Comedy vocalist Siobhan Phillips is currently starring in a UK tour of Rita, Sue & Bob Too! She tells Absolutely about the attraction of hitting the road, but why Yorkshire will always be home
Plenty has happened since Siobhan Phillips last appeared within the pages of Absolutely Yorkshire, but not all good. “Unfortunately my Dad died in November 2022,” she says quietly. “He was my biggest fan and it’s been the worst experience losing him.”
His belief in his daughter was unstinting, driving Siobhan to gig after gig when she first set out to take to the stage and impress all comers with her vocal talents. We can only imagine what he must have felt when Siobhan hit the big time thanks to Britain’s Got Talent in 2019 and her hilarious songs about being a new mother. “It seems like a lifetime ago now,” she exclaims about BGT and reaching the grand final. “Work wise things are good and I have a great balance between time at home with family and time on the road. I’m very lucky to juggle the two like I do with lots of help from family and friends who are ultimately the most precious things in my life.”
When we last spoke to Siobhan, she was preparing to hit the road with her unique blend of comedy and singing, but this time round the reason for this chat is for something altogether different. The smash hit stage version of cult classic comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! is currently on a new 10-week nationwide tour. TV favourite Jake Quickenden heads the cast as Bob, with Siobhan taking on the role as Mum.
A Role Close to Home: Why Rita, Sue & Bob Too! Was an Easy Yes
“Firstly, the fact it’s set in Yorkshire, written by Andrea Dunbar, herself a Yorkshire lass, was a big draw for me,” Siobhan says on the attraction. “Secondly, as a solo artist I quite fancied the camaraderie which being in a cast creates. And thirdly, I get to see Jake Quickenden’s magnificent gluteus maximus on a nightly basis – who could possibly turn that opportunity down?!”
Andrea Dunbar’s hilarious and gritty tale of love, lust and tested friendships is based on the 1987 British film and features a brilliantly funny script along with all the best 80s music, taking audiences on a riotous trip down memory lane through this cult classic.
More Than Just a Cult Classic: The Legacy of Rita, Sue & Bob Too!
Rita and Sue are two working class girls from a run-down council estate who are about to finish their final year at school. In their spare time, they earn money babysitting for married couple Bob and Michelle. Behind Michelle’s back, Bob embarks on an affair with both Rita and Sue, who take it in turns with him in his car in the countryside. Michelle eventually finds out and leaves lothario Bob. When Bob later develops a preference for Rita, the two girls fall out, but when Sue ends up in an abusive relationship, the trio are reunited.
Was Siobhan a fan of the film? “I was very young when it was released. I remember stumbling across it one night by accident, and being very shocked at the content! It caused such a stir and everyone seemed to be talking about it. At school all the kids would sing the famous song [We’re Having a Gang Bang], which didn’t go down well with the teachers in our strict Catholic school! On the surface it’s easy to think it’s risqué and tawdry, but if you chip away it’s actually a political study of 1980s Britain covering issues such as female empowerment, economic inequality, domestic violence, adultery and teenage pregnancy. Which sounds rather depressing, except the way it’s written there’s lashings of humour thrown in.”
Has Siobhan been able to bring her own personality to the role of Mum? “Yes, to a certain degree,” she considers. “She’s a character most of us can relate to. I’m channelling my inner fish wife, crossed with the late, great Liz Dawn in her alter ego of Vera Duckworth. She’s very harsh on the outside, but her daughter Sue is her pride and joy. She’s somewhat downtrodden and stuck in a loveless marriage. But she puts on a brave face and faces the world head on hiding behind a potty mouth and a mean right hook!”
From Comedy to Drama: Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone
From the outside, Mum looks like the next stage of a career evolution, but Siobhan doesn’t see it like that. “I never make a plan career wise. In an industry like this it’s better to be spontaneous and consider all the offers that come in. That said, it would be a dream to get a role in a soap like Coronation Street or Emmerdale – that would be great! Since having my daughter I’m much less ambitious than I was in my younger years. I deliberately chose to do this project to take myself out of my comfort zone doing some straight acting as opposed to music, to show her that it’s good to challenge yourself and people’s perception of you.”
She admits to missing her daughter – and hubby and dog too – when touring, but not the housework, adding that she is “Yorkshire and proud. I’ll never stray far from our beloved county. I’ve travelled all over the world, but there’s no place like home”. But more travelling is on the horizon. “I’m constantly writing new songs which I perform at my gigs – after the Rita, Sue & Bob Too! tour I have some cruise ship gigs lined up, which are massively fun and give me lots of opportunity to try out my new material. The ships are a thriving hotbed of entertainment and whilst they previously had a reputation for being cheesy and lounge-lizard dwellings, they are now frequented by the movers and shakers, both passenger and act wise.”
But, for now, all of Siobhan’s focus is on Rita, Sue & Bob Too! and she knows there’s one person who would have absolutely loved her performance. “On opening night I just wanted to ring my Dad, I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling that way. I know he’d be proud, but he’d definitely be telling me off for all the bad language I use in the show… As did my Mum when she came to watch!”
