Born in London, Kerry Godliman, 49, trained at Rose Bruford drama school and became a standup comic. In 2012, she was cast in Ricky Gervais’s Channel 4 sitcom Derek, and the next year she began her own BBC Radio 4 show Kerry’s List. She is a regular on radio and TV comedy programmes such as Just a Minute and Live at the Apollo. Her acting roles include TV dramas Save Me, Whitstable Pearl, Trigger Point and Adult Material, and from 2019 she starred in Gervais’s black comedy After Life. Godliman hosts the Memory Lane podcast with Jen Brister. She is married with two children and lives in London.
When were you happiest?
In the sea, somewhere hot. Looking back at people I love on the beach.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my mind.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Comparing myself to other people.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Comparing themselves to other people.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Farting in front of Colin Firth.
What is your most treasured possession?
My garden.
Describe yourself in three words
Curious, suggestible, silly.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
Privacy.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
Loads. All the greats.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Mark Ruffalo. Adam Frost.
What makes you unhappy?
Populism. Greed. Climate change. Inequality. Pollution. Hunger. Rivers full of silage.
What was the last lie that you told?
That I was busy when I wasn’t.
What do you owe your parents?
They laughed at my jokes, encouraged me not to give up and to work hard.
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What did you dream about last night?
Very old school friends who I’ve not seen for decades.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Bar and buffet at Top Ten Bingo in Greenford. A lot of the old people were quite bigoted.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
This country’s enchantment with privately educated, self-serving liars.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I’d drink less alcohol in the 90s.
When did you last cry, and why?
I cry all the time. Films can tip me over. Especially Pixar ones. I alarmed my kids when we went to see Coco – I was a mess. I cried at the Elton John gig at Glastonbury.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
On an anti-BNP demonstration in the 90s, I got much closer to a police horse than is advisable.
What keeps you awake at night?
The perimenopause.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
I’m OK where I am with those three.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Stress is bad for your health.
What happens when we die?
I don’t think we’re meant to know.
Tell us a joke
This government.
Tell us a secret
I left the dog out all night once. Forgot I had a dog.
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