Diane Keen

Diane Keen (born 29 July 1946) is an English actress. With a career spanning decades, she has appeared in television series, films and stage productions. Keen's notable roles include Fliss Hawthorne in the Granada sitcom The Cuckoo Waltz, Sandy Bennett in Rings on Their Fingers, Jenny Burden in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera Doctors. Keen also appeared in Nescafé advertisements from 1980 to 1989.

Early life Keen was born in London on 29 July 1946. She grew up in East Africa, principally Tanganyika and later Kenya, where her father was a civil engineer. She attended boarding school and returned to Britain at the age of 19,

Career Keen was a regular on television during the 1970s and early 1980s, starring in long-running sitcoms such as The Cuckoo Waltz, Rings on Their Fingers, Shillingbury Tales and You Must Be the Husband, and in two runs of the Thames Television children's historical costume drama The Feathered Serpent. She also guest-starred in many shows, including The Morecambe and Wise Show, and featured as Laura Dickens in the spy drama The Sandbaggers.

Keen played Sandra Gould in Crossroads from 1968 to 1971. She featured in the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968) as Judy Geeson's university student friend, Claire, and appeared in an episode of Budgie as Barbara. She appeared full frontal nude, in The Sex Thief 1973, playing Judy Marvin

Keen starred in a series of advertisements for Nescafé coffee from 1980 to 1989 and made an appearance in an episode of Taggart in 1987. In the next decade, she became a regular in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries series, playing the wife of Inspector Wexford's D.I. Roles in Brookside and several other television series followed, including New Tricks.

Keen was then a series regular in the BBC soap opera Doctors, playing practice manager Julia Parsons from 2003 to 2012. For her portrayal of Julia, Keen was annually nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actress between the 2005 and 2010 British Soap Awards. She was nominated for Best Actress again in 2012. She also won in the Actress category at the 2008 RTS Midlands Awards.

Keen has appeared onstage, including in the Alan Ayckbourn play Absent Friends at the Bristol Old Vic, and in two acclaimed tours of Same Time, Next Year. In 2015 she appeared with Graham Cole in Steve Wood's You're Never Too Old. In 2013, she co-starred in a British tour of The Vagina Monologues. A year later, she appeared in a stage production of thriller play The Small Mind, adapted from the novel by Susan Hill. In 2020, Keen appeared in the short film The Wedding Ring. The film was written specifically for Keen to star in from her home, due to the Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema. In 2023, she was cast in a production of Home, I'm Darling that toured across the UK.

Personal life Keen has one daughter, Melissa, by her marriage to Paul Greenwood, which ended in divorce in 1979. Her granddaughter, Siena Pugsley, played the role of her granddaughter, Chloe McGuire, in Doctors. In September 2023, Keen announced via her Twitter (X) account that she had suffered a "Catastrophic Stroke" and that she was lucky to be alive.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1968 Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush Claire 1969 Popdown Miss 1970 1970 Toomorrow Music Student Uncredited 1973 The Sex Thief Judy Marvin 1977 Sweeney! Bianca Hamilton 1980 Silver Dream Racer Tina Freeman 2001 Nowhere in Africa Mrs. Rubens 2020 The Wedding Ring Hylda Short film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1967 Love Story Lucy Episode: "A Dream in the Afternoon" 1967 The Wednesday Play Judy Episode: "Fall of the Goat" 1968 The Root of All Evil? Susan Episode: "The Right Attitude?" 1969–1970 The Morecambe & Wise Show Dolly Bird Recurring role 1970–1971 Crossroads Sandra Gould Guest role 1972 Budgie Sheila Guest role 1972 The Two Ronnies Brenda Brimstone Recurring role 1972 Emmerdale Receptionist 1 episode 1972, 1974 Crown Court Mrs. Bryant / Elizabeth Field 2 episodes 1973 The Pathfinders Nurse Episode: "In the Face of the Enemy" 1973 Country Matters Girl in Office Episode: "The Little Farm" 1974 Fall of Eagles Young Sisi Episode: "Death Waltz" 1974 Armchair Cinema Mina Episode: "The Prison" 1974 Softly, Softly: Task Force Susan Gleaner Episode: "Alert" 1975 Public Eye Nina Episode: "They All Sound Simple at First" 1975 You're on Your Own Marie Le Strange Episode: "Value for Money" 1975 Spy Trap Deborah Ann Lees Episode: "Distant Relations" 1975–1980 The Cuckoo Waltz Fliss Hawthorne Main role 1975 The Legend of Robin Hood Lady Marion Main role 1976–1978 The Feathered Serpent Princess Chimalma Main role 1977 Holding On Yvette 1 episode 1978 The Professionals Hilda Episode: "Killer with a Long Arm" 1978 Wilde Alliance Estelle Episode: "Affray in Amsterdam" 1978–1980 Rings on Their Fingers Sandy Bennett Main role 1978 The Sandbaggers Laura Dickens Recurring role 1978 Return of the Saint Christine Hanson Episode: "The Debt Collectors" 1980 The Shillingbury Blowers Sally Television film 1980 Minder Christina Episode: "The Dessert Song" 1980–1981 Shillingbury Tales Sally Higgins Main role 1981 Take the Stage 1 episode 1982 Playhouse Jacky Episode: "The Reunion" 1982–1984 Foxy Lady Daisy Jackson Main role 1984 Killer Waiting Kate Greenwood Television film 1984 Oxbridge Blues Carlotta / Sherry Craven 2 episodes 1985 Thirteen at Dinner Jenny Driver Television film 1986 If Tomorrow Comes Silvana Luadi 1 episode 1987 Boon Linda West Episode: "Special Delivery" 1987 Taggart Ruth Wilson Episode: "Cold Blood" 1987–1988 You Must Be the Husband Alice Hammond Main role 1990 Jekyll & Hyde Annabel Television film 1990–1992, 1996, 1998, 2000 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Jenny Burden Main role 1993 Crime Story Ann Eaton Episode: "The White House Farm Murders" 1994 Noel's House Party Woman at the Window 1 episode 1994 September Song Connie French Main role 1994 The Bill Janet Hurst Episode: "Birthright" 1995 The Detectives Mary Episode: "D.C. of Love" 1997 A Touch of Frost Janet Episode: "No Other Love" 1997–1998 Brookside Molly Marchbank Recurring role 1999, 2001 Family Affairs Joyce Neville Guest role 2000 City Central Helen Allen Episode: "Half Man Half Cop" 2003–2012, 2020 Doctors Julia Parsons Regular role 2004 The Deputy Hilary Galway Television film 2004 Judas Mary, Mother of Jesus Television film 2006 New Street Law Sandra Wilson 1 episode 2012 Crime Stories Helen Sutton Episode: "Family" 2013 New Tricks Cynthia Caldwell Episode: "Wild Justice"