Stepping into the shoes of Portishead singer Beth Gibbons is a daunting challenge for any seasoned musician, let alone an actor freshly crowned with an Oscar. Yet in 2019, Olivia Colman did exactly that for the BBC Children in Need album Got It Covered. Tackling the moody 1994 trip-hop anthem “Glory Box,” Olivia Colman stepped away from the film set and walked into the recording studio. The result was an unexpected reimagining of a Bristol classic, built on an unlikely pairing of smoky vocals and gentle acoustic strumming.
Olivia Colman was openly terrified of the prospect, later confessing that singing for the charity record felt both difficult and frightening. To help steady her nerves, she brought along some very familiar backup. Flanked by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Phoebe’s sister, composer Isobel, each armed with a ukulele, Olivia Colman took on the track with surprising grace. The resulting studio session captured a warm, collaborative camaraderie that gave the performance an intimate, joyful feel.
The session came together inside Abbey Road Studios thanks to actor Shaun Dooley and his wife Polly, who conceived the Got It Covered project. When brainstorming ideas, Olivia Colman suggested bringing Phoebe into the fold to play ukulele. Isobel soon joined the lineup as well, reuniting a creative trio that had just conquered international television. Dooley later spoke warmly of the session, praising Colman’s lead vocal.
The chemistry among the three women had already been proven on screen. Olivia Colman had earned an Emmy nomination playing the passive-aggressive godmother in Fleabag, which Isobel scored, and she had also starred alongside Phoebe in the crime drama Broadchurch. Transferring that shared history into an acoustic trip-hop arrangement gave the recording a loose, infectious charm. The arrangement left plenty of room for rhythmic ukuleles and Olivia Colman’s syncopated phrasing. The final studio recording of Olivia Colman’s “Glory Box” cover highlights the completed arrangement featured on the charity album.
That relaxed studio atmosphere resonated with listeners far beyond the original broadcast. An official clip of the performance has collected more than 4.2 million views online, drawing a flood of affection for Olivia Colman’s down-to-earth persona. Fans routinely marvelled at her vocal control and unassuming charm. As one viewer observed, “So afraid and then opens her mouth to a voice clear as a bell.”
The track opened a wider compilation that featured fellow British screen stars like David Tennant and Helena Bonham Carter, which ultimately climbed to number one on the Official Compilations Chart. While charity covers can easily fall into safe, predictable territory, Olivia Colman’s left-field dip into nineties trip-hop remains a genuine treat. With two ukuleles in tow and good friends at her side, she turned a notoriously intimidating song into an understated triumph.