Nicola Coughlan Calls Out Body-Shaming Male Critic

Photo: Donmar Warehouse

Nicola Coughlan and Lia Williams in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'

Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan has received a "tepid" apology from a theatre website whose male critic body-shamed her in a review.

In his review of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – an acclaimed revival now playing at London's Donmar Warehouse – critic Philip Fisher referred to Coughlan’s character as an "overweight little girl".

Calling him out on Twitter, Coughlan pointed out that this is the second time Fisher has commented on her body in a review.

Fisher, who writes for the British Theatre Guide (BTG), previously referred to her character in the play Jess and Joe Forever, which she performed at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, as a "fat girl".

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"My weight has no relevance to either the performance I gave in that or in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," added Coughlan, who plays Clare Devlin in hit Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls.

Hi @BritTheatreGuid, for the second time your reviewer Philip Fisher has come to see a show I’m in, and as part of reviewing the show he has also reviewed my body.
How can you continue to support this? pic.twitter.com/Rtd7mVBmSA
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) June 14, 2018

I was in a show called Jess and Joe Forever @traversetheatre last August which he came to see and his opening sentence was “Jess is a fat girl”
My weight has no relevance to either the performance I gave in that or in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) June 14, 2018

Coughlan also called out Fisher for the incredibly problematic way he described a rape scene in a production of the play Low Level Panic at Richmond's Orange Tree Theatre.

As a side note, his review of Low Level Panic @OrangeTreeThtr describes a rape scene and he actress in it in this way pic.twitter.com/HvXNnS9KTj
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) June 14, 2018

The British Theatre Guide has since deleted the comment on Coughlan's weight from its review of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

The website also tweeted an apology at the actress, saying: "Nicola, we apologise unreservedly for the offence caused by the wording of this review. The offending words have been removed. While the reviewer may not have intended to offend, he accepts that it is not acceptable to use such descriptions in a review and not BTG policy."

Coughlan called BTG's statement "a bit of a tepid apology", but accepted it on the proviso that the website "never review another woman's body again".

I would call this a bit of a tepid apology but I will accept if going forward you realise why it was so offensive and never review another woman’s body’s again.
Also this is the second time Philip Fisher has done this to me, I’ll take it that this is a belated apology for both. https://t.co/tancAd1sdb
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) June 15, 2018

She also told followers she was "very, very grateful for all the support" she's been given following the incident, and added: "#TimesUp on reviewing women’s bodies, when you should be reviewing their work."