Siân Gibson

Sian Gibson (; born 1976) is a Welsh comedy actress and television writer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the sitcom Peter Kay's Car Share, alongside Kay, for which she won the 2016 BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy and the National Television Award for Best Comedy.

Between 2017 and 2024, Gibson appeared as Gemma in 11 original UKTV films from the Murder on the Blackpool Express and Murder, They Hope series. She co-wrote and co-starred in the Royal Television Society's North West award-winning show The Power of Parker, and later joined the cast of Mammoth.

Early life Gibson was born and raised in Mold, Flintshire, Wales. Her father was a builder and her mother a housewife. She joined the local youth theatre in Theatr Clwyd. She studied performing arts at the University of Salford, where she met fellow students – and future stand-up comedians – Peter Kay and Steve Edge.

Career Early work After gaining a HND for Media Performance, Gibson quickly got an agent. She had a series of small credits in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Peak Practice, Hospital People and Emmerdale. She played Tessie Thompson in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks during 1998 and 1999, returning in autumn 2007 for four further appearances. Gibson also played Trish in a trio of episodes of The League of Gentlemen.

More work came her way alongside Kay, including "The Services" episode of Channel 4's Comedy Lab, the "Eyes Down" episode of That Peter Kay Thing – and then a role as Young Mary in three episodes of Phoenix Nights. There were also cameos in Kay's music video for the Texas song "Sleep", as well as the Geraldine McQueen song "Once Upon a Christmas Song" as her Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice character, Wendy.

Outside of those jobs with Kay, aside from "parts which were three lines", other roles seemed elusive, with Gibson saying acting had largely "run its course" towards the middle of the 2000s.

Premature retirement The struggle for acting work was "soul-destroying" and, with a mortgage to pay, Gibson moved to Mold, north Wales, with husband Ian and their daughter, Gracie. She worked at a call centre for Card One Banking, where her co-workers had little idea she had previously been an actress.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Kay had received the script that became Peter Kay's Car Share from Paul Coleman and Tim Reid. Although Kay loved the idea, he initially had no intention of appearing in the series.

After that, Kay asked Gibson whether she wanted to work with them on the script. Main characters John and Kayleigh were originally meant to be slightly younger – but the four rewrote the script to fit Kay and Gibson into the roles.

Return to acting As well as Car Share's successful viewing figures, the show brought a series of accolades for Gibson herself. As co-writer alongside Kay, Coleman and Reid, she won a BAFTA, National Television Award, Broadcast Award, and Broadcasting Press Guild Award. The quartet were also nominated for a pair of Royal Television Society Awards.

Gibson herself was nominated for individual acting awards from BAFTA, the Royal Television Society and the Broadcasting Press Guild.

April 2017 saw the second series of Car Share, with Gibson continuing to co-write alongside Kay, Coleman and Reid – plus co-star with Kay. The second series became more popular than the first, with more than 10 million iPlayer requests that made it "the most popular comedy of the year by far."

The success of the show brought Gibson to wider prominence and opened the door for other roles. Alongside Johnny Vegas, she was cast as Gemma Draper in UKTV's 2017 TV movie Murder on the Blackpool Express. With 1.8 million viewers, the comedy murder mystery became Gold's highest-rated show, and was later rebroadcast on BBC Two.

In 2018, Gibson guest-starred in an episode of Death in Paradise. She also appeared in the "Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room" episode of Inside No. 9. Multiple publications later ranked the episode as one of the best among the show's 11-year, 55-episode run.

She also played Natasha, the wife of main character Romesh, in two series of Romesh Ranganathan's The Reluctant Landlord across 2018 and 2019.

Taskmaster series eight, in 2019, saw Gibson participate alongside Joe Thomas, Iain Stirling, Lou Sanders and Paul Sinha. She finished fourth, winning episodes four and six.

Later the same year, she co-starred as Cinderella in Sky's TV movie Cinderella: After Ever After alongside David Walliams, Tom Courtenay and Celia Imrie. The Sky One film was shown on Christmas Eve.

Alongside that other work, following the success of Murder on the Blackpool Express, Gibson and Vegas reprised their roles for the sequels, Death on the Tyne (2018) and Dial M for Middlesbrough (2019). UKTV commissioned a full series based on the viewing figures for the three movies. Re-titled Murder, They Hope, the pair continued as Terry and Gemma for six further films and a Christmas special between 2021 and 2023. A separate, though connected, TV movie – Apocalypse Slough – came in 2024. In all, Gibson has played Gemma Draper in 11 TV movies.

Continued work Gibson returned to writing, with 2023's BBC One-commissioned The Power of Parker. Alongside Car Share writer Coleman, Gibson co-wrote all six episodes of the 1990s-set, Stockport-based, sitcom. She also played the main character, Kath Pennington.

The show's first series averaged 2.2 million viewers on iPlayer across its first month, making it the biggest new scripted comedy of 2023. The show was commissioned for a second series in May 2024.

There was also critical success, with the show winning best comedy programme at the Royal Television Society's North West awards for 2024. Gibson was also nominated for best performance in a comedy, with Joe Gilgun taking the win.

The second run of six episodes was set two years after the first, and broadcast in June 2025. Creator Mike Bubbins pushed for Gibson, despite resistance she wasn't Welsh enough.

The series was recommissioned for a full run of eight episodes and a Christmas special, with Gibson reprising her role. In March 2025, BBC chairman Samir Shah described the show as "brilliant".

Personal life Gibson is married to Ian Gibson, a gas fitter. They have a daughter, Gracie, who was born in 2013. Sheila Co-star, with Catherine Tate & Miles Jupp

Hospital People Hillary Guest: series 1, episode 2 – "The Security Threat"

Guest: series 4, episode 2 – "Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room"

|Guest: series 7, episode 3 – "Written in Murder" Panellist: series 12, episode 7. Lee's team, with James Acaster

Dial M for Middlesbrough Gemma Main role, third in the Murder on the Blackpool Express trilogy Cinderella: After Ever After Cinderella Co-star, alongside David Walliams 2020 The Grand Party Hotel Narrator BBC One documentary 2021–2024 Murder, They Hope Gemma Main role: Six movies & two specials

Johnny Vegas: Carry On Glamping Narrator Channel 4 mini-series Beauty and the Beast: A Pantomime for Comic Relief Ma Television pantomime 2022 The Cleaner Sis Guest: Christmas special 2022: "A Clean Christmas" 2023–present The Power of Parker Kath Main role & co-writer 2024 David & Jay's Touring Toolshed Narrator BBC One Series 2024–present Mammoth Mel Jones Main role: two series, 12 episodes

Death Valley Wendy Harries Guest: series 1, episode 4 Mandy Janice Guest: series 4, episode 1: "Petty Woman"

Audio

Accolades Peep Show People Do Nothing Best Female Performance in a Comedy Michaela Coel – Chewing Gum Miranda Hart – Miranda Richard Bentley Best Scripted Comedy(nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) Catastrophe People Just Do Nothing Best Original Programme(nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) Ballot Monkeys Cyber Bully Murder in Successville No Offence The Tribe Best Made for Online (Digital First)(nominated alongside Peter Kay, Gill Isles, Paul Coleman, Tim Reid) Adam Curtis: Bitter Lake The Man in the High Castle Danny Brocklehurst – Ordinary Lies Russell T Davies – Banana Best Performance in a Comedy Peter Kay – Peter Kay's Car Share Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer – House of Fools Jodie Whittaker – Doctor Who Rosie Cavaliero – The Power of Parker Conleth Hill – The Power of Parker Best Comedy Programme(nominated alongside Paul Coleman) Brassic: Series 5 G'wed Black Ops Everyone Else Burns Such Brave Girls Black Ops Dreaming Whilst Black Extraordinary Juice Ruby Speaking Significant Other Best Comedy Partnership(nominated alongside Rosie Cavaliero) David Tennant & Michael Sheen – Staged Charlotte Ritchie & Kiell Smith-Bynoe – Ghosts Daisy Haggard & Martin Freeman – Breeders Harriet Dyer & Patrick Brammall – Colin from Accounts Jon Richardson & Lucy Beaumont – Meet the Richardsons Katherine Parkinson & Youssef Kerkour – Significant Other Reece Shearsmith & Steve Pemberton – Inside No. 9