Barbara Flynn
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Barbara Joy Flynn (born 5 August 1948) is an English actress.[1] She first came to prominence playing Freda Ashton in the ITV drama series A Family at War (1970–1972).[2] She went on to play the milk woman in the BBC comedy Open All Hours (1976–1985), Jill Swinburne in The Beiderbecke Trilogy (1985–1988), Dr. Rose Marie in the BBC series A Very Peculiar Practice (1986–1988), Judith Fitzgerald in the ITV drama Cracker (1993–1995), and Mrs. Jamieson in Cranford (2007–2009).[1] In 2021, she appeared in Doctor Who: Flux as Tecteun, a founder of Time Lord society and The Doctor's adoptive mother. Starting in 2023, she acted in Beyond Paradise, playing the mother of the detective's girlfriend. This included some episodes in 2024 where she was reunited with Peter Davison, her A Very Peculiar Practice co-star.
In her own words, she tends to play "feisty, strong women".[3]
Personal life
Flynn was born as Barbara Joy McMurray, in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex. Her Irish father, Dr James McMurray, was a pathologist. Her mother was Joy (or Joyce) Crawford Hurst. Flynn attended St Mary's Convent School, Hastings. She then trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (where she was awarded the Gold Medal in 1968) before appearing in repertory theatre.[4]
Flynn married television producer and science writer Jeremy Taylor in 1982. The couple had a son, born in 1990. Taylor died on 17 July 2017.[5][6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Britannia Hospital | Private Nurse | |
| 1990 | Quick Change | Hostage | |
| 1999 | You're Dead | Professor Corner | |
| The Escort | Kim's Mother | ||
| 2006 | Miss Potter | Helen Potter | |
| 2009 | Burlesque Fairytales | Mrs. Argyle | |
| 2012 | Cheerful Weather for the Wedding | Aunt Bella | |
| 2014 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Lady Camdon |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–1972 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Freda MacKenzie (née Ashton) | Main role, 40 episodes |
| 1972 | Thirty Minutes Worth | Various characters | Episode: "1.6" |
| Z-Cars | Jane Wardle | Episode: "Old Acquaintance" | |
| 1975 | Centre Play | Angie | Episode: "The Flight Fund" |
| 1976 | Couples | Sally Mackworth | Episodes: "1.58", "1.59", "1.60" |
| ITV Sunday Night Drama | Beryl | Episode: "Afternoon Dancing" | |
| 1977 | Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle | Pauline Sutton | Episode: "The Flaxborough Crab: Part 2" |
| 1977, 1981–1982 | Play for Today | Monica Potter, Margaret Hanson, Jill | Episodes: "Love on a Gunboat", "No Visible Scar", "A Mother Like Him" |
| 1980 | Keep It in the Family | Marlene | Episode: "Phoney Business" |
| BBC2 Playhouse | Heather | Episode: "Standing in for Henry" | |
| 1981 | Second Chance | Sarah Fletcher | Episode: "October" |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Sue | Episode: "Absolute Zero: Part 2" | |
| Maybury | Dorothy Kemp | Episodes: "Mary", "Hugo" | |
| The Last Song | Shirley | 6 episodes | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Sandy | Episode: "Protection" | |
| 1981–1982, 1985 | Open All Hours | The Milk Woman | Guest role (series 2–4), 11 episodes |
| 1982 | The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim | Joanna Lassiter | Episodes: "The Big Smoke", "A Foot in the Door", "Scoop", "The Ties That Bind" |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Mary Bold | Miniseries, 6 episodes | |
| 1985 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Jill Swinburne | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 1986 | Day To Remember | Judy | TV film |
| Season's Greetings | Belinda | TV film | |
| 1986–1988 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Dr. Rose Marie | Main role, 14 episodes |
| 1987 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Jill Swinburne | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Inspector Morse | Monica Height | Episode: "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn" | |
| 1988 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Jill Swinburne | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Theatre Night | Jane | Episode: "Benefactors" |
| 1990 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Eleanor Goodchild | Episodes: "The Lady from Rome: Parts 1–3" |
| 1991 | Joshua Jones | Additional voices | TV series |
| 1992 | Boon | Sheila Green | Episode: "Queen's Gambit" |
| 1993 | Maigret | Madame Maigret | Episodes: "Maigret on the Defensive", "Maigret's Boyhood Friend", "Maigret and the Minister" |
| 1993–1995 | Cracker | Judith Fitzgerald | Main role, 20 episodes |
| 1994 | Chandler & Co | Dee Chandler Tate | Main role, 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Scene | Episode: "A Man of Letters" | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Ms. Jeffries | TV film | |
| 1998 | Dear Nobody | Chris's Mother | TV film |
| Performance | Goneril | Episode: "King Lear" | |
| 1999 | Wives and Daughters | Miss Browning | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Lorna Doone | Sarah Ridd | TV film |
| 2001 | Perfect | Imogen | TV film |
| 2002 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Eleanor Kimbrough | TV film |
| Night Flight | Moira | TV film | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Emily Forsyte | Regular role, 6 episodes | |
| 2003 | Hornblower: Loyalty | Mrs. Mason | TV film |
| Murder in Mind | Grace Fisher | Episode: "Stalkers" | |
| Sweet Medicine | Jane Frampton | Episode: "1.3" | |
| Hornblower: Duty | Mrs. Mason | TV film | |
| 2004 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Maureen Finnegan | Episode: "If Wishes Were Horses" |
| Poirot | Mrs. Allerton | Episode: "Death on the Nile" | |
| He Knew He Was Right | Mrs. French | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 2005 | Sea of Souls | Lt. Col. Petra Summers | Episodes: "Omen: Parts 1 & 2" |
| Malice Aforethought | Julia Bickleigh | TV film | |
| Elizabeth I | Mary, Queen of Scots | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 2006 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Sally Tipper | Episode: "To Whom Do You Beautifully Belong" |
| Cracker | Judith Fitzgerald | TV special of the main TV series | |
| 2007 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Narrator of TV Documentary | Episode: "Project Aphrodite: Part 1" (uncredited role) |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Eileen Dallaglio | TV film | |
| Christmas at the Riviera | Rita | TV film | |
| 2007–2009 | Cranford | Mrs. Jamieson | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2008 | 10 Days to War | Clare Short | Miniseries, Episode: "These Things Are Always Chaos" |
| Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures | Croc Trooper / Sister Chalice (voice) | Episode: "The Skull of Sobek" | |
| 2009 | New Tricks | Carole Milburn | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Queen Elizabeth II | Episode: "The Enemy Within" | |
| 2011 | Silent Witness | Carol Fisher | Episodes: "Lost: Parts 1 & 2" |
| Midsomer Murders | Millie Bullard | Episode: "The Oblong Murders" | |
| Just Henry | Mrs. Beaumont | TV film | |
| 2012 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Isabella | Episode: "The Choice" |
| 2013 | Moving On | Carol | Episode: "The Shrine" |
| Pat & Cabbage | Pat | Main role, 6 episodes | |
| 2014 | 1864 | Queen Victoria | Episode: "1.3" |
| 2016–2019 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Aunt Hermione | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Killing Eve | Julia | Episode: "Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?" |
| 2020 | Death in Paradise | Patti Grenson | Episode: "A Murder in Portrait" |
| 2020–2022 | Kate & Koji | Councillor Lavinia Bone | Main role, 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Doctor Who | Awsok / Tecteun | Episodes: "Once, Upon Time", "Survivors of the Flux" |
| 2022 | Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures | Professor Vansom (voice) | Episode: "Secrets of Telos" |
| 2023–present | Beyond Paradise | Anne Lloyd | Main role, 20 episodes |
Narration
In addition to her acting work, Flynn has provided voice-overs for numerous TV documentaries, including:
- Body Styles (1989)
- Time of Her Life (1993)
- Network First (1996)
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan (1997)
- Deaf Century (1999)
- The 1900 House (1999)
- Horizon (numerous episodes, 2002 to present)
- The 50s and 60s in Living Colour (2003)
- George Orwell: A Life in Pictures (2003)
- From Here to Paternity (2004)
- The Monastery (2005)
- The Ghost in Your Genes (2005)
- Time Shift: Alan Plater (2005)
- The Queen's Castle (2005)
- Guarding the Queen (2007)
- The Restaurant (2008)
- Big Fat Gypsy Weddings (2011 to present)
- Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (2012)
- The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance (2013)
- The Planners (2013)
- Permission Impossible: Britain's Planners (2014)
- Countdown to Murder (2021)
- Morse and the Last Endeavour (2023)
Theatre work
Flynn appeared in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre production of Pythagoras in 1976. This was a new play by Danny Abse. In 2016, she appeared in the world premiere production of Elegy at the Donmar Warehouse.[7]
References
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External links
- Template:Trim/ Barbara Flynn at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Barbara Flynn at Curtis Brown