-delicious-full-circle-stories/)
10. [Aisling Bea: 'I rebuilt my bathroom around my Bafta', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/24/aisling-bea-comedian-awards-baftas-and-learning-to-be-funny)
11. [Aisling Bea announced as the face of Oxfam Ireland's Second Hand September 2025](https://www.oxfamireland.org/press/aisling-bea-announced-as-the-face-of-oxfam-irelands-second-hand-september-2025)
12. [Irvine Welsh, Aisling Bea and more for Ireland's Edge 2026, RTÉ](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2026/1013/1595197-irvine-welsh-aisling-bea-and-more-for-irelands-edge-2026/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › British and Irish comedians › Alternative comedy generation*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license