Lindsey Coulson
Encyclopedia
Lindsey Coulson is an English
actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson
in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
.
graduating in 1982. She went on to appear in such works as an experimental production of Hamlet
, in which she played a 33-weeks pregnant Ophelia
.
Her TV debut was in A Bear Behind (1989), a children's series in which she and a puppet bear called Boz adventured round the country in their horse-drawn caravan
and lived on a houseboat
.
Her big television break came in 1993, when she became a household name afrer being cast in the part of Carol, the feisty battleaxe of the Jackson family, in the successful BBC serial drama EastEnders. She remained in the role for four years, but a desire to try her hand at other roles prompted her to quit the role in 1997.
Coulson went on to star in Out of Hours alongside John McArdle, but after the medical drama failed to get commissioned for a second series, she rejoined EastEnders for a 3-month stint to help facilitate the exit of Patsy Palmer
, who played her on-screen daughter Bianca Jackson
. It was during this 3 month stint that Coulson received the best dramatic performance at the British Soap Awards
.
Coulson's went on to have roles in Clocking Off
, Judge John Deed
, Paradise Heights, Manchild
, The Stretford Wives, Dalziel and Pascoe
, Murder Investigation Team
, The Last Detective
, Urban Gothic and Where the Heart Is
among others. She also appeared in a critically acclaimed film, AKA
, which was shown at Robert Redford
's Sundance film festival
in 2003.
On stage, Coulson has appeared in Snake at the Hampstead Theatre
and has played Ophelia
in Hamlet
. She also starred in Lucky Heather on BBC Radio 4
.
In 2006, Coulson played Ann Peterson in the Jimmy McGovern
drama The Street. Each episode of the drama focused on the stories of the people living in a particular house in the street
. Coulson's on-screen husband Brian, a school teacher, was played by Neil Dudgeon
.
She played the role of Hester Reed in the ITV police drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: The Chinese Walls
(2006), and she also appeared in the Series Four Episode of Doctor Who
entiled Midnight
, in June 2008. Along with this, she starred in 'Three more sleepless nights' at the National Theatre in 2009. The show ended on 27 August 2009.
Despite saying in 2008 she would never return to EastEnders, it was announced on 25 October 2009 that Coulson would reprise her role as Carol Jackson
in EastEnders in 2010 with her on screen family Natalie Cassidy
who played Sonia Fowler
, Dean Gaffney
who played Robbie Jackson
and the character of Billie Jackson played by Devon Anderson
. The Jackson family have now reunited with Patsy Palmer
who rejoined the soap in 2008 in her role of Bianca Jackson
. Coulson made her onscreen comeback in February 2010.
ran a story claiming that Chard had uncovered an alleged affair between Coulson and her EastEnders co-star, Michael French
, who played David Wicks
. Coulson has denied that she and French were romantically involved. In 1998 she commented, "Because our characters had an affair, they tried to make it a real life one and that was nonsense. He was a really good friend and we started on the show at the same time. Apparently two people of the opposite sex can't go out together without it being an affair, which is a shame".
Following her split from Chard in 1996, Coulson began dating Harry Harris, the brother of Patsy Palmer
, who plays her daughter Bianca in EastEnders. Coulson and Harris married in 2002 and have a daughter together named Grace, who was born in 1999.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson
Carol Jackson
Carol Ann Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as part of a new problem family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned temporarily in 1999 as part of a storyline that marked Carol's...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Career
Coulson was a hairdresser for six years, before studying acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre ArtsMountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is an independent drama school situated in the Wood Green area of North London. It was founded in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as 'The Mountview Theatre Club', an amateur repertory company staging a new production for a six-day run every second week...
graduating in 1982. She went on to appear in such works as an experimental production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, in which she played a 33-weeks pregnant Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
.
Her TV debut was in A Bear Behind (1989), a children's series in which she and a puppet bear called Boz adventured round the country in their horse-drawn caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
and lived on a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
.
Her big television break came in 1993, when she became a household name afrer being cast in the part of Carol, the feisty battleaxe of the Jackson family, in the successful BBC serial drama EastEnders. She remained in the role for four years, but a desire to try her hand at other roles prompted her to quit the role in 1997.
Coulson went on to star in Out of Hours alongside John McArdle, but after the medical drama failed to get commissioned for a second series, she rejoined EastEnders for a 3-month stint to help facilitate the exit of Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
, who played her on-screen daughter Bianca Jackson
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
. It was during this 3 month stint that Coulson received the best dramatic performance at the British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
.
Coulson's went on to have roles in Clocking Off
Clocking Off
Clocking Off is a British television drama series which ran on the BBC One network for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott...
, Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove...
, Paradise Heights, Manchild
Manchild
Manchild is a British television comedy / drama series that ran for two series on BBC Two between February 2002 and April 2003 with seven episodes in Series 1 and eight episodes in Series 2....
, The Stretford Wives, Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC TV series)
Dalziel and Pascoe is a popular British television crime drama based on the Dalziel and Pascoe books by Reginald Hill, which was first broadcast in March 1996. It is set in Yorkshire, and is about two detectives...
, Murder Investigation Team
Murder Investigation Team
Murder/Major Investigation Teams are the specialised homicide squads of the Metropolitan Police in London, England. Forming part of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, itself part of the Specialist Crime Directorate, there is one MIT for each Borough Operational Command Unit...
, The Last Detective
The Last Detective
The Last Detective is an ITV drama starring Peter Davison as Dangerous Davies. The first series aired in 2003 with three more seasons succeeding this...
, Urban Gothic and Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...
among others. She also appeared in a critically acclaimed film, AKA
AKA (film)
AKA is a 2002 drama film, the first by director and writer Duncan Roy. The film is set in the late 1970s in Britain and deals with the story of Dean, an 18-year-old boy who assumes another identity in order to enter high society. Dean then meets David, an older gay man who desires him and Benjamin,...
, which was shown at Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
's Sundance film festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 2003.
On stage, Coulson has appeared in Snake at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
and has played Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. She also starred in Lucky Heather on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
In 2006, Coulson played Ann Peterson in the Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
drama The Street. Each episode of the drama focused on the stories of the people living in a particular house in the street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
. Coulson's on-screen husband Brian, a school teacher, was played by Neil Dudgeon
Neil Dudgeon
Neil Dudgeon is a British actor best known for his many television appearances, most often in crime drama.-Early Life:Dudgeon was born 1 January 1961 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, and attended Danum Grammar School among others. He established himself as an actor in school plays and went on to study...
.
She played the role of Hester Reed in the ITV police drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: The Chinese Walls
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a series of BBC television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton of Scotland Yard and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers...
(2006), and she also appeared in the Series Four Episode of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
entiled Midnight
Midnight (Doctor Who)
"Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed much more emphasis on the role of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor than in the rest of the fourth series, with the...
, in June 2008. Along with this, she starred in 'Three more sleepless nights' at the National Theatre in 2009. The show ended on 27 August 2009.
Despite saying in 2008 she would never return to EastEnders, it was announced on 25 October 2009 that Coulson would reprise her role as Carol Jackson
Carol Jackson
Carol Ann Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as part of a new problem family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned temporarily in 1999 as part of a storyline that marked Carol's...
in EastEnders in 2010 with her on screen family Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
who played Sonia Fowler
Sonia Fowler
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
, Dean Gaffney
Dean Gaffney
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...
who played Robbie Jackson
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
and the character of Billie Jackson played by Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
. The Jackson family have now reunited with Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
who rejoined the soap in 2008 in her role of Bianca Jackson
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
. Coulson made her onscreen comeback in February 2010.
Personal life
Coulson has been married twice. Her first husband was the showbusiness agent Philip Chard and the couple have a daughter named Molly, who was born in 1993. In 1996, the Sunday MirrorSunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
ran a story claiming that Chard had uncovered an alleged affair between Coulson and her EastEnders co-star, Michael French
Michael French (actor)
Michael French is an English actor, most notable for his role as consultant Nick Jordan in Casualty and former cardiothoracic registrar in Holby City...
, who played David Wicks
David Wicks
David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael French. He originally appeared between 1993 to 1996...
. Coulson has denied that she and French were romantically involved. In 1998 she commented, "Because our characters had an affair, they tried to make it a real life one and that was nonsense. He was a really good friend and we started on the show at the same time. Apparently two people of the opposite sex can't go out together without it being an affair, which is a shame".
Following her split from Chard in 1996, Coulson began dating Harry Harris, the brother of Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
, who plays her daughter Bianca in EastEnders. Coulson and Harris married in 2002 and have a daughter together named Grace, who was born in 1999.