Phoebe Waller-Bridge catapulted to international stardom this year, and the folks back home have taken notice. Britain’s Radio Times polled television execs and broadcasting veterans to determine the MVPs of the small screen. “Who has captured the imagination of TV viewers in the past year? Which stars are at the top of broadcasters’ wish lists, who landed the biggest roles, and who masterminded the moments that had you glued to your screen?” the weekly mag inquired. Waller-Bridge came out on top.
The British multi-hyphenate swept the Emmys this year, landing trophies for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Comedy Series for her work on “Fleabag.” The London-set dark comedy tells the story of a woman grieving the loss of her best friend. Season 2 of the critically acclaimed series saw the guinea pig cafe owner striking up an unexpected connection with a Catholic priest. Waller-Bridge created “Fleabag,” which is based on her one-woman show of the same name.
The “Solo: A Star Wars Story” actress also created spy thriller “Killing Eve.” The BBC America hit stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. The former was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series last year, and the latter scored the win this year.
Less than 48 hours after her epic night at the Emmy Awards, Waller-Bridge inked an overall deal with Amazon, the American home of “Fleabag.” The pact is reportedly worth around $20 million per year.
Waller-Bridge worked on the script for the 25th James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” set to bow April 8. Her acting credits include “Broadchurch” and “Crashing,” and she created the latter, a comedy series about 20-somethings who live in an abandoned hospital. Alongside frequent collaborator Vicky Jones, she created “Run,” an upcoming HBO comedic thriller. She will co-star in the series.
Waller-Bridge is one of six women to crack the top 10 of the Radio Times list. She’s joined by Emily Maitlis, lead presenter of “Newsnight”; Stacey Dooley, a journalist, presenter, and broadcaster; Motsi Mabuse, a former dancer and current judge on “Strictly Come Dancing”; “Killing Eve” breakout Comer; and “Line of Duty” actress Vicky McClure.
Head over to Radio Times’ website to check out the complete list, which includes “The Crown’s” Olivia Colman and “When They See Us” creator Ava DuVernay, among others.