Press clippings
Eddie Kadi, Michelle De Swarte and Munya Chawawa guest in TV Version of Crongton adapted by Archie Maddocks
With a focus on nurturing homegrown talent from across the UK, Crongton held an open casting call on social media for underrepresented young actors.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 19th December 2024Off 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.
Off The Kerb, 20th September 2024Michelle 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.
Jordan Rossi, Hunger Magazine, 30th July 2024Spent, 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.
Andrew Anthony, The Observer, 14th July 2024Spent 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.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 8th July 2024Spent 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.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 8th July 2024Spent review
A smart comedy that cleverly peppers a bleak picture of modern life with laughs.
Ed Power, The Irish Times, 8th July 2024Spent review
Michelle de Swarte's riches-to-rags comedy is astonishing.
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian, 8th July 2024Spent review
Michelle de Swarte is a mask of fraying dignity in this seductive comedy.
Nick Hilton, The Independent, 8th July 2024