Barbara Flynn

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 (1981–1985), 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 her own words, she tends to play "feisty, strong women".[3]

Barbara Flynn
Barbara Flynn in 2006
Born	Barbara Joy McMurray 5 August 1948 St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, England
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1982; died 2017)​
Children	1

Personal life

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 Catholic Primary 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, Linus born in 1990. Taylor died on 17 October 2017.[5][6]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
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

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970–1972	A Family at War	Freda Ashton MacKenzie	Main role
1972	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"
1976	ITV Sunday Night Drama	Beryl	Episode: "Afternoon Dancing"
1977	Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle	Pauline Sutton	Episode: "The Flaxborouogh 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"
1980	BBC2 Playhouse	Heather	Episode: "Standing in for Henry"
1981	Second Chance	Sarah Fletcher	Episode: "October"
1981	The Bagthorpe Saga	Sue	Episode: "Aboslute Zero: Part 2"
1981	Maybury	Dorothy Kemp	Episodes: "Mary", "Hugo"
1981	The Last Song	Shirley	TV series
1981	The Gentle Touch	Sandy	Episode: "Protection"
1981–1982, 1985	Open All Hours	The Milk Woman	Guest role (series 2–4)
1982	The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim	Joanna Lassiter	Episodes: "The Big Smoke", "A Foot in the Door", "Scoop", "The Ties That Bind"
1982	The Barchester Chronicles	Mary Bold	TV miniseries
1985	The Beiderbecke Affair	Jill Swinburne	TV miniseries
1986	Day To Remember	Judy	TV film
1986	Season's Greetings	Belinda	TV film
1986–1988	A Very Peculiar Practice	Rose Marie	Main role
1987	Inspector Morse	Monica Height	Episode: "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn"
1987	The Beiderbecke Tapes	Jill Swinburne	TV miniseries
1988	The Beiderbecke Connection	Jill Swinburne	TV miniseries
1989	Theatre Night	Jane	Episode: "Benefactors"
1990	The Justice Game	Eleanor Goodchild	Episodes: "The Lady from Rome: Parts 1-3"
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
1994	Chandler & Co	Dee Chandler Tate	Main role
1997	The Vanishing Man	Ms. Jeffries	TV film
1998	Performance	Goneril	Episode: "King Lear"
1999	Wives and Daughters	Miss Browning	TV miniseries
2000	Lorna Doone	Sarah Ridd	TV film
2001	Perfect	Imogen	TV film
2002	The Law	Eleanor Kimbrough	TV film
2002	Night Flight	Moira	TV film
2002	The Forsyte Saga	Emily Forsyte	Regular role
2003	Hornblower: Loyalty	Mrs. Mason	TV film
2003	Hornblower: Duty	Mrs. Mason	TV film
2003	Murder in Mind	Grace Fisher	Episode: "Stalkers"
2003	Sweet Medicine	Jane Frampton	Episode: "1.3"
2004	The Inspector Lynley Mysteries	Maureen Finnegan	Episode: "If Wishes Were Here"
2004	Poirot	Mrs. Allerton	Episode: "Death on the Nile"
2004	He Knew He Was Right	Mrs. French	TV miniseries
2005	Sea of Souls	Lt. Col. Petra Summers	Episodes: "Omen: Parts 1 & 2"
2005	Malice Afterthought	Julia Bickleigh	TV film
2005	Elizabeth I	Mary, Queen of Scots	TV miniseries
2006	The Line of Beauty	Sally Tipper	Episode: "To Whom Do You Beautifully Belong"
2006	Cracker	Judith Fitzgerald	TV film
2007	The Marchioness Disaster	Eileen Dallaglio	TV film
2007	Christmas at the Riviera	Rita	TV film
2007–2009	Cranford	Mrs. Jamieson	Main role
2008	10 Days to War	Clare Short	Episode: "These Things Are Always Chaos"
2009	New Tricks	Carole Milburn	Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water"
2009	The Queen	Queen Elizabeth II	Episode: "The Enemy Within"
2011	Silent Witness	Carol Fisher	Episodes: "Lost: Parts 1 & 2"
2011	Midsomer Murders	Millie Bullard	Episode: "The Oblong Murders"
2011	Just Henry	Mrs. Beaumont	TV film
2012	The Borgias	Isabella	Episode: "The Choice"
2013	Moving On	Carol	Episode: "The Shrine"
2013	Pat & Cabbage	Pat	Main role
2014	1864	Dronning Victoria	Episode: "1.3"
2016–2019	The Durrells	Aunt Hermione	Guest role (series 1–2, 4), recurring (series 3)
2019	Killing Eve	Julia	Episode: "Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?"
2020	Death in Paradise	Patti Grenson	Episode: "9.2"
2020	Kate & Koji	Councillor Bone	Main role

Narration

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)

Theatre work

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

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

External links

• Barbara Flynn at IMDb
• Barbara Flynn at Curtis Brown