Julie May Peasgood (born 28 May 1956 in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) is an English actress, television presenter, author and voiceover artist known for her distinctive voice.

Julie Peasgood
Julie Peasgood in The Optimist (1985)
Born
Julie May Peasgood

(1956-05-28) 28 May 1956 (age 68)
Occupation(s)Actress, television presenter, author
Years active1970s–present
Spouse(s)Peter McEnery (divorced)
Dallas Smith (1987–1997, divorced)
Patrick Pearson (1998–present)
Children1
RelativesEmily Peasgood (niece)
Websitehttp://www.juliepeasgood.com

She is best known for her role as Fran Pearson in the television soap Brookside (1991–93). She later played Jo Steadman in Emmerdale in 1997 and Jacqui Hudson in Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2002.

Early life

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Peasgood was born to working-class parents from Northern England.[1] Her mother had started work as a tightrope walker and juggler in Bertram Mills Circus. There she had met her father Sid, who was a welfare officer for the Grimsby Dock Labour Board.[1]

Peasgood was educated at Grimsby's Wintringham Grammar School,[2] leaving at age 16. She had two elder sisters, who became teachers.[3] She lived at 12 Lyndhurst Avenue.[4]

After leaving school she worked in a fish and chip shop in Cleethorpes before training at the Arts Educational School in Golden Lane, London. She left the school shortly before her course finished to take the title role in 'Cherryripe and the Lugworm Digger', which was the first in the series 'Seven Faces of Woman' for ITV.[5]

Personal life

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She is the mother of the actress Kate McEnery by her first marriage to Peter McEnery, whom she acted opposite in Ron Daniel's Royal Shakespeare Company production of Pericles in 1979.[5] She has been married since 1998 to actor Patrick Pearson. Her niece, Emily Peasgood, is an Ivors Composers Awards winning composer and sound artist.[6]

Acting career

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Peasgood was with the RSC for five years,[when?] where she played the role of Tilda (Matilda) Price in the original production of Nicholas Nickleby directed by Trevor Nunn.[citation needed] She was also in the production of Inadmissible Evidence, directed by John Osborne at the Royal Court, and has performed at the Old Vic, the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, the Orange Tree and the West End.[5]

On television she is probably most recognised for the roles of Fran Pearson in Brookside and Jo Steadman in Emmerdale. However, she has appeared in numerous other television series. Among her other credits include appearances in Hollyoaks where she played Jacqui Hudson, First Born, September Song, Taggart, A Woman's Guide to Adultery, Cherryripe and the Lugworm Digger, Carla Lane's Luv, Doctors, The Bill, Holby City, 4 Play, Spender, Ruth Rendell's Simisola, Dancers, This Year, Next Year, the original 1970s series of Survivors, Boon and Small World.[5]

She appeared in the 1983 horror film House of the Long Shadows,[7] which starred Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. In 1985 she featured in the dialogue-free television comedy seriesThe Optimist.

She started to do voice overs in the 1980s, and has voiced several hundred television and radio commercials. She is perhaps most well known in this role for a 1990s advert for Bird's Eye Frozen Peas. In 2003, Peasgood was known as the "queen of the ad voice overs".[1]

On radio she has appeared in Galton and Simpson's Impasse on BBC Radio 2, in which she played Mrs Spooner, opposite Mitchell and Webb. She also played the leading role of Shirley in Venus to Go on BBC Radio 4.[5]

Presenting career

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Peasgood is also a TV presenter, and won the Royal Television Society's TV Personality of the Year Award in 2004, for her series Great Little Breaks. Other credits include Bootsale Challenge, Loose Women, This Morning, Wish You Were Here...?, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Turf Wars on UKTV Style,A Buyer's Guide to Spain on Real Estate TV which she wrote, directed and presented with her husband actor Patrick Pearson, and Crafty Beggars for TLC which she co-produced and co-presented with business partner Wendy Turner Webster (sister of TV personality Anthea Turner) being the first venture for their company Good Turn Productions.

Other work

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She contributed a vocal performance to Creative Reality's survival horror videogame Martian Gothic: Unification which was released in 2000.[5][8] She later spoke out against violent video games, emphasising their negative effects, and attracted some criticism due to her contribution to Martian Gothic.[9][10]

Her first book, The Greatest Sex Tips in the World, was launched at the London Book Fair on 16 April 2007[11] and went on to earn her Best Sex Writer Award from Scarlet Magazine. She currently has two regular magazine columns, is Contributing Editor of Cruise International magazine and writes about travel for a number of newspapers, magazines and websites.

Peasgood is also a public speaker and events host.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1975 The Romantic Englishwoman New Nanny
1978 The Lake Barbara Short
1983 House of the Long Shadows Mary Norton
2001 Hollyoaks: Indecent Behaviour Jacqui Hudson (voice) Video
2018 The Snarling Verity Metcalfe Completed

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1974 Seven Faces of Woman Gaye Kingdom "Cherryripe and the Lugworm Digger"
1974 Sadie, It's Cold Outside Cashier "Pilot"
1975 A Journey to London Miss Betty Headpiece TV film
1975 The Five Red Herrings Fenella Strachan TV miniseries
1976 Survivors Judy "By Bread Alone"
1976 Clayhanger Ada TV series
1977 This Year Next Year Kath Shaw TV miniseries
1978 Play of the Month Cherry "The Beaux Stratagem"
1978 The Law Centre Sheila Mitchell TV series
1979 Everyday Maths "Try It for Size"
1982 Play for Today Kath "Whistling Wally"
1985 The Optimist Mimi "The Brush Off"
1986 A Dangerous Kind of Love Jenny TV film
1987 Imaginary Friends Joanna Onland TV miniseries
1988 Small World Cheryl Summerbee TV miniseries
1988 First Born Anne Forester TV miniseries
1988 Brush Strokes Jane "3.3"
1989 4 Play Hazel "Chains of Love"
1989 Alas Smith and Jones "The Unprepared Version"
1990 Boon Sue Harper "Burning Ambition"
1991 Van der Valk Christina Molders "Dangerous Games"
1991 Spender Booney "Iced"
1991 Perfect Scoundrels Nelly "No Thanks for the Memory"
1991 2point4 Children Pauline "Love and Marriage"
1991–1993 Brookside Fran Matthews / Fran Pearson Recurring role
1993 The 10%ers Trudy "Pilot"
1993 September Song Roxy Recurring role
1993 Taggart Michelle Duncan "Death Without Dishonour"
1993 A Woman's Guide to Adultery Sandra "1.1", "1.2", "1.3"
1993–94 Luv Eden Main role
1994 Chandler & Co. Carmen Talbot "On the Job"
1994 Murder Most Horrid Waitress "Smashing Bird"
1995 Bugs Lena "Pulse"
1995 Men of the World Mandy "The Girl I Love"
1995 The Bill Mrs. Parsons "Have a Go Hero"
1996 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Cookie Dix "Simisola: Parts 2 & 3"
1997 Emmerdale Jo Steadman TV series
1999–2001 Hollyoaks Jacqui Hudson Regular role
2000 Martian Gothic: Unification Harroway (voice) Video game
2000 Holby City Maddy Moorcroft "Faith"
2001 Doctors Mel "Face Value"
2004 Holby City Julie Sweeny "When Lightning Strikes"
2004 Can't Buy Me Love Janice TV film
2006 Doctors Ruth Farrell "Second Best"
2007 The Bill Dawn Collins "480: The Good Old Days"
2008 Doctors Eleanor Warden "The Watcher"
2014 Casualty Kayleigh French "First Impressions"
2016 Casualty Martha Cheney "The Fear"
2019 Years and Years Julie Peasgood 4 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b c Anstead, Mark (10 May 2003). "Jobs & Money: Fame and fortune: Living up to the nines: Mark Anstead talks to an actress who managed to pay off her mortgage by doing an advert for frozen peas, says she has a psychic to thank for her good fortune and buys rocking horses as an investment but only 'if they look happy'". The Guardian (Manchester, UK). p. 14.
  2. ^ Ruston, Abby (22 August 2017). "#I AM GRIMSBY: Actress and author Julie Peasgood supports our campaign". Grimsby Live. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. ^ Grimsby Evening Telegraph Friday 14 June 1974, page 10
  4. ^ Grimsby Evening Telegraph Saturday 1 June 1974, page 6
  5. ^ a b c d e f Julie Peasgood CV Archived 26 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "British Composer Awards 2018 winners revealed". rhinegold. 16 November 2023.
  7. ^ Julie Peasgood at IMDb[unreliable source?]
  8. ^ Martian Gothic: Unification at IMDb[unreliable source?]
  9. ^ Arnott, Jack (20 March 2010). "Alan Titchmarsh: not a fan of video games". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 November 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Julie Peasgood acted in horror video game". Computerandvidegames. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  11. ^ Amazon.co.uk. ASIN 190515125X.
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