Emma Handy

Emma Handy (born 24 March 1974) is a British actress best known for her West End stage work and her role as DC Paula McIntyre in the ITV1 award-winning drama series Wire in the Blood in which she appeared for five series.

Early life

Handy trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). During the summer of her second year she was invited to Hungary to play the leading role in the first English translation of Csongor és Tünde by Peter Zollman at the Merlin International Theatre, Budapest.

Career

During her final year at drama school Handy was offered the part of Yuliya in a new translation of Chekhov's The Wood Demon by Frank Dwyer at the Playhouse Theatre in London's West End. She went straight onto the Royal Shakespeare Company to play Jessica in Merchant of Venice and to create the role of Rhona in the premiere of Robert Holman's Bad Weather.

Much of Handy's stage work has been involved with new writing creating many roles including Anna Van Gogh in Nicholas Wright's multi award-winning play Vincent in Brixton directed by Richard Eyre for the Royal National Theatre; Rhona in Robert Holman's Bad Weather directed by Steven Pimlott for the Royal Shakespeare Company; Lou in Murray Gold's 50 Revolutions directed by Dominic Dromgoole for the Trafalgar Studios and Cathy in Polly Teale's award-winning Speechless for Shared Experience at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

Handy played Maudie Miller in Trevor Nunn's 2011 revival of Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket marking the centenary of Terence Rattigan's birth.

In January 2013, she performed at the Adelaide Festival in Australia in the premiere of Thursday by the acclaimed playwright Bryony Lavery (Frozen) in a collaboration with Australian-based theatre company Brink Productions and English Touring Theatre.

Handy performed a lead role, the young Queen Elizabeth ll, 'Liz' in Moira Buffini's critically acclaimed play Handbagged examining the relationship between the Queen and prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The production toured the UK in 2015, including performances at the Theatre Royale in Bath, the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and also at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. In 2016, Handy talked about playing the queen in an interview timed to coincide with the monarch's 90th birthday.

In 2021, Handy played the role of Ida in the BBC Radio 4 drama series Faith, Hope and Glory.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes 2000 Black Cab Jem TV series 2000 Pretending to be Judith Keeley 2 episodes 2001 The Bill Lisa Hayes Episode: "Real Crime" 2002 The American Embassy Jules Brody TV series2002 The Bill Jodie White 1 episode−2002 Innocents Nurse TV movie 2003 Hear the Silence Ann TV movie−2003 Vincent in Brixton Anna Van Gogh TV movie 2004 William and Mary Tracy Mellor 4 episodes 2004 Silent Witness DS Gwenda Newton 2 episodes 2004 See Me Jo TV movie 2005 Beneath the Skin Louisa TV movie 2003–2008 Wire in the Blood DC Paula McIntyre 24 episodes 2010 Doctors Linda Stow 4 episodes 2011 Threesome Dr Cartwright TV series 2011 Holby City Katie Blakeman Episode "See You on the Ice" 2016 The Coroner Debbie Patterson Episode: "Crash" 2016 The Worst Witch Mrs Hallow 3 episodes 2017 Doctor Who Mother Episode: "The Lie of the Land" 2015-2022 Doc Martin Samantha Trappett 7 episodes 2023 The Beaker Girls Mrs Cook Series regular

Film

Year Title Role Director 1997 Velvet Goldmine Jean Todd Haynes 2001 Iris PC Keaton Richard Eyre 2002 Club Le Monde Ra Simon Rumley 2003 Vacuums Marge Luke Cresswell & Steve McNicholas 2003 Vincent in Brixton Anna Van Gogh Richard Eyre 2006 Balham vs Clapham Emily Tom Yarwood 2012 Fast Girls Rebecca- Team GB Official Regan Hall

Theatre

Year Title Author Role Director Notes 1996 Csongor és Tünde Peter Zollman Tunde Lazlo Magacs Merlin International Theatre, Budapest 1997 The Wood Demon Anton Chekhov Yuliya Anthony Clark The Playhouse Theatre, London 1997–1999 Twelfth Night William Shakespeare Lady in Waiting Adrian Noble Royal Shakespeare Company 1997–1999 The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare Jessica Gregory Doran Royal Shakespeare Company 1997–1999 Bad Weather Robert Holman Rhona Steven Pimlott Royal Shakespeare Company1999 50 Revolutions Murray Gold Lou Dominic Dromgoole Trafalgar Studios 2002–2003 Vincent in Brixton Nicholas Wright Anna Van Gogh Richard Eyre National Theatre London, Wyndham's Theatre London, Playhouse Theatre, London 2007 A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare Hermia Tito Celestino da Costa International Opera Festival, Lisbon 2008 Crown Matrimonial Royce Ryton Elizabeth, Duchess of York David Grindley ACT Productions 2009 Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness Anthony Neilson Madame Poulet Steve Marmion Headlong 2010 "Speechless" Polly Teale Cathy Polly Teale Shared Experience, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh 2011 Flare Path Terence Rattigan Maudie Miller Trevor Nunn Haymarket Theatre, London 2012 The Boy who Fell into a Book Alan Ayckbourn Monique Steve Marmion Soho Theatre 2013 "Thursday" Bryony Lavery Bonita D'Olivera Chris Drummond ETT and BRINK Productions for the Adelaide Festival, Australia 2014 "Miss Julie" August Strindberg / Rebecca Lenkiewicz Kristin Jamie Glover Minerva Theatre, Chichester Festival 2015 "Handbagged" Moira Buffini Liz Indhu Rubasingham UK tour