Carolyn Pickles

Carolyn Pickles (born 8 February 1952) is an English actress. She was born in Halifax, and has appeared in West End theatre and on British television. She is known for playing DCI Kim Reid in The Bill and Shelley Williams in Emmerdale.

Life and career Pickles was born in Halifax. She lives in London. She is the daughter of the Circuit Judge James Pickles, a niece of actress Christina Pickles, and great-niece of Wilfred Pickles, the TV and radio personality. Pickles grew up in and attended school in Halifax in West Yorkshire and Bradford Girls' Grammar School. She read drama at the University of Manchester, taking roles in a number of student productions including Narrow Road to the Deep North by Edward Bond, and the lead in Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children. She joined the BBC's Radio Drama Company.

Pickles played the lead role, in 1986, as Miss Bluebell (Margaret Kelly, founder of a dance group called the Bluebell Girls ) in the BBC series Bluebell. She also appeared in The Bill for two years as DCI Kim Reid, as Simone Trevelyan in May to December and in The Tales of Para Handy as Lady Catherine Ramsay. Pickles also appeared in the cult BBC children's educational drama series Through The Dragon's Eye. She was a leading character (12 episodes in 1982) in the TV series We'll Meet Again. Pickles has appeared in a number of films, including Roman Polanski's Tess (1979), Agatha (1979) and The Mirror Crack'd (1980). In 1990, she appeared in an episode of Casualty (Series 5 episode 8). In 1995 she played as Linda Livingstone in I Don't Speak English with Paolo Villaggio. Pickles appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as the Muggle Studies teacher, Charity Burbage. In 2006 she played the part of Jane Templeton in the final episode of the first series of Lewis an ITV drama.

In 2011, Pickles played Mrs Gulliver in Series 2 and 3 of Land Girls. In 2013, Pickles played journalist Maggie Radcliffe in the ITV drama Broadchurch. She appeared in all three series, from 2013–2017.

Since 2022, she has played Reverend Mother Adrian in Sister Boniface Mysteries in a recurring role. In October 2023, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Joyce Kilter.