Sarah Parish

Sarah Parish
Born (1968-06-07) 7 June 1968 (age 56)
Yeovil, Somerset, England
OccupationActress
Years active1993–present
Spouse
(m. 2007)
Children2

Sarah Parish (born 7 June 1968) is an English actress. She is known for her work on television series including The Pillars of the Earth, Peak Practice, Hearts and Bones, Cutting It, Doctor Who, Mistresses, Merlin, Atlantis, Monroe, HBO's Industry, Stay Close, Trollied, W1A and, as the titular character, Bancroft.

Early life

Parish was born in Yeovil, Somerset, to Bill and Thelma Parish; she has a sister, Julie, and a brother, musician John Parish. She was educated at the local Preston School and Yeovil College. She began acting at an early age and believes her first stage appearance was aged two in a pantomime in the village of Tintinhull in Somerset, playing the pearl in an oyster. She later attended Yeovil Youth Theatre.[1]

Career

After training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London, her appearance in a cult advert for Manchester-based Boddingtons bitter in 1994 (as Vera, who likes nothing better than "a good rub down with chip fat"), led to a series of roles as Northern women, including Dawn Rudge in Peak Practice (1993), Allie Henshall in Cutting It (2002), Annie Naylor in Trust and Natalie Holden in Blackpool (2004). She starred alongside Debra Messing in the movie The Wedding Date, had a small role in The Holiday, which starred Jude Law, and appeared as the Empress of the Racnoss in the Christmas 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Runaway Bride".

Parish appeared in the one-off drama Recovery. She also starred in the BBC series ShakespeaRe-Told in which she played Beatrice. She returned as GP Katie Roden in series two and three of Mistresses, which debuted on BBC One in February 2009. She played Lady Catrina in the BBC television series Merlin.[2]

In 2011, Parish co-starred in ITV's medical drama Monroe, alongside James Nesbitt. From 2013 to 2015, she appeared in the BBC TV series Atlantis, playing one of the main characters, Pasiphaë.[3] From 2014 to 2017, she played the role of Anna Rampton in three series of the BBC TV comedy W1A. Since November 2015, Parish has portrayed Cheryl Fairweather in Sky One sitcom Trollied.

In December 2017, she played Supt Elizabeth Bancroft in the ITV miniseries Bancroft. The second series was broadcast in January 2020.[4][5]

In December 2019, she appeared in The Cockfields as Melissa, girlfriend of Nigel Havers' character, Larry.[6] From 2020 to 2024, she has appeared in the HBO/BBC drama Industry. In December 2021, Parish appeared in the Netflix original Stay Close as Lorraine.

Co-stars

She has frequently co-starred opposite David Tennant — in the 2004 musical serial Blackpool; the Tony Marchant drama Recovery; the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "The Runaway Bride"; in the third series of the ITV crime drama Broadchurch; and in the 2017 film You, Me and Him.[7] She has joked: "We're like George and Mildred – in 20 years' time we'll probably be doing a ropey old sitcom in a terraced house in Preston."[8]

Personal life

Parish married James Murray on 15 December 2007 in Hampshire. It was announced in January 2008 that she was pregnant with their first child, due on Parish's 40th birthday. Their daughter Ella-Jayne was born with Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome and died in 2009.[9] In her memory, Parish and Murray raise funds for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton General Hospital.[10] As of December 2019, they had raised £5.2 million towards the PICU.[11] Their second daughter, Nell, was born on 21 November 2009.[12]

When asked about her hobbies and interests, Parish cites her vegetable garden.[13]

On 2 March 2018, Parish sustained an accident, breaking her leg when sledging in the snow.[14] She commented: "Note to self: cheap plastic sledges are for sitting in and gently trundling down primary slopes – NOT a substitute for a stand-up snowboard".[15]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Middleton's Changeling Asylum Inmate
1999 Parting Shots Ad Agency Receptionist
2005 The Wedding Date TJ
2006 The Holiday Hannah
2016 Dunroamin Joanna Short film
Present Beth Short film
2018 You, Me and Him Mrs. Jones
Bad Apples Nurse
2024 Duino Didi

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 The Bill Linda Fincham Series 10; Episode 134: "Taking Stock"
1997–1999 Peak Practice Dawn Rudge Series 5–8; 33 episodes
1998 Babes in the Wood Roxy Series 1; Episode 4
2000 Beast Helen Series 1; Episode 5: "Twin Pekes"
City Central Karen Ridley Series 3; Episode 3; "Everything Must Go"
Brotherly Love Julia Empthorpe Episode 2: "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll"
Kiss Me Kate Liz Series 3; Episode 2: "Magnolia"
2000–2001 Hearts and Bones Amanda Thomas Series 1 & 2; 13 episodes
2001 Table 12 Sharon Episode 10: "Peripheral Vision"
Smoke Television film
The Vice Jane Farrell Series 3; Episodes 1, 2 & 4
2002 Sirens Ali Pearson Television film
Impact Gaynor Crosswell 2-part mini-series
2002–2005 Cutting It Allie Henshall Series 1–4; 25 episodes
2003 Unconditional Love Lydia Gray Television film
Trust Annie Naylor Mini-series; Episodes 1–6
Reversals Dr. Charlotte Woods Television film
2004 Blackpool Natalie Holden Mini-series; Episodes 1–6
2005 Monkey Trousers Various characters Episode 2
ShakespeaRe-Told Beatrice Mini-series; Episode 1: "Much Ado About Nothing"
Our Hidden Lives Maggie Joy Blunt Television film
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Evie Ballantine Series 2; Episode 1: "Sleeping Murder"
If I Had You Sharon Myers Television film
Girls on the Bus Cassidy Long Pilot episode
Aftersun Sue Television film
Doctor Who Empress of the Racnoss Series 3; Episode: "The Runaway Bride"
2007 Recovery Tricia Hamilton Television film
Director's Debut Florist Episode 2: "Baby Boom" (uncredited role, also director)
Sex, the City and Me Jess Turner Television film
2008–2010 Mistresses Dr. Katie Roden Series 1–3; 16 episodes
2009 Merlin Lady Catrina Series 2; Episodes 5 & 6: "Beauty and the Beast: Parts I & II"
2010 The Pillars of the Earth Regan Hamleigh Mini-series; Episodes 1–8
2011–2012 Monroe Jenny Bremner Series 1 & 2; 12 episodes
2012 Hatfields & McCoys Levicy Hatfield Mini-series; Episodes 1–3
2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Flossie Monro Series 13; Episode 2: "The Big Four"
Breathless Margaret Dalton Mini-series; Episodes 2–5
2013–2015 Atlantis Pasiphaë Series 1 & 2; 20 episodes
2014–2020 W1A Anna Rampton Series 1–4; 15 episodes
2015–2018 Trollied Cheryl Fairweather Main role; Series 5–7; 24 episodes
2016 The Collection Marjorie Stutter 5 episodes
2017 The Keith & Paddy Picture Show Dana Barrett Series 1; Episode 2: "Ghostbusters"
Broadchurch Cath Atwood Series 3; Episodes 1–8
2017–2020 Bancroft DSU/DCS Elizabeth Bancroft Main role; Series 1 & 2; 7 episodes
2018 The Keith & Paddy Picture Show Charlie Blackwood Series 2; Episode 2: "Top Gun"
2018–2019 Medici Lucrezia de' Medici Series 2 & 3; 12 episodes
2019–2021 The Cockfields Melissa Supporting role; Series 1 & 2; 7 episodes
2020–2024 Industry Nicole Craig Series 1–3; 12 episodes
2021 McDonald & Dodds Mariel Flynn Series 2; Episode 3: "The War of Rose"
Inside No. 9 Dawn Series 6; Episode 6: "Last Night of the Proms"
Stay Close Lorraine Mini-series; Episodes 1–8
2022 Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport Herself - Narrator Series 8; Episodes 1–3
2024 Piglets Superintendent Julie Spry Lead role; Episodes 1–6[16]
Geek Girl Jude Paignton 8 episodes
Curfew DI Pamela Green Main cast; Episodes 1–6[17]
DNA Journey Herself Series 5; Episode 3: "James Nesbit and Sarah Parish"[18]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2003 National Television Awards Most Popular Actress Cutting It Nominated [19]
2006 Gold Derby Awards TV Movie/Mini Supporting Actress Blackpool Nominated [20]

References

  1. ^ Sarah Parish interview at Western Daily Press 19 April 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2015
  2. ^ "Merlin: Series 2". Merlins Keep. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  3. ^ Power, Vicki (18 January 2014). "Atlantis actress Sarah Parish on dates, parties and being a noisy neighbour". Express. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. ^ "ITV commissions second series of Bancroft, starring Sarah Parish". Itv.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  5. ^ "When is Bancroft back on TV for series 2?". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The Cockfields". British Comedy Guide.
  7. ^ "Who's new". Bbc.co.uk. 8 October 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2006..
  8. ^ Dempster, Sarah (21 February 2007). "Scissor sister". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Sarah Parish Mourning Death of Daughter" Celebrity Baby Blog, 20 January 2009
  10. ^ "Read Rosemary's story". Justgiving.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  11. ^ Cripps, Charlotte (29 December 2019). "Sarah Parish: 'I have a look about me that says death... I'm not a fluffy bunny'". The Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  12. ^ "rosie mitchell is fundraising for Friends of PICU".
  13. ^ "Interview with Atlantis star and Alton resident Sarah Parish". Hampshire-life.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Broadchurch actress breaks leg on sledge". Bbc.co.uk. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Sarah Parish on Instagram: "Day 2 in Winchester Hospital. Looks like I'll be operated on today. They're putting a bloody great big pin right through my shin!! No sleep…"". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Piglets". British Comedy Guide. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  17. ^ Craig, David (25 April 2024). "Doctor Who's Anita Dobson among new cast joining Mandip Gill and more in Curfew". Radio Times.
  18. ^ "DNA Journey With Ancestry". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  19. ^ "National Television Awards, UK (2003)". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Gold Derby Awards (2006)". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2024.