Julia Margaret Deakin (born 15 May 1952)Clarke, Gemma (5 September 2016). "Grand Re-Opening of Gainsborough Heritage Centre". Gainsborough Heritage Association. Retrieved 10 August 2021. is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the sitcoms So Haunt Me (1992–1994), Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1996–1997) and Spaced (1999–2001). Her film appearances include Hot Fuzz (2007) and High-Rise (2015)."Julia Deakin". BFI. Retrieved 10 August 2021.

Early life Deakin was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, where her parents Wyn and Bill were shopkeepers."Gainsborough Heritage Centre re-opened by actress Julia Deakin after £45k revamp". Lincolnshire World (5 September 2016). Retrieved 10 August 2021.

She attended Gainsborough High School for Girls (became part of Queen Elizabeth's High School in 1983), a girls' grammar school. She started French and Drama teacher training near Manchester, then attended Mountview Theatre School.

Career In theatre, she played Mrs. Sowerberry in Cameron Mackintosh’s large-scale West End revival of Oliver! at the London Palladium in 1994, and can be heard singing the song "That's Your Funeral" (with David Delve) on the cast recording.

On television, Deakin played Stella Tulley in Side by Side and Marsha, the ageing divorcée landlady, in the sitcom Spaced (1999).

Deakin earlier appeared in the television sitcom Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1996–1997), where she played the role of May Skinner, replacing Sherrie Hewson from the original pilot. She appeared as Carole Copeland, Dominick's adoptive mother, in 33 episodes of Holby City over 2015-2021. She has also made many single television appearances, including playing Jill, the receptionist from Pear Tree Productions, in one episode of the first series of I'm Alan Partridge, a rural dominatrix in Doc Martin as well as roles in Midsomer Murders and Coronation Street. She appeared in the sketch comedy series Big Train alongside fellow Spaced cast members Simon Pegg and Mark Heap. She plays Dr. Jean in the Alan segments on Modern Toss. She played Luella's mother, Genevieve Shakespeare in "The Envious Court", Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators S2:E9 (2019).

She has appeared on radio, as Eva Tattle in The Maltby Collection. She also guest starred in the Doctor Who audio drama Terror Firma for Big Finish Productions. And appeared in an episode of Agatha Raisin with Penelope Keith.

She portrayed Daphne Andrews in House of Anubis. Her character left in series two.

Film Deakin had a cameo in the feature film Shaun of the Dead (2004) and played the pub landlady Mary Porter in the film Hot Fuzz (2007) by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. In 2009 she was cast as Maggie, a Brighton mother in Ben Wheatley's British crime film Down Terrace. She later appeared in Ben Wheatley's 2015 cinema adaptation of High-Rise as Jean, the assistant to protagonist Dr. Laing.

Personal life She is married to actor and author Michael Simkins.

Filmography

Television roles Year Title RoleNotes1979Follow the StarAngel / VillagerTV film1983Birth of a NationDeputy Headmistress GrunsellTV film The Kenny Everett Television Show House keeperEpisode: #2.41986God's Chosen Car ParkNancy DeanTV filmUnnatural CausesPamelaEpisode: "Evensong"1987Worlds BeyondEllieEpisode: "The Eye of Yemanja"Vanity FairMadame de Saint AmourEpisode: "Our Friend the Major"1988ClarenceAngelaEpisode: #1.1CasualtyJillEpisode: "Welcome to Casualty"1989 Coronation Street Secretary4 PlayJudyEpisode: "Family"1989–2004Coronation StreetBrenda Fearns / DP's Secretary22 episodes1991–2007The BillAnnie Thomas / Mrs. Brigazzi / Manageress3 episodes1992 So Haunt Me Carole Dawlish ("Carole with an E") Side by SideStella TulleyHaggard AgnesEpisode: "Mad Jack"BoonFrankEpisode: "Deadline"1992–1994So Haunt MeCarole Dawlish8 episodes1994 Mother's Ruin Brucella Pashley5 episodesWycliffeStephanie VinterEpisode: "The Last Rites"1996–1997 Oh, Doctor Beeching! May Skinner19 episodes1997 Spark Ursula Craig3 episodes I'm Alan Partridge JillEpisode: "Alan Attraction"1998Big TrainEpisode: #1.3The Canterbury TalesThe Prioress (voice)1999Hope and GloryJude JakesEpisode: #1.41999–2001 Spaced Marsha Klein14 episodes2001–2021Holby CityCarole Copeland / Molly Mackie / Lynn Joseph / Annabelle Garston26 episodes2000Heartburn HotelJulesEpisode: "Hero"The SleeperValerie2002Dalziel and PascoeChloe MilesEpisode: "Mens Sana"2004If...Justice SnowdonAnimated Tales of the WorldWang Bao's Mother (voice)Episode: "The Magic Gourd"2005 Doc Martin Gloria RixEpisode: "Old Dogs"Midsomer MurdersValerie SmeetonEpisode: "Midsomer Rhapsody"The BriefFaith GilespieEpisode: "The Architect's Wife"2006–2013 Doctors Janette Treadwell / Laura Maidment / Sandra Millard / Lynne Spice / Margaret Wheeler5 episodes2007The Peter Serafinowicz ShowVariousEpisode: #1.22008Hancock & JoanLandladyTV filmThe Wrong DoorEpisode: "The Smutty Aliens"Clive HoleClever HookerTV short2009Plus OneJuney PearceEpisode: "I Do a Lot of Work for Charity"No HeroicsLyndaEpisode: "Origin, Tonic"2010HoundedQueen GertrudeEpisode: "Queen Mu"WhitesHeather CritchEpisode: #1.4The First Men in the MoonMrs. FittTV film2011Coming of AgeAunty OlwenEpisode: "Penguin"Comedy ShowcaseMrs. KayEpisode: "Coma Girl"Little CrackersSister AquinasEpisode: "Sally Lindsay's Little Cracker: My First Christmas Number One"2011–2012 House of Anubis Daphne Andrews 54 episodes2012Scott & BaileyScary Mary JacksonEpisode: #2.6StarlingsLizzieEpisode: #1.5Bad SugarDilysTV film2013 Big Bad World Shirley6 episodesBadultsCarolEpisode: "Girls"BreathlessKathleenEpisode: #1.32014 The Midnight Beast Sylvia3 episodesAltLizTV filmThe Life of Rock with Brian PernWPC Karen BovisEpisode: "Jukebox Musical"2015I Live with ModelsSusan MarkovitzEpisode: "Trip"2016Mid Morning Matters with Alan PartridgeCaller4 episodesBoomersSallyEpisode: "Naming Ceremony"BBC Comedy Feeds HelenEpisode: "Fail"2017 Back EllenEpisode: "Pilot"LoadedPaulineEpisode: "Watto's Mum"Comedy PlayhouseThanet JanetEpisode: "Static"2018–2019 Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators Genevieve Shakespeare 2 episodes2019Dad's Army: The Lost EpisodesLady ChairmanEpisode: "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker"2020 The Windsors Carole Middleton 2021Inside Beverly Hills: Land of Rich and Famous NarratorVoice role

Film roles Year Title RoleNotes1986 Mr. Love Melanie1990 Dancin' Thru the Dark Bernadette King 1994 Staggered Brenda2000 Liam Auntie Aggie2002 Pure Mrs. Rawlings2004 Shaun of the Dead Yvonne's Mum Between Two Women Alice The Tale of Tarquin SlantMrs. SlantShort film2006ScoopSid's Co-Passengers2007 Hot Fuzz Mary Porter2009 Down Terrace Maggie2012 The Sweeney Older Woman2013 The World's End B&B LandladyHaving YouMrs. Haughton2015 High-Rise Jean2018LifelineThe SupervisorShort filmThe SnarlingYvonne Mayor - ReporterMausoleumJuliaShort film2020RebeccaLady CrowanTalk RadioPaulineShort film2022Mind-setCharity Pat

References

External links

More about her character in Spaced