Lynn Ferguson - Early Life

Early Life

Ferguson grew up in Cumbernauld. She was the youngest of four and, like her sister, was Senior Prefect at Cumbernauld High School. She left school at the age of 18 and worked one season as a Bluecoat for Pontin's. She was then accepted at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where she gained a BA in Dramatic Studies in 1986.

To work as a professional actress, however, she required an Equity union card which was at that point only available through paid work, so with fellow student Carolyn Bonnyman she formed the Alexander Sisters - a comedy double act in honour of / parodying traditional Scottish variety styles typified by the Alexander Brothers. She was then side tracked into standup comedy doing her first paid gig on STV’s Funny Farm. Before long she gained residence as compere at the Red Rose Comedy Club in Finsbury Park, London and continued to perform at numerous gigs throughout the UK.

Though a standup comic at night, Ferguson was also writing and presenting for BBC Scotland’s children’s program Megamag. She played a comedy character journalist Fergski who blundered through interviewing teen artists of that era - Ant & Dec, Aswad (band) and Michelle Gayle. In one episode a spritely Phill Jupitus dresses as a security guard stops Fergski interviewing East 17 at the now defunct Top of the Pops set.

In 1995, she was commissioned to write an hour of standup comedy for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival but instead wrote her first play, Heart and Sole. This solo show won her the Stage Award for Acting Excellence and transferred to the Hampstead Theatre before being toured to Hong Kong and Melbourne.

She is married to Mark Tweddle, a civil servant and previously a management consultant. The couple have two sons as of July 2008.