Claire Skinner (born 1965) Her dream was to be an actress and she immersed herself in her ambition. She acted, neglecting school work at Cavendish School, and "barely scraped through [her] A-levels".

Career

Her first role was in Hanky Park, by Walter Greenwood at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, which she describes as a "really traditional start". She is best known as Clare on the British television comedy Life Begins and as Lucinda, the sous chef in the first series of Chef! alongside Lenny Henry. From 2007 to 2016, she portrayed Sue Brockman in the sitcom Outnumbered. Skinner reprised her role in a one-off special that aired at Christmas 2024. For many years, she has preferred theatre to screen roles because she has been disappointed with her TV projects ("apart from Mike Leigh's stuff"), "not just when you see the final thing, but also because it hasn't taken off."

Skinner has worked with directors including Mike Leigh – in Life Is Sweet, and Naked – Trevor Nunn, Tim Burton and Sam Mendes, but according to her, Alan Ayckbourn "was a great influence for me as he pushed me so hard, but every director you work with has a big influence in some way, they really push you."

She has made appearances in TV shows such as Lark Rise to Candleford where for two episodes she played Mrs Macey. She appeared in the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas special "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe".

In 2019, she played Sheila in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, which ran in Trafalgar Studios in the West End from September to November.

Personal life

Skinner was previously married to director Charles Palmer, with whom she had two sons. Her marriage to Palmer ended in 2016. Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with her Outnumbered co-star Hugh Dennis. In 2025, it was revealed that the couple had married in 2022.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable"| Notes

! class="unsortable" |

|-

| 1989

| The Rachel Papers

| Gloria

|

|

|-

| 1990

| Life Is Sweet

| Natalie

|

|

|-

| 1993

| Naked

| Sandra

|

|

|-

| 1994

| The Return of the Native

| Thomasin Yeobright

| Television film

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|1995

| I.D.

| Marie

|

|

|-

| Clockwork Mice

| Fairy

|

|

|-

| rowspan="3"|1999

| You're Dead

| Jo

|

|

|-

| Sleepy Hollow

| Beth Killian

|

|

|-

| The Escort

| Patricia

|

|

|-

| 2001

| Bridget Jones's Diary

| Magda

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2003

| The Booze Cruise

| Leone Sewell

| Television film

|

|-

| Eroica

| Countess Josephine von Deym

| Television film

|

|-

| 2004

| Strings

| Jhinna

| English version

|

|-

| 2006

| The Enlightenment

| Roxanne

| Short film

|

|-

| rowspan="3"|2007

| The Trial of Tony Blair

| Nicky

| Television film

|

|-

| You Can Choose Your Friends

| Jane Arden

| Television film

|

|-

| And When Did You Last See Your Father?

| Gillian

|

|

|-

| rowspan="3"|2012

| Act of Memory

| Mother

| Short film

|

|-

| Shoot Me!

| Claire

| Short film

|

|-

| Eliminate: Archie Cookson

| Camilla

|

|

|-

| 2015

| Elsewhere

| Jane

| Short film

|

|-

| 2019

| Isabel

| Mary

| Short film

|

|-

| 2021

| Boxing Day

| Caroline

|

|

|-

| 2023

| The Critic

| Mary Brooke

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2025

| Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

| Magda

|

|

|-

| The Trial

| Dione Sinclair

| Television film

|

|-

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Show

! Role

! class="unsortable"| Notes

! class="unsortable" |

|-

| 1988

| South of the Border

| Laura

| Episode: "Series 1, Episode 7"

|

|-

| 1989

| Inspector Morse

| Girl Pupil

| Episode: "The Ghost in the Machine"

|

|-

| 1992

| Woof!

| Liz

| Episode: "Badgers"

|

|-

| 1993

| Chef!

| Lucinda

| Series regular; 7 episodes

|

|-

| 1994

| Screen One

| Linda

| Episode: "Two Golden Balls"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|1995

| Capital Lives

| Alice

| Episode: "In Cahoots"

|

|-

| Coogan's Run

| Frances

| Episode: "The Curator"

|

|-

| rowspan="3"|1997

| The Wingless Bird

| Agnes Conway

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| Brass Eye

| Various

| Recurring role; 3 episodes

|

|-

| A Dance to the Music of Time

| Jean

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| 1997–2000

| The Peter Principle

| Susan Harvey

| Series regular; 12 episodes

|

|-

| 2000–2001

| Second Sight

| DI Catherine Tully

| Series regular

|

|-

| rowspan="3"|2001

| Perfect Strangers

| Rebecca

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| Bedtime

| Sarah Newcombe

| Series regular; 6 episodes

|

|-

| Swallow

| Gail Collins

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

|

|-

| 2003

| Trevor's World of Sport

| Meryl

| Series regular; 7 episodes

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2004

| The Genius of Mozart

| Nannerl Mozart

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| Murphy's Law

| Alice

| Episode: "Go Ask Alice"

|

|-

| 2004–2006

| Life Begins

| Clare

| Series regular; 15 episodes

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2005

| Agatha Christie's Marple

| Amy Murgatroyd

| Episode: "A Murder Is Announced"

|

|-

| Class of '76

| Dr. Kate Tremaine

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

|

|-

| 2006

| The Family Man

| Natalie Simpson

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| 2006–2007

| Rupert Bear, Follow the Magic...

|

| Recurring role

|

|-

| 2007

| Kingdom

| Brenda Collins

| Episode: "Series 1, Episode 5"

|

|-

| 2007–2024

| Outnumbered

| Sue Brockman

| Series regular; 38 episodes

|

|-

| rowspan="5"|2008

| Sense and Sensibility

| Fanny Dashwood

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| Lark Rise to Candleford

| Mrs. Macey

| Recurring role; 2 episodes

|

|-

| Burn Up

| Clare McConnell

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

|

|-

| Agatha Christie's Poirot

| Miss Rich

| Episode: "Cat Among the Pigeons"

|

|-

| The Commander

| Fiona

| Guest role; 3 episodes

|

|-

| 2009

| Trinity

| Dr Angela Donne

| Series regular; 8 episodes

|

|-

| 2010

| Moving On

| Mary Ann

| Episode: "Skies of Glass"

|

|-

| 2011

| Doctor Who

| Madge Arwell

| Episode: "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2012

| Tilly and Friends

| Tumpty

| Recurring role

|

|-

| Homefront

| Claire Marshbrook

| Miniseries; 6 episodes

|

|-

| 2013

| Playhouse Presents

| Linda

| Episode: "Mr Understood"

|

|-

| 2014

| Silk

| Sarah Stephens

| Episode: "Heavy Metal"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2015

| Critical

| Lorraine Rappaport

| Series regular; 6 episodes

|

|-

| Inside No. 9

| Angela

| Episode: "Nana's Party"

|

|-

| 2015–2017

| Scream Street

| Various

| Recurring role

|

|-

| 2016

| Power Monkeys

| Sara

| Miniseries; 6 episodes

|

|-

| 2017

| Midsomer Murders

| Kitty Oswood

| Episode: "Death by Persuasion"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2018

| Next of Kin

| DCI Vivien Barnes

| Miniseries; 6 episodes

|

|-

| Vanity Fair

| Louisa Sedley

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

|

|-

| 2018–2023

| Hilda

| Various

| Series regular; 34 episodes

|

|-

| 2020

| The Pale Horse

| Yvonne Tuckerton

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

|

|-

| 2021

| Ted Lasso

| Dr Rogers

| Episode: "Carol of the Bells"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2022

| Kate & Koji

| Amanda

| Episode: "Koji’s Date"

|

|-

| Murder, They Hope

| Kerry

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

|

|-

| 2022–2024

| McDonald & Dodds

| Mary Ormond

| Series regular; 6 episodes

|

|-

| 2023

| The Chelsea Detective

| Charlotte Twist

| Episode: "The Reliable Witness"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2024

| Coma

| Beth Henderson

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

|

|-

| Inside No. 9

| Party Guest

| Episode: "Plodding On"

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|2025

| Riot Women

| Tricia

| Recurring role; 2 episodes

|

|-

| The Lady

| June Andrews

| Miniseries

|

|-

|}

Radio

  • Five Beats to the Bar by Neil d'Souza, BBC Radio 4, (2002)
  • Old Harry's Game—Christmas Special by Andy Hamilton on BBC Radio 4, (2002)
  • Trevor's World of Sport by Andy Hamilton on BBC Radio 4, (2005, 2006, 2007)
  • Oblomov (2005)
  • The Light of Knowledge by Mya Hnuang Nyo, BBC Radio 4, (2005)
  • Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare, BBC Radio 4, (2005)
  • Bed and Breakfast by Helen Simpson, BBC Radio 4, (2005)
  • Not a Games Person, narrating Julie Myerson's play, BBC Radio 4, (2006)
  • Sculptor's Daughter-Christmas, Snow, Pets and Females, and The Bays by Tove Jansson, BBC Radio 4, (2006)
  • Standing Sideways, by Matt Charman, BBC Radio 4, (2006)
  • Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth von Arnim, BBC Radio 4, (2006)
  • School Runs, by Alexis Zegerman, BBC Radio 4, (2006)
  • Jigsaw, by Sybille Bedford, BBC Radio 4, (2006, 2007)
  • Poetry Please, reading poems by Percy Bysshe, Mary Shelley, John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Thomas Hardy, Philip Larkin, BBC Radio 4, (2007)
  • Mrs. Warren's Profession, by George Bernard Shaw, BBC Radio 3, (2007)
  • Bird Song BBC Radio 3, (2008)
  • Don't Turn Around (radio short) by Marian Garvey, BBC Radio 4, (2008)
  • Five Easy Ways with Chilli by Scarlett Thomas, BBC Radio 4, (2008)
  • Lunch: A Platonic Romantic Comedy by Marcy Kahan, BBC Radio 4, (2013, 2014, 2015)
  • The Father by Florian Zeller, BBC Radio 3, (2017)
  • The Archers:Truth and Lies by David Payne, BBC Radio 4 (2026)

Theatre credits

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Venue

! class="unsortable"| Notes

! class="unsortable" |

|-

| 1987

| The Playboy of the Western World

| Sara Tansey

| Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Oldham

|

|

|-

| 1989

| The Revengers' Comedies

| Norma / Tracey

| Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|1990

| Othello

| Desdemona

| Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

|

|

|-

| Taking Steps

| Kitty

| Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

|

|

|-

| 1991

| Invisible Friends

| Zara

| Cottesloe Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 1992

| Measure for Measure

| Isabella

| Young Vic, London

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|1993

| The Importance of Being Earnest

| Cecily Cardew

| Aldwych Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| Moonlight

| Bridget

| Almeida Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2"|1995

| Look Back in Anger

| Alison Porter

| Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

|

|

|-

| The Glass Menagerie

| Laura Wingfield

| Donmar Warehouse, London & Comedy Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 1998

| Othello

| Desdemona

| Lyttelton Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2001

| The Winter's Tale

| Hermione

| Olivier Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2009

| Mrs. Affleck

| Rita Affleck

| Dorfman Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2010

| Deathtrap

| Myra Bruhl

| Noël Coward Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2014

| Blurred Lines

| Office Worker

| The Shed, London

|

|

|-

| 2015

| The Father

| Anne

| Kiln Theatre, London & Wyndham's Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2016

| Rabbit Hole

| Becca

| Hampstead Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2017

| Prism

| Nicola / Katharine Hepburn

| Hampstead Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2018

| Nightfall

| Jenny

| Bridge Theatre, London

|

|

|-

| 2019

| A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

| Sheila

| Trafalgar Studios, London

|

|

|-

| 2022

| The Narcissist

| Senator

| Minerva Theatre, Chichester

|

|

|-

|}

Awards

  • 1992 – Won – Geneva Stars de Demain Best Actress for Life Is Sweet
  • 1995 – Won – Critics' Circle Theatre Award Best Actress for The Glass Menagerie
  • 1995 – Won – Time Out Award for Best Performance Off West End for The Glass Menagerie
  • 1996 – Nominated – Laurence Olivier Award Best Supporting Performance for The Glass Menagerie
  • 2009 – Nominated – BAFTA Best Comedy Performance for Outnumbered

References