Barunka O'Shaughnessy

Barunka O'Shaughnessy was born August 16, 1973 to a Czech mother and Irish father and grew up in (the former) Czechoslovakia and the UK. Known for Motherland (2020), Up The Women (2015) and Hunderby (2015), Barunka first discovered writing and performing while at Cambridge University, where she read Theology and Classics. After some years working in TV comedy and light entertainment production, she formed theatre company Population: 3 with Lucy Montgomery and James Bachman and together they created successful live comedy shows The Wicker Woman (2004) and The Elephant Woman (2005). She went on to join the legendary live sketch troupe Ealing Live! which led to a variety of radio and TV roles and appearances as herself, most notably in Bo! In the USA (2005), Beehive (2008) and Ed Reardon's Week (2005-2019). Meanwhile, Barunka focused on screenwriting, increasing her range from sketch formats to narrative comedy, collaborating with talents such as Jess Hynes, Leigh Francis, Katy Brand, Noel Fielding and - since 2013 - with Julia Davis on all her award-winning TV projects. Barunka lives in the UK and has one daughter with Tom Meeten.