Sarah Parish


Sarah Parish 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, Trollied, W1A and as the titular character in 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 playing the pearl in an oyster. She later attended Yeovil Youth Theatre.

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, led to a series of roles as Northern women, including Dawn Rudge in Peak Practice, Allie Henshall in Cutting It, Annie Naylor in Trust and Natalie Holden in Blackpool. 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 ShakespeareRe-Told in which she played Beatrice. She returned as GP Katie Roden in series two and three of Mistresses which was first shown on BBC One in February 2009. She played Lady Catrina in the BBC television series Merlin.
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 cast characters, Pasiphaë. 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.
In December 2019 she appeared in 2 episodes of The Cockfields as Melissa, girlfriend of Nigel Havers' character, Larry.

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. She has joked that "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."

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. In her memory, Parish and Murray raise funds for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Southampton General Hospital. As of December 2019, they had raised £5.2 million towards the PICU. When asked about her hobbies and interests Parish cites her vegetable garden. Their second daughter, Nell, was born on 21 November 2009.
On 2 March 2018 Parish sustained an accident, breaking her leg when sledging in the snow. 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".

Filmography

;Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1994The BillLinda PinchamEpisode: "Taking Stock"
1997–1999Peak PracticeDawn Rudge
1998Babes in the WoodRoxyOne episode
2000BeastHelen
2000City CentralKaren Ridley
2000Brotherly LoveJulia Empthorpe
2000Kiss Me KateLiz
2000–2001Hearts and BonesAmanda Thomas
2001The ViceJane Farrell
2002–2005Cutting ItAllie Henshall
2003Unconditional LoveLydia Gray
2003TrustAnnie Naylor
2003ReversalsCharlotte Woods
2004BlackpoolNatalie Holden
2005Monkey TrousersVarious Characters
2005ShakespeaRe-ToldBeatriceEpisode: "Much Ado About Nothing"
2006AftersunSue
2006Agatha Christie's MarpleEvie BallantineEpisode: Sleeping Murder
2006If I Had YouSharon Myers
2006Doctor WhoEmpress of the RacnossEpisode: "The Runaway Bride"
2008–2010MistressesKatie Roden
2009MerlinLady Catrina
2010The Pillars of the EarthRegan Hamleigh
2011–2012MonroeJenny Bremner
2012Hatfields & McCoysLevicy Hatfield
2013Agatha Christie's PoirotFlossie MonroEpisode: "The Big Four"
2013BreathlessMargaret Dalton
2013–2015AtlantisPasiphaë
2014–2017W1AAnna RamptonThree series
2015–2018TrolliedCheryl FairweatherMain role, 24 episodes
2016The CollectionMarjorie Stutter
2017BroadchurchCath AtwoodSeries three
2017–2018The Keith & Paddy Picture ShowHerself/Dana Barrett /Charlie Blackwood Episode: "Ghostbusters"
"Top Gun"
2017—BancroftDet Supt Elizabeth BancroftSeven episodes
2018Lucrezia Tornabuoni
2019The CockfieldsMelissaSeries 1 Episode 2 & 3.

;Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1998Middleton's ChangelingAsylum inmate
1999Parting ShotsAd agency receptionist
2005The Wedding DateTJ
2006The HolidayHannah
2018You, Me and HimMrs Jones