Entertainment

Fleabag star Sian Clifford wants TV ‘gatekeepers’ to step aside for new talent

She hopes there will be new shows to match the impact of Fleabag.
She hopes there will be new shows to match the impact of Fleabag. She hopes there will be new shows to match the impact of Fleabag.

Fleabag star Sian Clifford wants the gatekeepers of television to step aside for upcoming talent.

The actress, who plays Claire – the sister of the eponymous heroine in the series – said Phoebe Waller-Bridge had the freedom to create something new.

Fleabag second series
Fleabag second series Phoebe Waller-Bridge created a comedy hit (Luke Varley/PA)

Clifford said that she hopes the absence of Fleabag will not mean an absence of female voices, and wants new shows that are not derivative of the hit series, but new.

Speaking at the British Film Institute (BFI) Luminous event in London, the actress said: “I hope it inspires many, many, many more. And not just Fleabag-shaped projects.

“We just need the gatekeepers to throw away the keys and open their doors, and then I think we’re going to have extraordinary content on that level.

“I think the world is changing so much, and television is changing so much.

“Everything is changing so fast, so I think the old tropes, old ways of running things – you’ve just got to adapt.”

Fleabag swept the Emmy Awards after two successful series on the BBC, based on the one-woman show by Waller-Bridge.