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Penelope Dwyer (24 September 1953 – 4 September 2003) was a British comedy writer. She was a member of the Cambridge Footlights revue The Cellar Tapes which won the inaugural Perrier Comedy Awards in 1981. The other performers in The Cellar Tapes were Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery and Paul Shearer.

Career

Educated at the University of Cambridge, Dwyer worked as a writer and performer in Cambridge throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, unlike her fellow Perrier winners, she chose not to pursue a full-time career in the entertainment business. Instead, after becoming a metallurgist, Dwyer worked on the construction of the Channel Tunnel.

Death

Dwyer died in Somerset in 2003, aged 49, following a long illness.

References

1. ^ "First Perrier winner dies: Footlights star who spurned fame". Chortle. 7 September 2003.
2. Brooks, Barbara (12 September 2012). "Penny Dwyer 1953–2003". MShed.org.
3. Hall, Julian (11 August 2009). "Fringe benefits: How winning the top comedy prize at Edinburgh can transform a performer's life". The Independent. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

• 1953 births
• 2003 deaths
• Actresses from Bristol
• Alumni of the University of Cambridge
• English women comedians
• British women engineers
• English metallurgists
• 20th-century English comedians
• 20th-century English women
• 20th-century English people