Nicola Stephenson | |
|---|---|
 Nicola Stephenson in War Horse as Rose Narracott | |
| Born | 5 July 1971 Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Paul Stephenson |
| Children | 2 |
Nicola Stephenson (born 5 July 1971) [1] is an English actress. She played the roles of Margaret Clemence in Brookside , Julie Fitzjohn in Holby City , Sarah Williams in The Chase , Allie Westbrook in Waterloo Road , and Tess Harris in Emmerdale .
She was born in Oldham, Lancashire [2] and attended North Chadderton School for her secondary education. [3]
She is known mainly for her roles in television, which include Margaret Clemence in Channel 4's Brookside ; Stephenson's on-air kiss with Anna Friel (Beth Jordache) was the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss to be broadcast on British television. [4] [5] In 2012 the kiss was broadcast to over 5 billion people when it was included as part of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle. The opening ceremony was broadcast uncensored in 76 countries where homosexuality is illegal and therefore became the first homosexual kiss to be broadcast in these countries. [6] Other roles have included Julie Fitzjohn/Bradford in Holby City , Suzie Davidson in Clocking Off , Jackie Armstrong in ITV's Christmas Lights / Northern Lights / City Lights , Sarah Williams in BBC's The Chase and Helen Enright in All at Sea . In 2012, Nicola played Louise, a series lead in the ITV drama Homefront . In 2014 she joined the regular cast of Waterloo Road as art teacher Allie Westbrook for 11 episodes.
Her theatre roles include A Patriot for Me at the Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by Peter Gill, His Girl Friday and Edmund at the National Theatre, directed by Ed Hall, and War Horse at the New London Theatre in London's West End, directed by Marianne Elliot.
In 2007, she had a lead role in the BBC TV 3 part series Superstorm directed by Julian Simpson. In 2014 she worked with Simpson again when he directed her as a guest lead in the BBC TV series New Tricks .
She appeared in the ITV drama Safe House in early 2015. [7]
From 2015 to 2016, she played the part of Tess Harris in the soap-opera Emmerdale . Her five-month stint on the serial came to a sudden end when her character was killed off in a hit-and-run incident. Stephenson's role in the soap also reunited her with her co-star from The Chase , Gaynor Faye, who had played the character of Megan Macey since 2012.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Rainbow | Ethel | |
| 1990 | The Final Frame | Louise | Television film |
| 1995 | Go Back Out | Sam | Television film |
| 1996 | Kiss and Tell | Alex Reynolds | Television film |
| 1998 | The Duke | Edith | Short film |
| 1999 | The Last Yellow | Karen | |
| 2003 | Without You | Jess | Television film |
| 2004 | Nits | Mum | Short film |
| Floating | Grace | Short film | |
| Christmas Lights | Jackie | Television film | |
| 2005 | The Walk | Christine | Television film |
| Legless | Television film | ||
| Mr John | Carol | Short film | |
| 2006 | All in the Game | Jennifer | Television film |
| 2008 | Clash of the Santas | Jackie Armstrong | Television film |
| 2019 | Tales from the Lodge | Amanda | |
| 2023 | Scoffed | Jane | Short film |
| Stone | Rita Taylor | Short film | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Coronation Street | Priscilla Millbanks | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 1990 | Children's Ward | Amanda | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| Medics | Suzie | Episode: "Annie" | |
| 1990–1994 | Brookside | Margaret Clemence | Series regular; 238 episodes |
| 1994 | Nice Day at the Office | Lizzie Kershaw | Series regular; 6 episodes |
| 1996 | Out of the Blue | Lucy Shaw | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 1997 | Wokenwell | Fran Rainford | Series regular; 6 episodes |
| The Bill | Julie Hicks | Episode: "Shades of Grey" | |
| 1998–1999 | My Wonderful Life | Gail | Recurring role |
| 1998–2001 | Casualty | Julie Fitzjohn | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 1999 | Big Bad World | Jennifer | Episode: "What's Wrong with Bees?" |
| 1999–2001 | Holby City | Julie Fitzjohn | Series regular; 50 episodes |
| 2002–2003 | Clocking Off | Suzie Davidson | Recurring role; 11 episodes |
| 2004 | Animated Tales of the World | Wife | Episode: "The Shoemaker's Son" |
| 2005 | The Afternoon Play | Nicola Passmore | Episode: "The Hitch" |
| Dead Man Weds | Donna Havercroft | Recurring role; 4 episodes | |
| Waking the Dead | Julia Henderson | Episode: "Subterraneans" | |
| 2006 | Northern Lights | Jackie Armstrong | Series regular; 6 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | The Chase | Sarah Williams | Series regular; 20 episodes |
| 2007 | Superstorm | Sara Hughes | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
| City Lights | Jackie Armstrong | Series regular; 6 episodes | |
| 2008 | Hotel Babylon | Justine | Episode: "Series 3, Episode 1" |
| Lark Rise to Candleford | Susan Braby | Episode: "Series 1, Episode 7" | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: UK | Mandy Jackson | Episode: "Unloved" |
| 2010 | Strike Back | Diane Porter | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| Moving On | Lindsay | Episode: "Skin Deep" | |
| 2012 | Life Stories | Megan's Mum | Episode: "Megan's Friend" |
| Homefront | Louise Mancetta | Miniseries; 6 episodes | |
| 2013–2015 | All at Sea | Mum | Series regular; 26 episodes |
| 2014 | New Tricks | Emily Fraser | Episode: "London Underground" |
| Waterloo Road | Allie Westbrook | Series regular; 10 episodes | |
| 2015 | Safe House | Ali Blackwell | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Emmerdale | Tess Harris | Series regular; 31 episodes |
| 2017–2020 | The Worst Witch | Julie Hubble | Recurring role; 25 episodes |
| 2018 | The Alienist | Maebh Connor | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Agatha Raisin | Liz Jellop | Episode: "The Curious Curate" |
| Midsomer Murders | Izzy Silvermane | Episode: "With Baited Breath" | |
| 2020 | Silent Witness | Grace Beaty | Episode: "Hope" |
| Broke | Marnie | Series regular; 6 episodes | |
| Dun Breedin' | Sandra | Miniseries; 1 episode | |
| 2021 | Whitstable Pearl | Connie Rowe | Episode: "The Free Waters" |
| 2022 | Call the Midwife | Thelma Haig | Episode: "Series 11, Episode 3" |
| The Dumping Ground | Delilah Fortune | Episode: "Saviour" | |
| The Walk-In | Renshaw's Mother | Miniseries; 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | Maternal | Debbie Wares | Recurring role; 2 episodes |
| London Kills | Kathy Lawrence | Episode: "Fallout" | |
| The Long Shadow | Olive Smelt | Miniseries; 3 episodes | |
Stephenson was in a relationship with actor Kieran O'Brien for eight years. The relationship ended in 1999. [8] Nicola has two daughters, Esme Rose Stephenson born in 2008 whose father is director Ian Curtis, and one named Iris Lilly Stephenson, born in 2010 daughter of her husband Paul Stephenson.[ citation needed ]
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles on ABC's Pushing Daisies (2007–2009), for which she received a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2017, she won the International Emmy for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character in the ITV/Netflix mystery drama series Marcella (2016–2021). Her other accolades include a Drama Desk Award, an honorary degree, and a BAFTA nomination.
Alicya Eyo is an English actress, best known for her roles as Denny Blood in the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls and Ruby Haswell in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
Louisa Clein is a British actress, known for portraying the role of Maya Stepney in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
Lesley Jane Dunlop is an English actress, known for her role as Brenda Walker in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Her other roles include Anna Kirkwall in Where the Heart Is and Zoë Angell in May to December.
Christine "Chrissie" Williams is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Tina Hobley. She first appeared in the third series episode "The Road Less Travelled", broadcast on 5 June 2001. Hobley decided to leave Holby City and Chrissie's final appearance occurred in the sixteenth series episode "Merry-Go-Round", which was broadcast on 19 November 2013.
Nicola Kathleen Stapleton is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in EastEnders as Mandy Salter and Emmerdale as Danielle Hutch. A graduate of the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Stapleton began her career at an early age, appearing in films such as Hansel and Gretel and on television in the children's show Simon and the Witch in 1987.
Shaun Duggan is a BAFTA nominated English writer based in the UK. He has repeatedly collaborated with Jimmy McGovern. He has written several plays and has worked extensively for television including Brookside and EastEnders (BBC1).
Kieran O'Brien is an English actor.
Margaret Clemence is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Nicola Stephenson. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 14 September 1990. Margaret is characterised as a college drop-out unsure about her future. She leaves her home town of Oldham to escape her ex-boyfriend, Kieran, and relocates to Liverpool. She takes a job working as a nanny for Max and Patricia Farnham and becomes their lodger. Stephenson has described Margaret as a domestic and organised character but when it comes to romance she is confused and unstable.
Kelly Diane Adams is an English actress. She has played leading roles in a number of British television series: Mickie Hendrie in the BBC One medical drama series Holby City (2004–2006) and Casualty (2005); Emma Kennedy in the BBC One drama series Hustle (2009–2012); Padre Mary Greenstock in the BBC Three comedy drama series Bluestone 42 (2013–2014); Nancy Webb in the ITV period drama series Mr Selfridge (2015); and Michelle Charr in the BBC daytime murder/police drama series London Kills (2020).
The first series of the British medical drama television series Holby City commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 12 January 1999, and concluded on 9 March 1999. The show was created by Mal Young and Tony McHale as a spin–off from the BBC medical drama Casualty, intended to follow the treatment of patients from Casualty as they were transferred onto the hospital's surgical wards. McHale served as the programme's lead writer throughout the first series, which ran for nine episodes. Young cast actors who were already established names in the acting industry, particularly from a soap opera background. Several cast members shadowed real surgeons and nurses in preparation for their roles to increase the show's realism. The series received mixed reviews from critics. It was compared favourably with Casualty, but received negative reviews in which it was contrasted poorly with the American medical drama ER. The series première attracted 10.72 million viewers, falling to 8.51 million by the series finale.
Susan Cookson is an English actress. She has appeared in various television series, and is known for roles including Tanya in Early Doors, Janice Piper in Clocking Off, Maggie Coldwell in the BBC medical drama Casualty and Wendy Posner in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
Emma-Kate Davies is an English actress. She is the daughter of actor Geoffrey Davies, of the television comedy series Doctor in the House. She is notably recognised for her role of Anna De Souza in the ITV soap Emmerdale and for her portrayal of Diana Mitford-Guinness in the Channel 4 mini series Mosley. She currently resides in South-West London with her husband Ross Allen, a garden designer, and their daughter Camille.
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an actress, presenter and television chef. She has had roles in The Lover (1992), Dangerfield (1995), Brookside (1997–1998), Holby City (1999–2001), Spooks (2002), Burn It (2003), Murder in Suburbia (2004–2005), New Street Law (2006–2007), Murdoch Mysteries (2010–2012), EastEnders (2017) and The Girl Before (2021).
The third series of the British medical drama television series Holby City commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 5 October 2000, and concluded on 5 June 2001.
The thirteenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 5 September 1998 and finished on 13 March 1999. It saw another increase, this time to 28 episodes, including a feature-length Christmas episode. This was the first series to be broadcast in widescreen. The series also acted as a launchpad for characters and storylines in the spin-off series Holby City, which started in January 1999.
Kate Oates is a British television producer, who was born in Nottingham and graduated from Warwick University. She began her career working as a researcher and editorial assistant for Germaine Greer, before becoming a script editor for the soap opera Crossroads. In 2003, she joined the radio soap The Archers as a producer, a position which Oates credits as the majority of her training. After resigning from this job, Oates began working on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as a script editor, during which time she assisted with the soap's fortieth anniversary celebrations and worked on British Soap Award-winning storylines. She remained in the position until 2012 when she joined Coronation Street as the assistant producer.
Butterfly is a three-part British television drama series that premiered on 14 October 2018. Made for ITV by Red Production Company, the series focuses on the family of 11-year-old Maxine, who begins to realise that she is a transgender girl. Anna Friel and Emmett J. Scanlan play her parents, Vicky and Stephen, who reluctantly begin to accept Maxine's need to transition. The programme was also broadcast in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, and made available on the American subscription service Hulu.
Rebecca Sarker is an English actress. After portraying the role of Nita Desai in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 1999 to 2000, she made various appearances in television series including Rosemary and Thyme, Doctors, Holby City, The Golden Hour and EastEnders. In 2018, she began appearing in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Manpreet Sharma.
Beth Jordache is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Brookside. Played by Anna Friel, the character's first appearance was during the episode broadcast on 15 February 1993, where Beth and her family were seen moving into number 10, Brookside Close. Friel made her final appearance on 25 July 1995, with the character dying offscreen in the following night's episode. Beth was paramount to some of Brookside's most famous and controversial plots, such as the killing—and subsequent "patio" burial—of her abusive father and the first ever pre-watershed lesbian kiss in British television history.