The Top Things Learned from Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Southbank Centre

I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge talk about her new book Fleabag: The Scriptures, with this event selling out in fifteen-minutes. Before the show, fans of Fleabag were able to get photos with the guinea-pig café set in the Southbank centre. Deborah Frances-White, a comedian, author, screenwriter and podcaster, interviewed Waller-Bridge, and they discussed a range of topics that were not just limited to Fleabag. I will be detailing the things that I found most interesting during the approximately an hour and a half discussion. 

(My photos – Yes, I dragged my boyfriend, who I also made watch Fleabag with me!)

1. The (Hot) Priest was based on a monk named Father Williams

Waller-Bridge revealed that the character, played by Andrew Scott who she was in a play with ten-years ago, was based on a monk she spoke to in a series of skype calls named Father Williams. She asked him lots of questions, including about celibacy, in order to form the character that we see in season two of Fleabag. She said it had been hard to find a priest/ religious member who would discuss these topics with her, until she found Father Williams.

1. Andrew Scott was pivotal in his character saying I love you too to Fleabag in the last episode of season 2

Waller-Bridge was really unsure whether the priest should say I love you back to Fleabag. However, Scott knew his character had to say it back, and even though it wasn’t in the original script, he said it anyway when they did the first take on this scene. He thought it was really important that his character did say that he loved Fleabag too, and Waller-Bridge said she was glad that he did push for this because she believes it was the right thing. 

1. Deborah Frances-White was pivotal in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s rise 

Frances-White arranged for Waller-Bridge to do her first stand-up show. Waller-Bridge expressed how nervous she was to do stand-up, and to make her less nervous, Frances-Whtie made sure she had a stool, very similar to the one seen in the theatre production of Fleabag for those who have been lucky enough to see it, (I watched it in the cinema). She said to Waller-Bridge that because she was sitting down on the stool, she technically wasn’t doing stand-up (technically true, right?). At Leicester Square Theatre, Waller-Bridge performed a ten-minute monologue on a piece about a slutty little pizza- and cue Fleabag. 

1. A very drunk woman was the reason why Waller-Bridge went to Edinburgh Fringe Festival 

In 2013, Waller-Bridge performed her script Fleabag. This was the start, before the TV show and theatre production came. After Waller-Bridge had finished this stand-up show, a very drunk girl came up to her and said “that was so fucking funny, you need to take that to Edinburgh”. Waller-Bridge then discussed this with her team and they made that happen, developing a one-woman show. Asked if this girl knew her role in this, Waller-Bridge said she told her later.  So basically, if this girl hadn’t come up to her, we may never have had Fleabag, or at least probably not when we got it, so thank you very much drunk girl! 

1. Andrew Scott was behind the Quaker-meeting scene in season 2, episode 4 

Remember the scene in season 2, episode 4, where Fleabag attends a Quaker meeting. She’s sitting there, desperate to stand up and say something to everyone, and proceeds to stand up and say “Sometimes I wonder if I’d still be a feminist if I had bigger tits.” Andrew Scott was basically the inspiration for where this scene was set as, when Waller-Bridge and him were discussing him potentially taking the role, he took Waller-Bridge to a Quaker-meeting hall in Soho, where they talked for a long time until someone finally came in. It was here he agreed to take the role. The producers even surprised both Waller-Bridge and Scott by getting them to film this scene in the same Quaker hall where they had these initial discussions. 

1. Season 2, Episode 1 is the first time where Fleabag isn’t in a scene 

Remember the scene in season 2, episode 1 where Fleabag leaves the priest to smoke on his own? Well, the camera stays on the priest as he smokes without Fleabag in the scene, and Waller-Bridge drew attention to how this is the first scene that Fleabag isn’t in the frame. I actually never noticed this and don’t know if you did either! 

1. Waller-Bridge went to a convent school

Now you may have already known åthis, but Waller-Bridge went to convent school. Her mother, who sounds absolutely amazing, said to her that she had to make sure she was good for one term, and then she could do whatever she liked. So, Waller-Bridge made sure she became prefect, and said that she did this so if she did do something bad, they wouldn’t mind as much because they would think that she was normally good. She said that she found the constant imagery of the cross quite intimidating. 

Overall, Waller-Bridge was a very warm person, which Frances-White confirmed she was by telling the audience how she shook hands with everyone that worked at the Southbank Centre. It was a very interesting and great event to be at. My only wish was that, after waiting for an hour after the event in the freezing cold, she had come out to see the eight of us waiting for her, but at least we tried.  

And I’m going to leave this article with fantastic news; Waller-Bridge is going to be making her own film, and I bet you’re excited as I am for it! One more piece of good news, and I know I am treating you guys, but she also said, when asked about the future, that she just wants to continue constantly writing, so be expecting much more Waller-Bridge in the future!