Beth Cordingly

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Beth Cordingly
Beth Cordingly BAFTA 09.jpg
Cordingly in 2009
Born (1977-10-25) 25 October 1977 (age 46)
Brighton, Sussex, England
Years active1998–present
SpouseAdam Speers (m. 2011, separated 2016, divorced 2023)
Partner Ian Kelsey
Children1
Website Official website

Beth Cordingly (born 25 October 1977) is an English actress, known for her appearances in series The Bill , Dead Set , The Burning Girls and Emmerdale .

Contents

Early and personal life

Cordingly was born in Brighton and went to Brighton and Hove High School. [1] She is the daughter of writer and historian David Cordingly.

Cordingly went to the University of Birmingham where she studied English and Drama. [1] She went on to train as an actress at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

As of 2009, she was living on a houseboat in East London. [1]

Career

She made her first major television appearance in the soap opera, Family Affairs as troubled teenager Sara Warrington; [2] a lapdancer who blew most of her wages on cocaine. She left the soap after a year to play the lead in Noël Coward's Semi-Monde at the Lyric Theatre, West End. The play was directed by Philip Prowse and produced by Thelma Holt. [3] She then played Rose, a cabinet secretary reporting to Derek Jacobi's Major Merton, in Two Men went to War, a film starring Kenneth Cranham and Leo Bill.

In 2002, she joined The Bill as PC Kerry Young. [4] [2] After her departure from the show when her character was murdered in 2004, ITV made an hour-long spin off called Kerry's Story that aired on ITV3. In 2023, Cordingly shared her memories of her time on The Bill during a three-part interview for The Bill Podcast, [5] where she was interviewed by her friend and former co-star Natalie Roles. [6]

In 2005 she played Vienna Keen, an exotic dancer, in BBC's Funland and in 2007 played Naomi in Secret Diary of a Call Girl , a call girl who has a threesome together with the shows main protagonist, Hannah, played by Billie Piper.

In March and April 2017, Cordingly appeared as Debbie Morton, Shirley Carter's (Linda Henry) cellmate in British soap opera EastEnders .

She has played a variety of roles on television, notably filming two series for Charlie Brooker, playing Veronica in his zombie series Dead Set [7] and featuring in his sketch show, How TV Ruined Your Life with Kevin Eldon.

In theatre she has worked nationally and abroad. In 2006 she played the role of Nina in the Menier Chocolate Factory's production of Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson. In 2013, it was made into an independent feature film and she reprised her role, this time opposite George MacKay, Nigel Lindsay and Norman Pace. When playing Amy in Salt at Manchester Royal Exchange she was nominated for the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Performance in a Studio Production (2010). She worked with Sharon Gless on A Round Heeled Woman in the West End (2012) and has twice played lead roles in Feydeau farces for Sam Walters at the Orange Tree Theatre. In 2012 she played Louisa in Children's Children at the Almeida Theatre, a play directed by Jeremy Herrin and written by Matthew Dunster. In 2015, Dunster directed her in Love's Sacrifice for the RSC, in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. In the same RSC season she played Bellamira in The Jew of Malta , starring Jasper Britton.

On 6 December 2023, Jessica Sansome of the Manchester Evening News announced that Cordingly had joined the cast of Emmerdale as Ruby Fox-Miligan, the wife of Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and mother of Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope). She will make her first appearance in January 2024. [8]

Writing

Cordingly has an MA in creative writing from Birkbeck, University of London. [9] In 2009, her short story "Marianne and Ellie" was selected by Sarah Waters to be published in an anthology of short stories, Dancing with Mr. Darcy. In 2012, she won the Litro magazine Double Dutch short story competition for her short story about Amsterdam, "The Bike Ride". [10]

Charity work

Cordingly is an Ambassador for ChildLine and regularly speaks on their behalf. She ran the London Marathon in 2004 for them and spoke at the 2006 Anti-bullying week conference at Westminster Central Hall. In 2009 she was given an award at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for her outstanding contributions to the NSPCC. [11]

Filmography

TV and film

YearProgrammeRoleNotes
2000-01 Family Affairs Sara Warrington
2001 Casualty Liz1 episode: Consequences
2002 Two Men Went to War RoseFilm
2002-04 The Bill PC Kerry Young 133 episodes
2005 Doctors Mel Brindell1 episode: Credit Limit
2005 Funland Vienna Keen [12]
2006 Heartbeat Connie Green1 episode: Stumped
2007 Secret Diary of a Call Girl Naomi1 episode
2008 New Tricks Anna Hodgkiss1 episode: Couldn't Organise One
2008 Cartwheels SylviaShort film
2008 Dead Set Veronica
2009 Trial & Retribution Wendy Bilkin1 episode: Shooter
2009 Merlin ForridelEpisode: "The Nightmare Begins"
2010 Material Girl Lynn Jones
2010 Casualty Sharon HolderEpisode: "Making Other Plans"
2011 How TV Ruined Your Life Lucy
2013Breakfast with Jonny WilkinsonNinaFilm
2016 Suspects Chrissy2 episodes
2017 EastEnders Debbie Morton Recurring (Three episodes)
2022Doctors Heidi Sitwell Episode: "A Difficult Conversation" [13]
2023 The Burning Girls Emma Harper
2024 Emmerdale Ruby Fox-Miligan Main cast

Theatre

YearProgrammeRoleTheatre
1998 York Mystery Cycles Mary MagdalenToronto Festival
1999 Othello Desdemona Orange Tree Theatre
2001 Semi-Monde NormaLyric Theatre, West End
2005 Monkey's Uncle Cecile/ChristineOrange Tree Theatre
2006 Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson NinaMenier Chocolate Factory
2007 Bedroom Farce SusannahNo.1 Tour
2009 Our Man in Havana Milly Wormold/Beatrice Severn Nottingham Playhouse
2010 Salt Amy Royal Exchange Theatre
2011 Once Bitten Cesarine Orange Tree Theatre
2012 A Round Heeled Woman NathalieRiverside Studios/West End
2012 Sauce for the Goose Lucienne Orange Tree Theatre
2012 Children's Children Louisa Almeida Theatre
2015 The Jew of Malta BellamiraRSC, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
2015 Love's Sacrifice FiormondaRSC, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
2018 Sideways TerraSt James's Theatre, London
2019 The Merry Wives of Windsor Mistress FordRSC, The Barbican
2019 Romeo and Juliet Prince EscalusStratford-upon-Avon/The Barbican
2019 The Memory of Water MaryNottingham Playhouse/Guildford
2019-20 The Canterville Ghost Mrs OtisUnicorn Theatre, London

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "My Favorite Things: Beth Cordingly". The Argus . 7 November 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Me and my health: Beth Cordingly". Evening Chronicle . Newcastle. 10 July 2003. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  3. "Semi-Monde". 26 March 2001.
  4. Beth Cordingly, Hello Magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. "The Bill Podcast 112: Beth Cordingly (PC Kerry Young) Part 1".
  6. "The Bill Podcast 113: Beth Cordingly (PC Kerry Young) Part 2".
  7. "EAT MY BRAINS! – Interview with Beth Cordingly from Charlie Brooker's Dead Set". 22 October 2008.
  8. Sansome, Jessica (6 December 2023). "Emmerdale finally confirms identity of Caleb's wife and Nicky's mum – and it's not who viewers thought". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  9. "Beth Cordingly | the Official Site". Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  10. "Dutch short story competition Winner: Rebecca Cordingly – The Bike Ride". 24 March 2012.
  11. "Hall of Fame celebs 2009 – Beth Cordingly".
  12. "BBC – Press Office – Funland Press Pack Beth Cordingly".
  13. Timblick, Simon. "'Doctors' spoilers: Will Emma Reid accept some help?". What to Watch . Retrieved 26 March 2022.