Deborah Ann "Debbie" Barham (born November 20 1976, died April 20 2003) was an English comedy writer who died at the age of 26 of heart failure caused by a long struggle with anorexia.

During her 11-year career she wrote for comedians including Clive Anderson, Rory Bremner, Angus Deayton, Bob Monkhouse and Graham Norton, and for BBC programmes including The News Huddlines , Loose Ends and Weekending. Though little known by the general public she was greatly respected in the profession, and had a reputation for mental quickness, her writing being not only of high quality but also fast and prolific, even when she was far from well. She was a bright child but left school (in Sheffield) early as she was unhappy there, and never went to university. Her early work was submitted under the name D. A. Barham, out of concern that a teenage girl would not be accepted in a word traditionally dominated by Oxbridge-educated men.

External links

• "The unsung queen of comedy", Daily Telegraph Obituary
• Sunday Times Obituary by Clive Anderson