Lesley Nicol

Acting

Lesley Nicol

Born 1953-08-07 · Manchester, England, UK

Lesley Nicol (born August 7, 1953 in Manchester, England) is an English actress. She is a three-time SAG Award winner in the Best Cast in a Drama Series category for her role as Beryl Patmore in the ITV and PBS drama TV series Downton Abbey. She also starred in the 2019 feature film adaptation of the series, its 2022 sequel, and its 2025 finale. Nicol is also notable for her role as Mrs Beaver in the 1988 BBC adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and as the Queen Giant in the 1990 adaptation of The Silver Chair. She has guest-starred on numerous British television series and also appeared as Rosie in the West End production of Mamma Mia! from 2000 to 2002. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Acting credits

Ghostbusters poster
5.3

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

Ghostbusters

2016

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale poster
7.1

When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial strife, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

2025

Downton Abbey: A New Era poster
7.2

The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the south of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess's newly inherited villa. Meanwhile, a Hollywood director seeks to film his latest production at Downton.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

2022

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie poster
6.3

Based on the bestselling book series, this outrageous comedy tells the story of George and Harold, two overly imaginative pranksters who hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s an enthusiastic, yet dimwitted, superhero named Captain Underpants.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

2017

Downton Abbey poster
7.1

The beloved Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare for the most important moment of their lives. A royal visit from the King and Queen of England will unleash scandal, romance and intrigue that will leave the future of Downton hanging in the balance.

Downton Abbey

2019

Free Birds poster
5.9

Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history—and get turkey off the holiday menu for good.

Free Birds

2013

Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale poster
2.5

Stars of the beloved period drama Downton Abbey reunite at London's Savoy Hotel to share memories and behind-the-scenes tales, plus a sneak peek at the final film.

Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale

2025

East Is East poster
6.5

In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and start to reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.

East Is East

1999

Return to Narnia poster
8.0

Return to Narnia is a nostalgic documentary that reunites the cast and crew of the BBC’s classic The Chronicles of Narnia adaptations nearly four decades after their original broadcast. Featuring interviews with almost 30 contributors — including all four Pevensie actors — the film revisits key filming locations, explores childhood memories from the set, and reveals how the beloved series was created with ingenuity despite limited resources. Cast and crew reflect on the challenges of bringing C.S. Lewis’s world to life, the production decisions that shaped the adaptations, and the lasting impact the series has had on fans and on their own lives. Blending behind-the-scenes stories, archival material, and warm reunion moments, Return to Narnia celebrates the enduring legacy of the BBC’s Narnia and the timeless magic that continues to draw audiences back through the wardrobe.

Return to Narnia

2025

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair poster
6.5

Eustace is sent to a horrible school and finds a friend in Jill Pole, who's also running from bullies and looking for a place to hide. The two of them are magically transported from the garden shed into the magical world of Narnia, where they are entrusted with a task by Aslan: to rescue the king's stolen son, Prince Rilian. Together with Puddleglum the Marshwiggle, they must travel north across the mountains, dodge giants, and journey down into the earth itself to rescue Rilian from the mysterious evil that holds him bound there.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair

1990

Piney: The Lonesome Pine poster
6.5

A cheerful Welsh girl grows a talking pine named PINEY to be her Christmas tree, but when he's accidentally removed from her grandfather's Christmas tree farm, the plucky family dog leads him on a journey across the countryside while the girl and her grandpa frantically search to get them home before Christmas. Piney's unexpected journey is filled with love, hope and inspiration.

Piney: The Lonesome Pine

2019

West Is West poster
6.4

Salford, North of England, 1976. The now much diminished, but still dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort him out', his father decides to pack him off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier.

West Is West

2010

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe poster
6.5

Four kids travel to the magical land of Narnia where they must battle an evil queen with the direction of the lion, Aslan.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

1988

Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley poster
5.4

When Julie Bottomley discovers her husband of 10 years has been sleeping with her sister, her first instinct is to kill him. However, rather than risk life imprisonment herself, she devises a better plan to get revenge on Ian by faking her own death and framing him for murder. But can she resist the temptation to let her jailed husband know just how "Dead Clever" she's been?

Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley

2007

Hancock & Joan poster
4.1

Drama which tells the story of comedian Tony Hancock's love affair with his friend's wife, and her fight to save the man and his career.

Hancock & Joan

2008

Downton Abbey Live! poster
7.0

A live celebration of the hit TV series, including cast interviews and sneak peeks at the 2019 film.

Downton Abbey Live!

2019

More Beautiful for Having Been Broken poster
6.6

Three women’s lives intersect at a lakeside resort and are forever changed by the love of a special needs boy.

More Beautiful for Having Been Broken

2020

The Wingfeather Saga: The Journey Begins poster
NR

In the vast world of Aerwiar, the Wingfeather family uncovers a secret that changes their world forever. The Journey Begins reimagines the first two seasons of The Wingfeather Saga as one feature, leading into Season Three: The Ice Prairies.

The Wingfeather Saga: The Journey Begins

2025

Benefit to Mankind poster
NR

With a history of depression, a bloodstream full of booze, and a high-pressure job in medical research, Henry Winton seems like an open-and-shut suicide case after his body turns up in the canal. But the more Davies looks at SwanMed, the less he likes--particularly when Winton's pretty young coworker goes missing.

Benefit to Mankind

2004

Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir poster
1.0

The treasured “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” special returns for the 21st year. Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved British actress Lesley Nicol (from Downton Abbey, the MASTERPIECE TV series) join the iconic Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a stunning 90-minute theatrical program, illustrating that the real meaning of Christmas is opening our hearts to all.

Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir

2024

Sarah & Duck On The Big Screen poster
NR

Sarah, a 7-year-old girl, and her best friend, Duck, go on a series of adventures around their local area in this gentle and reassuring children's animation, which compiles episodes of the popular TV series for thearical screening.

Sarah & Duck On The Big Screen

2025