Gwen Taylor
Encyclopedia
Gwen Taylor is an actress who has appeared in many British television
programmes, including Z-Cars
, Murder Most Horrid
, Yes, Prime Minister, Inspector Morse
, Midsomer Murders
and Belonging. However, she is most famous for her roles in two sitcoms: as Amy Pearce in Duty Free
(1984–86), and as Barbara Liversidge in Barbara
(1995–2003).
Her initial career was in banking, where she was Assistant Area Manager for the National Provincial Bank
in Derby. Interested in amateur dramatics from an early age, her first professional acting role was as a 'Green Bean' in 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at Derby Playhouse.
Taylor trained at East 15 Acting School
, London. In the 1970s, she was one of the regulars on Eric Idle
's Rutland Weekend Television
. She also appeared in other Monty Python
spin-offs such as The Life of Brian and Ripping Yarns
, and as Chastity and Mrs. Mountbatten in the Beatles parody The Rutles
. On The Rutles DVD commentary, Eric Idle described her as "the best comedy actress I ever worked with. She could do anything."
She turned down a role in The Meaning of Life
as she thought being covered in intestines, as a man exploded in a restaurant would be 'tasteless'.
In 1990 she was nominated for a Bafta TV award in the best actress category for her role in A Bit of a Do
opposite David Jason. The other actresses nominated were Peggy Ashcroft, Judi Dench and the winner Diana Rigg.
She is most recently known for playing the role of the dishonest Peggy Armstrong in the drama Heartbeat.
In July 2011 it was announced that Taylor would be joining the cast of Coronation Street
, playing Anne, the mother of established character Frank Foster
.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
programmes, including Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, Murder Most Horrid
Murder Most Horrid
Murder Most Horrid is a BBC dark comedy anthology series starring comedian Dawn French. It ran for four series runs, in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 1999....
, Yes, Prime Minister, Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
, Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
and Belonging. However, she is most famous for her roles in two sitcoms: as Amy Pearce in Duty Free
Duty Free (TV series)
Duty Free is a British sitcom written by Eric Chappell and Jean Warr that aired on ITV from 1984 to 1986. It was made by Yorkshire Television.-Cast:*Keith Barron – David Pearce*Gwen Taylor – Amy Pearce*Joanna Van Gyseghem – Linda Cochran...
(1984–86), and as Barbara Liversidge in Barbara
Barbara (TV series)
Barbara is a British sitcom starring Gwen Taylor in the title role. A pilot aired in 1995, and three series then aired from 1999 to 2003. It was made by Central Television, and filmed at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham in front of a live studio audience...
(1995–2003).
Her initial career was in banking, where she was Assistant Area Manager for the National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank
National Provincial Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1833 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
in Derby. Interested in amateur dramatics from an early age, her first professional acting role was as a 'Green Bean' in 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at Derby Playhouse.
Taylor trained at East 15 Acting School
East 15 Acting School
East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...
, London. In the 1970s, she was one of the regulars on Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
's Rutland Weekend Television
Rutland Weekend Television
Rutland Weekend Television was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series, the first consisting of six episodes, the second of seven, were broadcast, in 1975 and 1976. A Christmas special also aired on Boxing Day 1975.It was Idle's first television...
. She also appeared in other Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
spin-offs such as The Life of Brian and Ripping Yarns
Ripping Yarns
Ripping Yarns is a British television comedy series, shown on BBC 2 from 1976 to 1979. It was written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame...
, and as Chastity and Mrs. Mountbatten in the Beatles parody The Rutles
The Rutles
The Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
. On The Rutles DVD commentary, Eric Idle described her as "the best comedy actress I ever worked with. She could do anything."
She turned down a role in The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 comedy film by the Monty Python team. Unlike Holy Grail and Life of Brian, this movie's two immediate predecessors, which each told a single, more or less coherent story, The Meaning of Life returns to the sketch comedy format of the troupe's original...
as she thought being covered in intestines, as a man exploded in a restaurant would be 'tasteless'.
In 1990 she was nominated for a Bafta TV award in the best actress category for her role in A Bit of a Do
A Bit of a Do
A Bit of a Do was a British comedy drama series based on the books by David Nobbs. The show starred David Jason and was aired on ITV in 1989. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television.The show was set in a fictional Yorkshire town...
opposite David Jason. The other actresses nominated were Peggy Ashcroft, Judi Dench and the winner Diana Rigg.
She is most recently known for playing the role of the dishonest Peggy Armstrong in the drama Heartbeat.
In July 2011 it was announced that Taylor would be joining the cast of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, playing Anne, the mother of established character Frank Foster
Frank Foster (Coronation Street)
Frank John Foster is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. Frank is played by Andrew Lancel and was introduced as a business associate of Carla Connor...
.
Comedy
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Sounding Brass Sounding Brass Sounding Brass was a pioneer phone-in programme presented by Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army band, which included the famous Chalk Farm Band, stood by in the studio to play their requests live.The brass bands had a... |
Cynthia Wildgoose |
| 1984 to 1986 | Duty Free Duty Free (TV series) Duty Free is a British sitcom written by Eric Chappell and Jean Warr that aired on ITV from 1984 to 1986. It was made by Yorkshire Television.-Cast:*Keith Barron – David Pearce*Gwen Taylor – Amy Pearce*Joanna Van Gyseghem – Linda Cochran... |
Amy Pearce |
| 1989 | A Bit of a Do A Bit of a Do A Bit of a Do was a British comedy drama series based on the books by David Nobbs. The show starred David Jason and was aired on ITV in 1989. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television.The show was set in a fictional Yorkshire town... |
Rita Simcock |
| 1989 | Sob Sisters | Liz |
| 1991 | The Sharp End The Sharp End The Sharp End was a 1991 British television comedy drama starring Gwen Taylor, James Cosmo and Philip Martin Brown. It was written by Roy Clarke and directed by Brian Parker and David Penn, and ran for eight episodes on BBC1 from 12 April 1991.... |
Celia Forrest |
| 1992 | Screaming | Annie |
| 1993 | Conjugal Rites Conjugal Rites - Performance history :Conjugal Rites was first performed in the United Kingdom at the Watford Palace Theatre on 24 January 1991. It starred Nicky Henson and Gwen Taylor.... |
Gen Masefield |
| 1997 | A Perfect State A Perfect State A Perfect State was a 1997 British situation comedy starring Gwen Taylor, Trevor Cooper, Emma Amos and Danny Webb. It debuted on BBC1 on Thursday 27 February 1997 and ran for seven episodes.... |
Laura Fitzgerald |
| 1997 | Pilgrim's Rest Pilgrim's Rest (TV series) Pilgrim's Rest was a short lived British sitcom which aired for just one series of 6 episodes on BBC1 from 31 July - 4 September 1997.Gary Olsen of 2point4 Children fame starred as Bob Payne. Recently divorced he sets up a roadside cafe named Pilgrim's Rest with his sister Tilly played by Gwen... |
Tilly |
| 1995 1999 to 2003 |
Barbara Barbara (TV series) Barbara is a British sitcom starring Gwen Taylor in the title role. A pilot aired in 1995, and three series then aired from 1999 to 2003. It was made by Central Television, and filmed at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham in front of a live studio audience... |
Barbara Liversidge |
Drama
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2010 | Heartbeat | Peggy Armstrong | |
| 2011- | Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960... |
Anne Foster | Recurring role |