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Donna Preston (born 6 June 1986) is an English actress, comedian and writer, notable for appearances in Apocalypse Wow, Hey Tracey! and Michael McIntyre's Big Show. She appears as Despair in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman released on Netflix in 2022.

Early life and education

Preston was born on 6 June 1986 in York, North Yorkshire and went to Fulford School in York. She attended York College and went on to train at Rose Bruford in London.

Career

Preston has appeared in a number of films and television series. Film work includes Set the Thames on Fire (starring Noel Fielding), Grimsby (starring Sacha Baron Cohen), The Hitman's Bodyguard (starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson) and Holmes & Watson (starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly). She has also regularly lent her voice to the Discovery Channel, BBC, ITV, E4, Amazon and Channel 4.

In 2018, she appeared in Coronation Street, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and took a lead role in Michael McIntyre's Big Show executing pranks involving improvisation on the general public.

In 2019, she appeared on Pants on Fire on E4. Preston wrote and co-produced the series Fully Blown for BBC Three's Comedy Threesomes, transmitted in 2019, which was nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award 2020. From 2019 to 2020, Preston starred as Tracey in Hey Tracey! on ITV2, alongside Joel Dommett, and appeared in episodes of The Mash Report on BBC Two. She has appeared in a number of online comedy sketches for Channel 4.

In 2020, she appeared in episodes of BBC Three's Famalam and the feature film Loves Spell. That year she was also shortlisted for the Funny Women Awards 2020, and was a guest on 8 Out of 10 Cats on Channel 4.

In 2021, she guest starred on Inside No. 9, and co-hosted ITV's Apocalypse Wow!. She appeared as herself on Sky One's Dating NoFilter, CelebAbility, and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. During the same year, she was nominated for two Channel 4 National Comedy Awards, for Outstanding Female Comedy Entertainment Performance and the Comedy Breakthrough Award.

In 2022, she appeared as Despair in Neil Gaiman's fantasy drama The Sandman and as Pat in Catherine Tate's six-part mockumentary sitcom Hard Cell, both released on Netflix.

In 2023, she played Mrs Sandwich in another Gaiman project, Good Omens, alongside fellow The Sandman cast member Crystal Yu.

In 2024, she reprised her role as Despair in yet another Neil Gaiman project called Dead Boy Detectives.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. ^ Rosario, Alexandra Del (26 May 2021). "'The Sandman': Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park & Donna Preston Among 12 Added To Netflix Series". Deadline. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
2. Preston, Donna. "Thank you everyone for your Birthday wishes. I genuinely thought I was 33 today, it took about 3 hours to research and realise I was actually 34, that's ok. Love you all, DP x". Instagram. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
3. Segal, Alex (6 June 2021). "@thedonnapreston Happy Birthday Donna !! Have a great day! X". Twitter. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
4. Warhurst, Matthew (6 June 2021). "Happy birthday to my beautiful friend @thedonnapreston love you baby! Have a wonderful day! Xxx". Twitter. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
5. Redding, Lauryn (6 June 2020). "Happy birthday to one of the best. The most beautiful, kind, caring, funny, wonderous bag of bones🧡 Those who know her,know. Those who don't, unlucky! You're missing out! LOVE YOU @thedonnapreston !". Twitter. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
6. "Who plays Hey Tracey? Meet the rising comedy actress!". Reality Titbit. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
7. "York actress stars in new BBC show Fully Blown". York Press. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
8. "Pants On Fire – E4 Comedy". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
9. "Pants on Fire: Interview with Donna and Verona | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
10. "Broadcast Digital Awards 2020". Broadcast Digital Awards. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
11. "Nasty Neighbours". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
12. "2020 Comedy Shorts Longlist Announced!". Funny Women. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
13. "8 Out Of 10 Cats Series 22, Episode 8". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
14. "BBC Sounds – Inside Inside No. 9 – The true story of how an encounter on the set of League of Gentlemen inspired this week's episode of Inside No. 9". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
15. "National Comedy Awards launched by Channel 4 – News". British Comedy Guide. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
16. "Everything We Know About Netflix's Catherine Tate Series "Hard Cell"". Netflix Junkie. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

External links

• Donna Preston at IMDb

• Living people
• 21st-century British comedians
• 21st-century English actresses
• 21st-century English comedians
• Actresses from York
• English film actresses
• English television actresses
• English women comedians
• 1986 births
• Comedians from York