Sarah Parish

Sarah Parish (born 7 June 1968) is an English actress. She is known for her work on television series including The Pillars of the Earth, Peak Practice, Hearts and Bones, Cutting It, Doctor Who, Mistresses, Merlin, Atlantis, Monroe, HBO's Industry, Stay Close, Trollied, W1A and, as the titular character, Bancroft.

With her husband, James Murray, she set up the Murray Parish Trust, which raises money for paediatric facilities, and for which they were both appointed MBEs in the 2025 New Year Honours.

Early life Parish was born in Yeovil, Somerset, to Bill and Thelma Parish; she has a sister, Julie, and a brother, musician John Parish. She was educated at the local Preston School and Yeovil College. She began acting at an early age and believes her first stage appearance was aged two in a pantomime in the village of Tintinhull in Somerset, playing the pearl in an oyster. She later attended Yeovil Youth Theatre.

Career After training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London, her appearance in a cult advert for Manchester-based Boddingtons bitter in 1994 (as Vera, who likes nothing better than "a good rub down with chip fat"), led to a series of roles as Northern women, including Dawn Rudge in Peak Practice (1993), Allie Henshall in Cutting It (2002), Annie Naylor in Trust and Natalie Holden in Blackpool (2004). She starred alongside Debra Messing in the movie The Wedding Date, had a small role in The Holiday, which starred Jude Law, and appeared as the Empress of the Racnoss in the Christmas 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Runaway Bride".

Parish appeared in the one-off drama Recovery. She also starred in the BBC series ShakespeaRe-Told in which she played Beatrice. She returned as GP Katie Roden in series two and three of Mistresses, which debuted on BBC One in February 2009. She played Lady Catrina in the BBC television series Merlin.

In 2011, Parish co-starred in ITV's medical drama Monroe, alongside James Nesbitt. From 2013 to 2015, she appeared in the BBC TV series Atlantis, playing one of the main characters, Pasiphaë. From 2014 to 2017, she played the role of Anna Rampton in three series of the BBC TV comedy W1A. Since November 2015, Parish has portrayed Cheryl Fairweather in Sky One sitcom Trollied.

In December 2017, she played Supt Elizabeth Bancroft in the ITV miniseries Bancroft. The second series was broadcast in January 2020.

In December 2019, she appeared in The Cockfields as Melissa, girlfriend of Nigel Havers' character, Larry. From 2020 to 2024, she has appeared in the HBO/BBC drama Industry. In December 2021, Parish appeared in the Netflix original Stay Close as Lorraine.

Co-stars She has frequently co-starred opposite David Tennant – in the 2004 musical serial Blackpool; the Tony Marchant drama Recovery; the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, "The Runaway Bride"; in the third series of the ITV crime drama Broadchurch; You, Me and Him. She has joked: "We're like George and Mildred – in 20 years' time we'll probably be doing a ropey old sitcom in a terraced house in Preston."

Personal life Parish married actor, artist, and river conservationist James Murray on 15 December 2007 in Hampshire. It was announced in January 2008 that she was pregnant with their first child, due on Parish's 40th birthday. Their daughter Ella-Jayne was born with Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome and died in 2009. In her memory, Parish and Murray raise funds for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton General Hospital. As of December 2019, they had raised £5.2 million towards the PICU. Their second daughter, Nell, was born on 21 November 2009.

When asked about her hobbies and interests, Parish cites her vegetable garden.

On 2 March 2018, Parish sustained a broken leg when sledging in the snow. She commented: "Note to self: cheap plastic sledges are for sitting in and gently trundling down primary slopes – NOT a substitute for a stand-up snowboard".

Honours Parish and her husband, James Murray, were appointed MBEs in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to "children with an illness and their families" through their charitable foundation, The Murray Parish Trust, and as patrons of Friends of Picu at Southampton Children’s Hospital.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Middleton's Changeling Asylum Inmate 1999 Parting Shots Ad Agency Receptionist 2005 The Wedding Date TJ 2006 The Holiday Hannah 2016 Dunroamin Joanna Short film Present Beth Short film 2018 You, Me and Him Mrs. Jones Bad Apples Nurse 2024 Duino Didi aka - Before We Forget Vows Pam Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 The Bill Linda Fincham Series 10; Episode 134: "Taking Stock" 1997–1999 Peak Practice Dawn Rudge Series 5–8; 33 episodes 1998 Babes in the Wood Roxy Series 1; Episode 4 2000 Beast Helen Series 1; Episode 5: "Twin Pekes" City Central Karen Ridley Series 3; Episode 3; "Everything Must Go" Brotherly Love Julia Empthorpe Episode 2: "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll" Kiss Me Kate Liz Series 3; Episode 2: "Magnolia" 2000–2001 Hearts and Bones Amanda Thomas Series 1 & 2; 13 episodes 2001 Table 12 Sharon Episode 10: "Peripheral Vision" Smoke (unknown) Television film The Vice Jane Farrell Series 3; Episodes 1, 2 & 4 2002 Sirens Ali Pearson Television film Impact Gaynor Crosswell aka - Tin Kickers. 2-part mini-series 2002–2005 Cutting It Allie Henshall Series 1–4; 25 episodes 2003 Unconditional Love Lydia Gray Television film Trust Annie Naylor Mini-series; Episodes 1–6 Reversals Dr. Charlotte Woods Television film 2004 Blackpool Natalie Holden Mini-series; Episodes 1–6 2005 Monkey Trousers Various characters Episode 2 ShakespeaRe-Told Beatrice Mini-series; Episode 1: "Much Ado About Nothing" Our Hidden Lives Maggie Joy Blunt Television film 2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Evie Ballantine Series 2; Episode 1: "Sleeping Murder" If I Had You Sharon Myers Television film Girls on the Bus Cassidy Long Pilot episode Aftersun Sue Television film Doctor Who Empress of the Racnoss Series 2; Episode: "The Runaway Bride" 2007 Recovery Tricia Hamilton Television film Director's Debut Florist Episode 2: "Baby Boom" (uncredited role, also director) Sex, the City and Me Jess Turner Television film 2008–2010 Mistresses Dr. Katie Roden Series 1–3; 16 episodes 2009 Merlin Lady Catrina Series 2; Episodes 5 & 6: "Beauty and the Beast: Parts I & II" 2010 The Pillars of the Earth Regan Hamleigh Mini-series; Episodes 1–8 2011–2012 Monroe Jenny Bremner Series 1 & 2; 12 episodes 2012 Hatfields & McCoys Levicy Hatfield Mini-series; Episodes 1–3 2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Flossie Monro Series 13; Episode 2: "The Big Four" Breathless Margaret Dalton Mini-series; Episodes 2–5 2013–2015 Atlantis Pasiphaë Series 1 & 2; 20 episodes 2014–2020 W1A Anna Rampton Series 1–4; 15 episodes 2015–2018 Trollied Cheryl Fairweather Main role; Series 5–7; 24 episodes 2016 The Collection Marjorie Stutter 5 episodes 2017 The Keith & Paddy Picture Show Dana Barrett Series 1; Episode 2: "Ghostbusters" Broadchurch Cath Atwood Series 3; Episodes 1–8 2017–2020 Bancroft DSU/DCS Elizabeth Bancroft Main role; Series 1 & 2; 7 episodes 2018 The Keith & Paddy Picture Show Charlie Blackwood Series 2; Episode 2: "Top Gun" 2018–2019 Medici Lucrezia de' Medici Series 2 & 3; 12 episodes 2019–2021 The Cockfields Melissa Supporting role; Series 1 & 2; 7 episodes 2020–2024 Industry Nicole Craig Series 1–3; 12 episodes 2021 McDonald & Dodds Mariel Flynn Series 2; Episode 3: "The War of Rose" Inside No. 9 Dawn Series 6; Episode 6: "Last Night of the Proms" Stay Close Lorraine Mini-series; Episodes 1–8 2022 Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport Herself - Narrator Series 8; Episodes 1–3 2024 Geek Girl Jude Paignton Series 1; 8 episodes Curfew DI Pamela Green Main cast; Episodes 1–6 DNA Journey Herself Series 5; Episode 3: "James Nesbit and Sarah Parish" 2024, 2026 Piglets Superintendent Julie Spry Main cast; Series 1 & 2, 12 episodes 2025 The Celebrity Inner Circle Herself - Contestant Episode 2

Awards and nominations