Michelle De Swarte

Off The Kerb productions welcome Michelle De Swarte to the stable

Off The Kerb are delighted to announce the signing of stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and presenter Michelle De Swarte.

Michelle de Swarte - from catwalks to comedy clubs

Michelle de Swarte shares her journey from hosting a fashion TV show to conquering the comedy scene, reflecting on the challenges of balancing acting and stand-up, her creative process, and how her personal experiences have shaped her unique comedic style.

Spent, which is written by and stars Michelle de Swarte as an international model fallen on hard times, back home in Brixton, is interested in life close to how it's actually lived. Explaining the material indulgences that have led to her bankruptcy, she says: "You've got to spend the poverty out of your system."

There are some good lines and ideas here, and De Swarte sparkles with watchability, but some of the situations feel overfamiliar, the humour not quite as sharp as it needs to be, and the minor characters a little caricatured. There is genuine talent, though, and perhaps it will reveal its full dimensions as the series unfolds.

Spent review

This must be the most unlikeable lead character in TV history.

Spent review

Michelle De Swarte has already been building up an impressive head of celebrity steam with appearances in the Katherine Ryan comedy The Duchess and in her own horror comedy vehicle The Baby. But it's her new series Spent that is really going to establish this assertive Londoner as a comic force to be reckoned with.

Spent review

Michelle de Swarte's sitcom is disappointing.

Spent review

BBC comedy chefs have said they want to make more laugh-out-loud comedies and fewer semi-autobiographical comedy-dramas. And watching Spent you can understand why, as it falls into that familiar gap of being neither consistently funny enough nor emotionally compelling enough to fulfil either side of the equation.

Spent review

A smart comedy that cleverly peppers a bleak picture of modern life with laughs.

Spent review

Michelle de Swarte's riches-to-rags comedy is astonishing.

Spent review

Michelle de Swarte is a mask of fraying dignity in this seductive comedy.