Jackie Clune
| Jackie Clune | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Jackie Clune 13 December 1965 Harlow, Essex, England |
| Occupation | Drama lecturer, singer, comedian, actress, television presenter |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Hannant (2008–present) |
Jackie Clune (born 13 December 1965) is a British entertainer and writer. She became established through her Edinburgh Fringe cabaret shows and 1995 Karen Carpenter tribute act before graduating to mainstream acting.
Jackie Clune was the third of four children born in Harlow, Essex, to Irish Roman Catholic parents: her late father Don Clune (died August 2010) was a buyer for a computer firm, her mother a nurse. The writer Maggie Clune is her sister. Jackie graduated with a degree in drama from the University of Kent.
On graduation from university, she became a full-time drama lecturer at the Royal Holloway College for at least six years and a BBC London radio journalist. She started singing in bands part-time, but between sets as a DJ she developed a facility in chatting to the audience. This led a friend to suggest that she could create a Karen Carpenter tribute performance, with singing; this she worked on and took to the Edinburgh Festival in 1995, where she was spotted by a West End producer.
Giving up her lecturing career, she co-founded the Red Rag Women’s Theatre Company, and fell into stand-up comedy while working at the Hackney Empire. She has worked in many London venues. Her many credits include the BBC soap drama EastEnders and also ITV's The Bill. Since hosting the Stonewall Society equality shows at the Royal Albert Hall, she has developed a multi-media career. She has been a TV/radio panellist on many shows, not least Front Row, QI, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, What the Dickens? and The Staying-in Show and has been invited onto shows like Loose Women.
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