List of Tracey Takes On... characters

Tracey Takes On... features Tracey Ullman playing an array of original characters. Unlike her previous shows where characters were very rarely repeated, Ullman came up with a recurring cast of eighteen characters to play over the course of the show's four-season run. Six of these characters originated from her previous specials: Trevor Ayliss, Virginia Bugge, and Janie and Jackie Pillsworth from Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, and Linda Granger and Fern Rosenthal from Tracey Ullman Takes on New York. Janie is the only character to appear in both specials and all four seasons of the show.
Two characters were retired during the show's run: Virginia after season 2, and Mrs. Noh Nang Ning after season 3. Conversely, three characters were added over the course of the show: Birdie Godsen in season 2, Sheneesha Turner in season 3, and Madam Nadja in season 4.
Three actors portrayed Virginia's husband, Timmy: Michael Palin, Hugh Laurie, and Tim McInnerny. Likewise, two actors played Fern's husband, Harry: Michael Tucker, and George Segal.

Overview

Main characters

All are played by Tracey Ullman.

Character	Occupation	A Class Act	New York	Season 1	Season 2	Season 3	Season 4
Trevor Ayliss	Airline steward
Virginia Bugge	Politician's wife
Chic	New York City cab driver
Kay Clark	Bank employee; caregiver
Hope Finch	College student
Rayleen Gibson	Stuntwoman
Birdie Godsen	Homemaker
Linda Granger	Actress, singer, author
Her Royal Highness	Royal family member
Sydney Kross	Lawyer
Erin McColl	Singer-songwriter
Madam Nadja	Beverly Hills madam
Mrs. Noh Nang Ning	Donut shop owner
Janie Pillsworth	Magazine editor
Ruby Romaine	Make-up artist
Fern Rosenthal	Retiree
Sheneesha Turner	Airport security worker
Chris Warner	Life partner of professional golfer, Midge Dexter

Recurring minor characters

Trevor Ayliss

Age 43. British. Trevor is a gay airline steward based out of Heathrow, London. Trevor grew up in Northern England and now lives in Osterley with his partner, Barrington "Barry" LeTissier, an antiquarian bookseller. He is a big fan of Linda Granger.

Virginia Bugge

Age 36. British. Virginia Bugge was born in Rhodesia and is married to The Right Honourable Timothy "Timmy" Bugge, the Conservative MP for Greater Diddlebury and the Minister of Fishing and Game. They have two children, Tasmin and Piers, who have attended boarding school since the age of six.

Chic

Chic is a male New York City cab driver of indeterminate Middle Eastern descent and a self-described "chick-magnet". Chic came to the United States illegally with his sister. He made his way around New York City knowing only two English phrases: "Are you talking to me?" and "Show me your tits!" He sold drugs in the 1970s to get his hack license. He has a brother, Piki, who runs a falafel stand, and a cousin, Momo, who owns a discount carpet warehouse.
Chic claims to have had many celebrities in his cab and even claims to have taught John Travolta his dance moves for the movie Saturday Night Fever. Chic runs the only two-star cab cafe in Manhattan. He was the bronze medal winner at the Pan Mediterranean song Festival with his band Teiku, for their song "Slide Down My Olive Tree ".

Kay Clark

Age 42. Kay is a spinster originally from England. She moved to the United States with her invalid mother to take advantage of the health benefits. She works at a bank, Van Nuys Savings and Loan.

Hope Finch

Age 19. Hope is an idealistic college student. She attends Sweetbriar College, where she resides in Margaret Sanger Hall. She's a virgin, and although not currently a lesbian, she's "young and impressionable".

Rayleen Gibson

Age 34. Rayleen is an Australian "stuntwoman to the stars". When she was a child, she was lost on a family camping trip, and until the age of ten, was raised by dingoes. She eventually met up with a woman who saw to her education and put her in touch with film producers. She went on to marry Mitch Gibson, a little person. Rayleen and Mitch own and run Aged Animal Actors Home, for retired animal actors.

Birdie Godsen

Age 42. Birdie is a Right-wing devout Christian fundamentalist homemaker. Her husband Robert is a tobacco industry executive. Birdie homeschools their seven children to prevent them from being exposed to multicultural programs and teaches them subjects that in her words will actually be useful to them in their daily lives: reading, writing, arithmetic, religion, marksmanship and taxidermy. The family lives on Dan Quayle Drive in a 'graceful gated community' in Atlanta, Georgia. Birdie is aunt to Chris Warner. She has a twin brother, Sandy, who runs a "homosexual deprogramming center", Straight Ways. In her spare time, Birdie sells Militia M'Lady products, attends a "We Hate Hillary" club, and looks out for black government helicopters flying overhead with weaponry in her backyard to shoot them down if need be.

Linda Granger

Age varies. Linda is an actress, singer, and author. She starred as the character Vicki Starr in the hit 1970s television series V.I.P. Lounge. She has a tell-all autobiography, I'm Still Here!! My Lifelong Battle with Alcoholism, Disease, and Personal Misfortune, which details her battles with drugs, alcoholism, cancer, and eating disorders. Linda is also a recovering sex addict. She has one child, a daughter named Marmalade, who she secretly gave up for adoption and then later re-adopted. Marmalade's father is unknown. Linda's closet allies are her manager, Candy Casino, and her "solid homosexual fanbase".

Her Royal Highness

Age 57. HRH derives enormous pleasure from making everyone around her as uncomfortable as possible. Her private secretary, Captain Philip "Pip" St. Aubyn, is always on hand to assist her.

Sydney Kross

Age unknown. A ruthless and charmless high-profile Beverly Hills attorney. Her motto is "You name it, I'll sue it."

Erin McColl

Age 47. Erin is the former lead singer of the 1970s band Wisechild. She often loses her train of thought and depends on her manager Dusty for guidance.

Madam Nadja

Age 60. Nadja, who hails from Romania, is now a Hollywood madam who conducts all her business from her bed. She was great friends with Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, and was at one time his mistress. Her parrot Vlad talks to her.

Mrs. Noh Nang Ning

Age 70. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning, who is of indeterminate Asian origin, owns and operates a Los Angeles donut shop, Yankee Doodle Donuts. She is a hard-working patriotic American who almost always relates everything to the donut. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning grew up as an orphan in her homeland. She was eventually engaged and married to a prince. She fled to the United States after a revolution broke out. She works long hours and finds little time for pleasantries. However, she does make time to sponsor her granddaughter, Kim, in ice skating competitions.

Janie Pillsworth

Age 37. Manhattan magazine editor. Janie, born Janine, hails from Broxbourne, England and is the only child to Frank and Jackie Pillsworth. She attended a prestigious British boarding school thanks to her working class father sacrificing his kidney to pay her tuition. While there, Janie reinvented herself and disowned her parents. The family wasn't reunited until an unscrupulous colleague revealed Janie's true identity and she was forced to face her past. After her father died, Janie let her mother, who also acts as a live-in nanny, live with her.

Ruby Romaine

Age 72. A Hollywood make-up artist who's seen it all. She worked heavily during Hollywood's heyday. Ruby's hobbies include wine tasting, poker, and preserving the old Hollywood. She takes care of her shell-shocked Vietnam War veteran son, Buddy, along with her cat, Duke, and their Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig, Oinky. Ruby also has a daughter, Desirée.

Fern Rosenthal

Age 56. Fern is a Jewish homemaker, originally from Long Island. After thirty-seven years of marriage, Fern convinced her husband Harry to retire to Boca Raton, Florida after he suffered a heart attack. Harry was the owner of a chain of seventeen discount pharmacies. They have one daughter, Sheila, and a grandson, Ryan. Fern's closest friend is condo board president Jobie Wolff.

Sheneesha Turner

Age 34. Sheneesha is an African American airport security guard. She works the metal detector along with her friends and co-workers Hellura and Ida. She is enthusiastic about performing body searches and checking luggage for contraband.