Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972), is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won three Royal Television Society awards, four British Comedy Awards and four BAFTA nominations for her self-driven semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom Miranda (2009–2015).
Before her own series was commissioned, Hart made appearances in various BBC sitcoms, including The Vicar of Dibley (2005), Hyperdrive (2006–2007) and Not Going Out (2006–2009). She appeared as Camilla "Chummy" Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne in the BBC drama series Call the Midwife (2012–2015) and made her Hollywood debut in the action comedy film Spy (2015).
Hart has written several books. In 2017, Hart presented the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, making her the first solo female presenter in 105 years.
Hart was born on 14 December 1972 in Torquay, Devon, to Diana Margaret (née Luce), daughter of Sir William Luce, Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Aden and sister of Lord Luce and Captain David Hart Dyke, an officer in the Royal Navy and a member of the Hart Dyke family. Hart's father was the commanding officer of HMS Coventry when it was sunk during the 1982 Falklands conflict and was badly burned. Hart has a younger sister, Alice.
Hart is from an aristocratic background, but does not consider herself upper class, although her aunt and uncle live in Lullingstone Castle.
Hart grew up in Petersfield, Hampshire. She was privately educated at Downe House, an independent boarding school for girls near Thatcham, Berkshire. She was a classmate, distant relative, and friend of the sports presenter Clare Balding, who was head girl. She attended the University of the West of England, Bristol, graduating with a 2:1 in political science. She then completed a postgraduate course in acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.
In 2002, she performed a solo show in Edinburgh and in 2004 she pitched a comedy show to the BBC. At her read-through for BBC executives, Absolutely Fabulous writer and star Jennifer Saunders was present.
Before her own series was commissioned, Hart made appearances in various British sitcoms. In Not Going Out she initially appeared as an acupuncturist. However, her performance impressed producers so much that they wrote a regular role for her as Barbara, a sarcastic and clumsy cleaner. She continued to play the part until the production of Miranda in 2009. Hart earned a British Comedy Award nomination for her role as Teal in two series of the BBC television comedy sci-fi sitcom Hyperdrive, which ran from January 2006 to August 2007.
Hart also appeared in minor roles in French & Saunders, My Family and Other Animals, Nighty Night, Absolutely Fabulous, The Vicar of Dibley as a speed-dating host, Lead Balloon, William and Mary, Smack the Pony (for which she wrote and performed in a couple of sketches and a number of video diaries), Stupid!, Monday Monday as Tall Karen, and as a minicab driver in the Channel 5 comedy Angelos, which ran for 6 episodes.
Hart is best known for her performance in her self-titled, self-penned and semi-autobiographical sitcom Miranda, which began broadcasting from November 2009. The situation comedy also features Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, James Holmes, and Sally Phillips. The series is based on Hart's semi-autobiographical writing and followed a television pilot and the BBC Radio 2 comedy Miranda Hart's Joke Shop. Described as an "old-fashioned" sitcom, it received positive comments from critics and Hart won the 2009 Royal Television Society award for comedy performance for her role in the first series.
A second series was commissioned and filming started in mid-2010. The series began airing on BBC Two and BBC HD on 15 November 2010. A third series began broadcasting from 26 December 2012 on BBC One. Repeats of the show have begun airing on UKTV Gold. She also presented a BBC spoof programme looking back over 2009 called 2009 Unwrapped with Miranda Hart. A similar show looking back over 2010 was also broadcast in December 2010. In 2014, she announced that her sitcom Miranda would come to an end after two final episodes due to air in December 2014.
She appeared as guest host of Have I Got News for You in October 2009, December 2010 and again in December 2011. On 27 December, she was a team member on Big Fat Quiz 2011, a quiz about the events of that year presented by Jimmy Carr, appearing alongside David Walliams (team blue). As a fan of the series, Hart has also appeared twice on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. On Boxing Day 2011, she appeared in an episode of Bear Grylls' Wild Weekend. She also scaled down one of the Alps with Bear Grylls in a show with him in March 2013. She has appeared on the Graham Norton Show 8 times, on 10 May and 3 December in 2010, 29 April 2011, 19 October 2012, 20 December 2013, 24 October 2014, 8 May 2015, and 11 October 2024. In January 2013, Hart appeared on Room 101 along with Reggie Yates and John Craven.
In 2012, Hart began to appear in the BBC One drama Call the Midwife, playing the character of "Camilla 'Chummy' Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne".
As part of the 60-year Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Hart co-presented a number of segments at the Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012. In 2013, Hart presented a one-off interview show with her hero Bruce Forsyth entitled When Miranda Met Bruce.
In December 2013, Hart played Ben's mother Linda in David Walliams's TV film adaptation of his book Gangsta Granny. Also in December 2013, she was lined up to star in To Love, Honour and Betray (Till Divorce Do Us Part), the television version of Kathy Lette's novel.
In December 2017, Hart took part in Celebrity Send To All in the third series of Michael McIntyre's Big Show.
In 2017, it was reported that her sitcom Miranda may return for a fourth series, and was said to be in the conception stage. However, in early 2018, Hart denied the rumours were true, stating that she had "thought about" it, "that's all."
A 10th anniversary special of Miranda, filmed at the London Palladium in 2019 and described by Hart as "a party (not a new episode)", aired on BBC One on 1 January 2020.