Vicki Pepperdine (born 24 July 1961) is an English comedy actress and writer. She co-wrote and starred as Pippa Moore in the BBC sitcom Getting On (2009–2012), for which she was nominated for two BAFTA TV Awards and a British Comedy Award. She is also known for her long-time collaboration with Julia Davis (Nighty Night (2004), Camping (2016), Dear Joan and Jericha (2018–2025)).
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Early life and education
Pepperdine was born in London on 24 July 1961.
Pepperdine's parents both worked in the NHS in south-west London (partly inspiring Getting On). Her father lost a leg in the second world war. He worked at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. Pepperdine has memories of seeing him at work and also being invited to the yearly "The League of Pity Party", where very ill children would attend.
Pepperdine has a sister, Jane.
At school, Pepperdine was interested in music and drama; however, she did not realise a television career was an option.
Pepperdine studied History of Art at the University of East Anglia. There she had two lecturers, a Marxist and a Marxist-Feminist, who opened up new ideas to her. She subsequently worked for Help the Aged and in publishing. She also worked selling advertising space.
Having previously enjoyed but not been confident in her acting abilities, at the age of 27, Pepperdine applied to East 15 Acting School in Debden, Essex because her hero Alison Steadman had studied there. She was accepted for a one-year postgraduate course. Upon graduating, Pepperdine found there were not many parts for her age; as such, she went into writing.
Pepperdine and Melanie Hudson formed the comedy duo Hudson and Pepperdine. They performed at the Edinburgh Fringe together, and were picked up by French and Saunders' agent and a BBC Radio 4 show. In 1999, they appeared on Channel 4's Coming Soon.
Career
Television
Between 2009 and 2013, Pepperdine co-wrote and starred (as Dr. Pippa Moore) in the BBC Four sitcom Getting On with Jo Brand and Joanna Scanlan. Brand, Scanlan, and Pepperdine won the 2010 Royal Television Society Award for Best Writing in Comedy. In 2010 the three also won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best Comedy. The show also won the award for Best Sitcom at the British Comedy Awards. For the third series, Brand, Scanlan and Pepperdine were nominated for the 2012 Royal Television Society Award and the BAFTA TV Awards for Best Writing in Comedy. Pepperdine went on to executive Produce and appear (reprising her role as Pippa Moore in the season three episode "Am I Still Me?") in HBO's three-season adaptation of the series.
From 2012-13, Pepperdine played the regular role of midwife Anna Nikolayevna in both series of A Young Doctor's Notebook.
In 2014, Pepperdine co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the improvisational comedy, Puppy Love, again with Scanlan. She played the character Naomi Singh who attends dog training classes run by Scanlan's character Nana V. Pepperdine said that the series is about "why the UK's 7.3 million wonders choose to get a dog "when the reality of mishap, adventure and tribulation is often more than they bargained for"". The Independent described the show as being a "very funny...slow-build, slyly smart" character comedy.
In 2014, Pepperdine played Harry Hill's housekeeper Mrs Flittersnoop in The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm on BBC One.
Pepperdine has regularly collaborated with comedian and writer Julia Davis and credits her as being the "funniest person I know". She starred in series one of Davis' dark comedy Nighty Night (2004) as Mrs. Horner; the Sky Atlantic series Camping (2016) as overbearing mother and wife Fiona; and Belinda, the ineffectual therapist, in the Sky Atlantic sitcom Sally4Ever (2018).
From 2013-2015, Pepperdine played Gwen in Jessica Hynes' Up the Women, a sitcom about women in the Suffragette movement. She wore a pair of false teeth, which she later used for her role as Princess Ann in The Windsors.
Pepperdine is also known for her recurring role of Princess Anne in The Windsors (2016–2023). Fi Glover, on her BBC podcast Fortunately... with Fi and Jane, described Pepperdine's portrayal as "riveting, just riveting". Pepperdine described it as one of "my favourite jobs ever to do, because it's such fun".
Radio, podcasting and audiobooks
From 2000-2005, Pepperdine, as part of her comedy duo with Melanie Hudson, wrote and starred in BBC Radio 4's The Hudson and Pepperdine Show. The series was a variety comedy show, where they played two people sharing a flat. Other writers on the show included Dave Lamb, Jim North, Danny Robins, Dan Tetsell, Richie Devlin, Rhodri Crooks and Paul Kerensa. The script editor was Graeme Farden. Other cast members included Martin Hyder, Jim North, Dave Lamb and Jessica Martin. The series was nominated for a Sony award. The series has since been released as an audiobook by Penguin. After ten years of working together, the duo went their separate ways.
From 2018-2025, Pepperdine co-wrote and starred as Jericha Domain in the improvised comedy podcast Dear Joan and Jericha alongside regular collaborator Julia Davis. In the podcast, Pepperdine and Davis play two agony aunts, Jericha Doman and Joan Damry (respectively), and they "dish out eye-wateringly unhelpful advice on a weekly basis to spoof listeners’ letters". It was produced by Hush Do, Pepperdine Productions and Dot Dot Dot Productions for Acast. In 2020, Davis and Pepperdine released a book for the project titled Why He Turns Away: Do's And Don'ts, From Dating To Death. It was published by Trapeze (Orion) on 29 October 2020. It consists of new material, not heard on the podcast.
In 2019, Pepperdine was working on a script for a show (The Brotherhood as preliminary title) about a patriarchal society. She was developing this idea with Sian Gibson and Rosie Cavaliero.
In 2020, Pepperdine wrote Always June, a BBC Radio Two pilot, in the hope that it would become a TV show. It was about "a difficult landlady and her difficult tenants". She developed the programme with Morgana Robinson.
Pepperdine is adapting Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage for Audible.
Theatre
Pepperdine's theatre work includes the role of Mrs Candour in Deborah Warner's 2011 production of The School for Scandal at the Barbican Centre.
Film
In 2017, Pepperdine appeared in comedy feature Eaten by Lions alongside Antonio Aakeel and Jack Carroll, directed by Jason Wingard.
Inspiration
Pepperdine has cited her early inspiration as French and Saunders and Wood and Walters. Later, she liked American programmes like Friends, Better Things and Big Little Lies.
Personal life
Pepperdine has two sons.
Filmography
Radiography and audiography
Podcasts
Pepperdine has also featured on other podcasts, including:
2018 – Fortunately... with Fi and Jane, Episode 65: "Fields of chaff with Vicki Pepperdine"
2019 – The Fear with Sarah Morgan, Season 4, Episode 10
2019 – Woman's Hour
