Barbara Flynn

Barbara Flynn
Flynn in 2006
Born
Barbara Joy McMurray

(1948-08-05) 5 August 1948 (age 76)
St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, England
Alma materGuildhall School of Music and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1970–present
Spouse
Jeremy Taylor
​
​
(m. 1982; died 2017)​
Children1

Barbara Flynn (born Barbara Joy McMurray, 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 adopted 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

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Flynn was born 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

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Film

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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 The Christmas Candle Lady Camdon

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1970–1972 A Family at War 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"
The Bagthorpe Saga Sue Episode: "Absolute Zero: Part 2"
Maybury Dorothy Kemp Episodes: "Mary", "Hugo"
The Last Song Shirley 6 episodes
The Gentle Touch 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"
The Barchester Chronicles Mary Bold Miniseries, 6 episodes
1985 The Beiderbecke Affair Jill Swinburne Miniseries, 6 episodes
1986 Day To Remember Judy TV film
Season's Greetings Belinda TV film
1986–1988 A Very Peculiar Practice Dr. Rose Marie Main role, 14 episodes
1987 The Beiderbecke Tapes Jill Swinburne Miniseries, 2 episodes
Inspector Morse Monica Height Episode: "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn"
1988 The Beiderbecke Connection Jill Swinburne Miniseries, 4 episodes
1989 Theatre Night Jane Episode: "Benefactors"
1990 The Justice Game 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"
The Vanishing Man 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 The Law Eleanor Kimbrough TV film
Night Flight Moira TV film
The Forsyte Saga 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 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 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 The Line of Beauty 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)
The Marchioness Disaster 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"
The Queen 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 The Borgias 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 The Durrells 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, 8 episodes

Narration

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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

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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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  1. ^ a b "Barbara Flynn". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  2. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Family at War, A (1970-72)". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  3. ^ "BBC – Press Office – Sea of Souls Barbara Flynn". BBC. 8 December 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Barbara Flynn | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  5. ^ Flynn Taylor, Barbara (17 October 2017). "Jeremy Taylor obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. ^ Nesse, Randolph (2 August 2017). "In Memory of Jeremy Taylor, Associate Editor | The Evolution and Medicine Review". evmedreview.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  7. ^ Shenton, Mark (15 January 2016). "Casting Announcd [sic] for Donmar Warehouse Premiere of Elegy; to Include Zoë Wanamaker". Playbill. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
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