Multi-award-winning comedian and writer Bridget Christie awarded Honorary Doctorate

Celebrated comedian, actor and writer, Bridget Christie, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by University of Gloucestershire.

Born and raised in Gloucester, Bridget has become one of the UK’s key figures in the comedic world. Over her career, she has received numerous accolades, including the BBC Audio Drama Award for her BBC Radio 4 series Mortal, and the prestigious Rose d’Or International Broadcasting Award for her BBC Radio 4 series Bridget Christie’s Mind the Gap.

A former pupil of St Peter’s High School in Gloucester, Bridget earned a scholarship to the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London, where she trained for three years before beginning her professional career.

After early work in theatre, Bridget embarked on her stand-up career in 2004 and has since become a familiar name across stage, radio, and television. Her screen credits include the 13^th series of Taskmaster, and the Royal Television Society and BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 series The Change. Created and written by Christie, The Change is a humorous yet profound exploration of the menopause, set in the Forest of Dean.

In addition to her extensive screen and radio work, Bridget is an accomplished writer whose journalism has appeared in several leading national publications. A Book for Her, authored by Christie, was released to wide critical acclaim in 2015, and she also wrote a weekly column for The Guardian.

She has performed 13 solo shows that have received widespread recognition and will debut her 14^th, entitled Jacket Potato Pizza, in 2026.

Bridget said: “I am so delighted to be honoured by my hometown. It means so much.”

Throughout her career, Bridget has consistently used comedy as a platform to explore and challenge issues such as feminism, economic inequality, and climate change – inspiring audiences and amplifying important conversations.

Bridget commented: “I didn’t deliberately set out to write about issues at all, it just happened very organically. Early in my career I didn’t write about anything particularly important, but as I got older, I found that the shows I enjoyed the most were funny and about something, and so I became much more interested in figuring out that balance. The ideal scenario is to make people laugh for an hour or two and then on the way home have them realise it was about something too.”

Bridget, who received her Honorary Doctorate of Arts today at one of the University’s 2025 Graduation Ceremonies, said: “My advice to any students would be to work hard, to make the type of work that they themselves would like to see, be themselves, and never give up!”