Spy: Kyle Pryor from soaps to Funny Woman

Kyle Pryor appears in Vibe’s new UK show Funny Woman. Photo / Getty Images

Audiences may have spotted a familiar face on Vibe’s new UK show Funny Woman this week.

The show is set in the 60s and has megastar Gemma Arterton playing Barbara Parker in a series that has been described by the Guardian as a little bit Mrs Maisel and a little bit Carry On.

Kiwi acting hunk Kyle Pryor is playing Arterton’s fiance, Aiden.

“Aiden is a local lad and ‘the best butcher in Blackpool’. He sees his entire future there, with Barbara by his side,” Pryor tells Spy.

“Sadly for Aiden, Barbara has loftier ambitions than being Miss Blackpool Belle, and seeks fame and fortune in London. Though not without lamenting simpler times with Aiden back in her hometown and making a few return visits to see what could have been.”

Pryor says working with Arterton was fantastic.

“She has a wealth of experience and absolutely embodied that role and brought it to life.

“This was my first job after Covid had shut the industry down for two years. I had nothing but gratitude - entering this role and playing in a period piece was an absolute treat.”

Pryor, 34 moved from the UK to New Zealand 17 years ago and honed his craft in a string of Kiwi hits including Nothing Trivial, Spartacus and The Blue Rose, before becoming a household name on both sides of the Tasman on Home and Away, playing Dr Nate Cooper for five years.

He moved back to England five years ago and found fame with a long-standing role on one of the UK’s biggest soaps, Hollyoaks. His character was killed off three years ago but his girlfriend Anna Passey is still on the show.

He recently did a stint on that other big UK soap Emmerdale, which he remembers his mum being a big fan of when he was a youngster.

“Emmerdale was pretty fast and furious to be honest. The shoot spanned six weeks for me with my character, Darren, arriving to elicit a shady racehorse deal with Kim Tate. Unfortunately, she got wind of what he was up to and sent him packing.”

Pryor has previously told Spy about he and Passey’s candle business Kip Candle Co, which he says is still is on fire. The business was born out of their love of travel — the Pine Cone and Alpine candle scents in the range were inspired from a pre pandemic trip to NZ, where Pryor also got Passey hooked on surfing.

The success keeps on coming for our honorary Kiwi. He has secured his first role of this year, an ITV crime drama which he wishes he could say more about, but it’s all a bit hush-hush at this stage.

Long-term, Pryor says he would really love to secure a series regular on a major streaming network.

“I am eager to get my teeth into a challenging role that has a good long story arc. Ultimately being able to do the job I love and make a living out of it is the ultimate goal.”