Michaela Coel discusses Phoebe Waller-Bridge comparisons: ‘It’s not surprising, is it?’

‘I can’t say it grates, I think because it isn’t surprising’

Michaela Coel has shared her thoughts on constantly being compared to Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the I May Destroy You creator discussed critics who state that Fleabag was the first British female-centred comedy to directly address the camera, despite her sitcom Chewing Gum having used the same techniques the year before.

Describing being overlooked as “interesting”, Coel responded: “It definitely doesn’t feel like a surprising thing. If you look, you know, over the years, I think it’s, it’s not surprising, is it?”

She continued: “I can’t say it grates, I think because it isn’t surprising.”

However, Coel insisted that she was a fan of the Fleabag creator, saying: “I loved [Channel 4 sitcom] Crashing, which was the first thing I’d seen Phoebe Waller-Bridge do. I thought that was f***ing brilliant. So I have a lot of respect for her as an artist and as a woman in this industry.”

Chewing Gum, Coel’s Bafta-winning first comedy series ran for two seasons on Channel 4 from 2015 to 2016.

Her sexual assault drama, I May Destroy You, has been met with similar critical success, with The Independent‘s critic calling the series “an unparalleled exploration of sexual assault” in a five-star review. The show’s final episodes are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

In a recent interview, Coel opened up about the struggles she faced behind-the-scenes on Chewing Gum, revealing that the production team refused to make her an executive producer despite writing and starring in it.