Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag is finally back for a second series, and fans are delighted.
Not least because it means our favourite dysfunctional-yet-hilarious main character is on-screen again, but also because it's another reason to shun real-life social situations in favour of brilliant television.
One thing viewers can't quite figure out, though, is whether she has a name – or if she's simply known as 'Fleabag'.
"In #Fleabag is the name Fleabag ever mentioned ? Or is Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character nameless?" one person asked on Twitter, while another added: "It’s so frustrating to try and talk about Fleabag without knowing her name."
A third commented: "Does Fleabag have a name in Fleabag?"
In the series, the character is only referred to as 'she', 'her' or 'you', and never by a real name. Something Phoebe Waller-Bridge – who created and plays the character – explained to Decider was on purpose, in order to hammer home what a fleabag she is.
What to Read Next
Related: Phoebe Waller-Bridge reveals rude Fleabag season 2 line that the BBC made her cut
"I wanted something that would create an immediate subtext for the character," she commented, confirming she was effectively nameless. "So, calling her 'Fleabag', calling the show Fleabag, gives the subtext of 'Fleabaggy-ness'."
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of 'fleabag' is "a dirty and/or unpleasant person or animal", so it seems Phoebe was keen to inflate that side of her character's personality.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Phoebe also explained why she didn't make her character's name known, because it gave her more depth. "I liked the idea of withholding some of that mystery," she commented.
As Bustle notes, Fleabag was originally a one-person play performed by Phoebe at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013, which might also explain the lack of name for the main character, as it's unlikely she would have introduced herself as something specific onstage.
Interesting, huh?
Fleabag airs on BBC One.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
