Starting on the comedy circuit in the 1990s, under the name 'Maria Callous', McErlane has also guested on shows such as
Have I Got News for You,
If I Ruled the World and
Just a Minute on
Radio 4. She also is part of the murder panel show
Foul Play, alongside
Lee Simpson. In June 1984 she appeared in the revue
Out of Order at the
Finborough Theatre. McErlane co-presented the ITV quiz show
Carnal Knowledge with her friend
Graham Norton in the mid-1990s. She co-presented the "Grill Graham"
agony aunt feature with Norton on his
BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show throughout its run and, on his departure for
Virgin Radio in January 2021, joined him as co-presenter for his weekend shows. Whilst on Radio 2, she also stood in when he was ill in 2013 and when he failed to turn up on 28 June 2014. Since 2025 she has co-hosted the podcast
Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane. McErlane is a friend of
Nigella Lawson and has appeared on 16 episodes of Lawson's
ITV chat show
Nigella. She has had regular columns in
The Sunday Times and
Esquire magazine. == Personal life ==