Jessica Stevenson

Profession: Actress
Place/Date of Birth: Lewisham, 1972

Jessica hits out at modern women - May 25 2007
Jessica Stevenson has issued a stinging criticism of modern women, saying she wonders how children of the suffragettes have become "obsessed with scented candles".

The 34-year-old, who has changed her surname to Hynes since marrying husband Adam, will make her debut as Doctor Who's love interest in tomorrow night's episode.

But the Magicians actress has also been researching a project about the suffragette movement, which led her to tell The Guardian that she despairs at the attitudes of women today.

"Women now define themselves through their lifestyle, by their shoes and sofa throws," she said. "100 years ago, women defined themselves much more by their character and interests.

"I wondered how women - so enthused, so galvanised, so passionate - could have organised one of the most successful political campaigns in British history. Compare that with now when they are obsessed with scented candles.

"Not so say that all women are like that but it's still depressing that politicised, sophisticated women are few and far between."

As well as the cult hit TV show Spaced, Jessica has also appeared on the big screen in Confetti and Shaun Of The Dead.

Jessica’s ’boring’ date with Walliams - Oct 18 2006
Comedy actress Jessica Stevenson has admitted to a "boring" date with Little Britain star David Walliams - which ended with him buying her a box of smarties.

The award-winning comedienne, best-known as one of the creators of the sitcom Spaced, said: "I went on a date with him and he was quite boring. He ended up going out with my friend... he bought me some smarties."

The revelations are unlikely to bother David, who has been regularly photographed with well-known beauties.

Jessica, who most recently starred in the British romantic comedy Confetti and is set to appear in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, revealed her romantic history when she appeared on the Russell Brand’s Got Issues show.

She added that she once stole her friend’s brother’s pillowcase because she had a crush on her friend, adding: "I was 16. I was in the house of a very good friend. A boy I had had a crush on for five years had slept over in my friend’s brother’s bedroom so I stole the pillowcase..."

Biography

Born in 1972, Jessica Stevenson made her name as one half of the creative duo behind cult sitcom Spaced. However, she began her career in a much more serious manner - training as a member of the National Youth Theatre and making her debut in 1993 as First Midwife in Peter Greenaway’s Baby of Macon.

She took to the stage not long afterwards with friend Katy Carmichael as The Liz Hurleys, which she followed up with TV parts in Staying Alive, Six Pairs of Pants and Asylum. It was whilst filming Asylum that she met Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, whom she would create Spaced with in 1999 following a stint on The Royle Family.

With several prestigious comedy and acting awards under her belt Stevenson has not only fronted her own sitcom, According to Bex, but has also launched a big screen career with parts in Shaun of the Dead and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well as Shaun of the Dead.
May 2007

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