Janine Duvitski

Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series Waiting for God, One Foot in the Grave and Benidorm. Duvitski first came to national attention in the play Abigail's Party, written and directed in 1977 by Mike Leigh.

Personal life Duvitski was born in Morecambe, Lancashire to a Polish father and an English mother. She attended Nottingham Girls' High School, then a direct grant grammar school.

She trained at East 15 Acting School in Essex. She has four children, Jack, Albert, Ruby, and Edith Bentall, with her actor husband Paul Bentall. Ruby is also an actress and Edith, Duvitski's younger daughter, is the lead singer of the band Fours.

Career Television Shortly after leaving drama school, Duvitski was given a couple of small roles in television dramas but had no agent, and placed an advert in the Spotlight agency catalogue with a photograph. As a result she was approached by the BBC to test for a play about incest titled Diane, produced in 1975 as an episode in the BBC2 Playhouse series. The part was that of a 13-year-old girl, while Duvitski was then in her early 20s, but her audition was sufficiently convincing to win her the role. The door thus opened to her for more TV and stage roles and, whilst she was appearing in Don Juan at Hampstead Theatre, London, she was spotted by Mike Leigh who offered her the part of Angie in the stage production of Abigail's Party (1977), which she repeated in the television version. Duvitski's principal television credits include the roles of Jane Edwards in Waiting for God (1990–1994), Pippa Trench in One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000), and Jacqueline Stewart in Benidorm (2007–2018). In the BBC's Vanity Fair she played Mrs Crawley. She has also appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.

She has also appeared in the one-off production of Blue Remembered Hills by Dennis Potter, as well as in episodes of Foyle's War ("Fifty Ships"), Brush Strokes, Cowboys, Citizen Smith, Minder, Midsomer Murders (1998), My Family, Man About the House, The Georgian House, The New Statesman, The Black Stuff by Alan Bleasdale, The Knowledge, Z-Cars, The Worst Week of My Life, Little Dorrit, Still Open All Hours and, in 2013, as Emily Scuttlebutt in the CBeebies show Old Jack's Boat.

In 2015 Duvitski starred in the BBC sitcom Boy Meets Girl. In 2017 she appeared as Mrs Leydon, the Chapel assistant, in BBC's mockumentary Hospital People.

Films Duvitski had a small role opposite Laurence Olivier and Donald Pleasence in Dracula (1979), and appeared in the 1980 rock music film Breaking Glass. She also appeared in Michael Crichton's The First Great Train Robbery (1978), The Madness of King George (1994), About a Boy (2002), The New World (2005) and Angel (2007).

Theatre Duvitski first came to national attention in Abigail's Party, written and directed in 1977 by Mike Leigh. The play opened in April 1977 at the Hampstead Theatre, returning after its initial run in the summer of 1977, with a total of 104 performances. A suburban comedy of manners, the play is a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that had emerged in Britain in the 1970s. In November 1977 an abridged version of the play, lasting 104 minutes, was recorded as a BBC Play for Today. Duvitski plays Angela, a nurse, wife of Tony Cooper.

Her theatre career has also included productions at UK's National Theatre, Young Vic and Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 2007 she appeared on stage in the revival of English National Opera's On the Town. The production, which also included veteran British comic actress June Whitfield, saw Duvitski give a "touching comic account of Lucy Schmeeler, Hildy's homely roommate".

Duvitski played the Vegetable Fairy in the 2017 Sunderland Empire Theatre pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. In 2019 she played Mummy Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the London Palladium, and later appeared as Fairy Moonbeam in the pantomime Sleeping Beauty at Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre.

Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 1972 Z Cars Ginny 1 episode; credited as Janine Drzewicki 1973 Man About the House Sheila 1975 Sadie, It's Cold Outside Lana 1976 The Georgian House Ariadne 6 episodes Scene Gertie TV series documentary; episodes: "A Collier's Friday Night" (Parts 1 & 2) 1977–1979 Play for Today Angela; Vera; Audrey Episodes: "Abigail's Party", "Scully's New Year's Eve", "Blue Remembered Hills" 1978 Miss Jones and Son Cheryl Episode: "More Fish in the Sea" People Like Us Betsy Symes TV mini-series Pickersgill People Tracey Dawn Tattersall TV series Happy Ever After Cynthia Episode: "The Hut Sut Song" The Sunday Drama Lesley Episode: "Alphabetical Order" Premiere Di Episode: "One of These Nights I'm Gonna Get an Early Day" Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf Maureen Television film 1979 Afternoon Off Doreen The Other Side Gina TV series; 1 episode Murder at the Wedding Gail TV mini-series; 3 episodes Citizen Smith Phillipa 2 episodes The Knowledge Receptionist Television film 1980 The Black Stuff Student Minder Carol Episode: "The Beer Hunter" 1980–1981 Cowboys Muriel Bailey 6 episodes 1981 Masterpiece Theatre: Sons and Lovers Beatrice TV mini-series 1985, 1989, 1992 Alas Smith & Jones Unnamed TV series; 5 episodes 1986 Brush Strokes Natasha Series 2, episode 5 1987 Screen Two Betty Episode: "East of Ipswich" Casualty Joyce Episode: "A Little Lobbying" Ratman Gallery Assistant 1988 This is David Lander Sheila Parkes Episode: "Reduced to Tears" Number 27 Traffic Monitor Television film 1989 Mornin' Sarge Ellen 2 episodes 1990 The New Statesman Interpreter Episode: "Who Shot Alan B'Stard?" 1990–1994 Waiting for God Jane Edwards Series regular, 47 episodes 1990–2000 One Foot in the Grave Pippa Supporting role, 14 episodes 1991 Came Out, It Rained, Went Back in Again Speaking Woman TV short 1994 Young Jung Lotte C. Television film 1996 Megamaths Queen of Hearts Educational series; Episode: "Multiply By" 1996 London Suite Emma – Nanny Television film 1998 Midsomer Murders Deirdre Tibbs Episode: "Death of a Hollow Man" Vanity Fair Mrs. Bute Crawley 5 episodes 2000 My Family Mrs. Hodder Episode: "Pain in the Class" The Mrs Bradley Mysteries Mrs. Cockerton Episode: "The Rising of the Moon" 2002 George Eliot: A Scandalous Life Gossip Television film 2003 Doctors Mary Winterbourne 1 episode Foyle's War Eve Redmond Episode: "Fifty Ships" The Young Visiters Queen Victoria Television film 2004 Shadow Play Katie 4 episodes Trial & Retribution Sandra Dutton Episodes: "Blue Eiderdown" (Parts 1 & 2) 2004–2006 The Worst Week of My Life Eve 17 episodes 2006 The Children's Party at the Palace Maid at Buckingham Palace TV special 2007–2018 Benidorm Jacqueline Stewart Main role, 73 episodes 2008 Little Dorrit Mrs. Meagles Supporting role, 8 episodes 2009 Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire Agnes Grimshank 2011–2014 This is Jinsy Mrs. Goadion Main role, 13 episodes 2012 A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories Belladonna Zbinka 2013 Plebs Soothsayer Episode: "Saturnalia" 2013–2015 Old Jack's Boat Emily Scuttlebutt Series regular, 47 episodes 2015 Crackanory Phillis / Agnes Sprottle 2 episodes 2015–2016 Boy Meets Girl Peggy Main role, 12 episodes 2016 Doctor Thorne Lady Scatcherd TV mini-series; all 3 episodes Houdini & Doyle Martha Episode: "The Monsters of Nethermoor" Still Open All Hours Elsie Bridges 2016 Christmas Special 2017 Hospital People Mrs. Leydon Main role, 6 episodes 2021 Murder, They Hope Betty Episode: "The Bunny Trap" 2021 Midsomer Murders Hattie Bainbridge Episode: "The Witches of Angel's Rise"

Film