Two Doors Down star says ‘lad culture’ still permeates TV industry

Two Doors Down actress Arabella Weir has said there is “still a long way to go to get away from lad culture” in the British entertainment industry as she was made an MBE at Buckingham Palace.

Speaking after the investiture ceremony on Friday, Ms Weir said she felt “honoured” and “recognised” after receiving an award for “being professionally funny” from the Princess Royal.

The 66-year-old comedian and writer, who also starred in classic BBC sketch series The Fast Show, was also being honoured for her charitable work in favour of disadvantaged youths and women in the entertainment industry.

“We’ve still got quite a long way to go to get away from lad culture, but I definitely think we’re on our way,” she said, adding that to be made an MBE was “part of normalising women in every industry”.

Weir said: “There are more women in comedy, on television, behind and in front of the camera, more women writers, more women producers.

“The more women that are recognised for the work they do by official channels like the palace, then the more mainstream it will become.

“And I would say I’m a pretty controversial figure,” she added, “not because I have done anything amazingly wonderful, but because I have stuck to my guns – and being a feminist in an industry that does not encourage that.”

Ms Weir also hailed the #MeToo movement as a driver of positive change for women in her field, and for giving women “a platform”.

“In my days, of course blokes would speak to you like that. But you literally had nobody,” she said.

“One person might give you a sympathetic look but there was no official person to go: ‘I don’t like the way that bloke is speaking to me’, or: ‘He’s just put his hand on my bum.’

“You were just supposed to get on with it – it was a bit of a laugh.”

Ms Weir said Anne was “warm and very funny” throughout the ceremony.

“Before the ceremony, my friend told me: ‘Your goal is to make her laugh’, and she did – and I laughed as well,” Ms Weir said.

“We were joking about the universality of making people laugh – if you can make people laugh, it cuts across everything,” she added.