Ingrid Oliver

Last updated

Ingrid Oliver
Ingrid Oliver 2017.jpg
Oliver at the 2017 Super Retrocon
Born (1977-02-25) 25 February 1977 (age 48)
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active2005–present
Spouse
(m. 2022)
Mother Jo Gideon
Relatives Mat Osman (brother-in-law)

Ingrid Oliver (born 25 February 1977) is a British actress and comedian, and one half of the comic double act Watson & Oliver . She played Petronella Osgood, a supporting character in the BBC television series Doctor Who .

Contents

Career

Oliver and her comedy partner Lorna Watson met at Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston upon Thames. [1] She then read Modern Languages at New College, Oxford. In September 2005, Watson and Oliver performed their first show together at the Canal Cafe Theatre in London. They took sell-out shows to Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006 and 2007. [2]

Oliver has performed in various radio and television programmes, including Doc Martin , The Penny Dreadfuls' radio series The Penny Dreadfuls Present... The Brothers Faversham [3] and the radio series Another Case of Milton Jones. She played the part of Natalie in Peep Show on Channel 4.

Oliver on the set of Doctor Who in Cardiff in 2014 Ingrid Oliver - Doctor Who filming in Cardiff June 2014.jpg
Oliver on the set of Doctor Who in Cardiff in 2014

She appears in the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging as Miss Stamp, and in early 2009 could be seen in Channel 4's sitcom Plus One . [4]

In 2010, Oliver played Mimi Throckmorton in Material Girl on BBC One, alongside Lenora Crichlow and Dervla Kirwan. [5] In 2012, she appeared on Let's Dance For Sport Relief with comedy partner Lorna Watson, dancing Boléro , famously used by Torvill and Dean. The following year, she appeared in the first episode of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off and was named as 'Star Baker'. The same year, she appeared in the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who , "The Day of the Doctor", as Petronella Osgood. She reprised the role in the episodes "Death in Heaven", [6] "The Zygon Invasion", and "The Zygon Inversion"; UNIT , an audio drama spinoff series produced by Big Finish Productions; and Doctor Who: Redacted, a BBC radio drama spin-off series.

In 2024, she played a supporting role in Sweetpea on Sky Atlantic. [7]

Personal life

Oliver was born to a German father and English mother. Her grandfather, Eric Gideon, was a D-Day veteran who died in 2017, shortly after receiving the Légion d'Honneur for his service to France during the war. Her mother is former Conservative MP Jo Gideon, who became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent Central in 2019. Oliver has British and German nationality. [8]

She began a relationship with Richard Osman in 2020; they became engaged in May 2022 and married in December 2022. [9] [10] They met when she was a contestant on TV celebrity quiz show Richard Osman's House of Games .

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging Mrs. Stamp
2017 You, Me and Him Lily
2019 The Hustle Brigitte Desjardins
Last Christmas Police Woman Crowley
2025 The Thursday Murder Club Joanna

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005Footprints in the SnowBack-Up OrganiserTV film
Doc Martin Radio TechnicianEpisode: "Aromatherapy"
2006 Vital Signs Mother #2Episode #1.2
Now the WeatherUnknownUnaired Pilot
2007BiffovisionMrs. PeggyTV film
Watson & Oliver: The MovieVarious charactersTV film; also writer
Comedy Showcase Rebecca BlackEpisode: "Plus One"
2008The GymMiriam1 episode
Peep Show NatalieEpisode: "Jeremy's Mummy"
Tonightly IngridEpisode #1.1
The Wrong Door Various characters6 episodes; also writer
2009 Plus One Rebecca Black5 episodes
The Fixer SadieEpisode #2.4
2010The PersuationistsHarrietEpisode: "The Australianess"
Material Girl Mimi Throckmorton6 episodes
2011 Twenty Twelve Assistant producer of The Today Programme Episode #1.6
Lead Balloon JennyEpisode: "Pig"
2012–2013 Watson & Oliver Various characters12 episodes; also writer
2012–2016 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret Yancy McPickles/Vanessa Blojabditz4 episodes
2013–2015 Doctor Who Petronella Osgood 4 episodes
2014 GameFace ClareEpisode: "Pilot"
2016 Plebs CamillaEpisode: "Justin Junior"
2017 The Magicians Hudson River Dragon (voice)Episode: "The Rattening"
2019 Silent Witness DI Briggs2 episodes
Defending the Guilty Fiona3 episodes
2021 The Watch Doctor Cruces4 episodes
2023 Beyond Paradise Cassie ParkerEpisode #1.4
2024 Father Brown Gaynor GarfieldEpisode: "The Forensic Nun"
Sweetpea D.I. Diana St. John4 episodes

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenueNotes
Unknown Goethe's Faust GretchenSt. John's College Theatre
Unknown King Lear Cordelia Tabard Theatre
Unknown Heartbreak House Hesione Hushabye
Unknown Anatol Annie
2003Revolving DoorKelly Theatro Technis
Butterflies Are FreeFlorence Baker Vienna's English Theatre
LoveplayVarious characters Finborough Theatre
2004Eskimo SistersMo Camden People's Theatre
2006The ShelterAngela Trumpet Lawrence Batley Theatre
2015 Harvey Myrtle Mae Simmons Birmingham Repertory Theatre
2017Ingrid Oliver: Speech!Various characters Edinburgh Festival Fringe One-woman show

Video games

YearTitleRole
2013 Company of Heroes 2 Unknown
2018Doctor Who Infinity: The Dalek Invasion of Time [11] Petronella Osgood (voice)
2019Doctor Who Infinity: The Horror of Flat Holm
2021Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins [12] Petronella Osgood

Radio

YearTitleRoleProductionNotes
2007–2012 The Castle Lady Charlotte BBC Radio 4 (series 1–3)24 episodes
BBC Radio 4 Extra (series 4)
2008 The Brothers Faversham Alexandra Faversham BBC Radio 7 4 episodes
More Brothers Faversham 4 episodes
2009CavityKirstyBBC Radio 4
2013 ElvenQuest Penthiselea6 episodes
2014The ArchitectsSarah4 episodes
Men About The HouseEve FeevisPilot
2015A Trespasser's Guide to The ClassicsEmmaEpisode: "The Rat-Catchers of Yonville"
2019–2022Party's OverChristine Tobin12 episodes
2021The AttendantDenise/Evil DeniseEpisode: "Sci-Fi"

References

  1. Lee, Veronica (19 February 2012). "Watson & Oliver: It's hi from me... and hi from her". The Independent .
  2. "Watson and Oliver", Edinburgh Guide Review, 2007.
  3. The Penny Dreadfuls, BBC7.
  4. "Who can fill French and Saunders' shoes?", The Guardian, 20 October 2008.
  5. "BBC One: Programmes – Material Girl". BBC..
  6. Wales online (JPEG)
  7. "Sweetpea: The Cast & Characters | Sky Atlantic | Sky.com". www.sky.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  8. "Comedian Ingrid Oliver vs Brexit plus V For Vendetta revisited". Remainics . 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  9. "Richard Osman opens up to Desert Island Discs about food addiction". BBC News. 26 December 2021.
  10. "Richard Osman gives exciting details on wedding plans to Doctor Who actress Ingrid Oliver". Hello Magazine. 15 September 2022.
  11. "Doctor Who Infinity launches on PC and Mac, new trailer released". Gary Collinson. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  12. "The Lonely Assassins, the new mobile game, is out now". Doctor Who. Retrieved 19 March 2021.