Barbara Flynn

Acting

Barbara Flynn

Born 1948-08-05 · Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK

Barbara Joy Flynn (born 5 August 1948) is an English actress. She first came to prominence playing Freda Ashton in the ITV drama series A Family at War (1970–1972). She went on to play the milk woman in the BBC comedy Open All Hours (1976–1985), Jill Swinburne in The Beiderbecke Trilogy (1985–1988), Dr. Rose Marie in the BBC series A Very Peculiar Practice (1986–1988), Judith Fitzgerald in the ITV drama Cracker (1993–1995), and Mrs. Jamieson in Cranford (2007–2009). In 2021, she appeared in Doctor Who: Flux as Tecteun, a founder of Time Lord society and The Doctor's adopted mother. Starting in 2023, she acted in Beyond Paradise, playing the mother of the detective's girlfriend. This included some episodes in 2024 where she was reunited with Peter Davison, her A Very Peculiar Practice co-star. In her own words, she tends to play "feisty, strong women"

Acting credits

Miss Potter poster
6.7

Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved children's book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", struggles for love, happiness and success.

Miss Potter

2006

The Escort poster
5.4

Fleeing from his wife in France to London, 45-year-old Pierre is barely able to support himself. He meets friendly Tom, who offers to help him make ends meet by working as a male escort.

The Escort

1999

Just Henry poster
6.6

Prompted by horrific nightmares, Henry delves into the mystery of his past and begins to uncover the truth about his father's death, triggering a series of revelations that will change his family forever.

Just Henry

2011

Britannia Hospital poster
6.2

Britannia Hospital, an esteemed English institution, is marking its gala anniversary with a visit by the Queen Mother herself. But when investigative reporter Mick Travis arrives to cover the celebration, he finds the hospital under siege by striking workers, ruthless unions, violent demonstrators, racist aristocrats, an African cannibal dictator, and sinister human experiments.

Britannia Hospital

1982

Bosses From Hell poster
NR

John Cleese training video about bosses.

Bosses From Hell

1989

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding poster
5.4

England, 1932. Today is Dolly Thatcham's wedding day, and her family is arriving at the manor house with all the cheerfulness, chaos and grievances that accompany such gatherings. Trouble soon appears in the shape of Joseph, Dolly's lover from the previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil. But Dolly's mother will not allow her carefully laid plans for her daughter's future to be threatened...

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

2012

Hornblower: Loyalty poster
7.3

Hornblower must deliver a French nobleman to a secret rendezvous near Brest, all while coping with enemy agents in his own ranks.

Hornblower: Loyalty

2003

Christmas at the Riviera poster
4.2

The assistant manager of a seaside hotel is left to run the building over the Christmas period.

Christmas at the Riviera

2007

Lorna Doone poster
5.8

The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles' illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king's death, conflict is inevitable... Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones. The aristocratic Doones were banished from their ancestral lands and now live through looting, theft, and murder. Their brutality is legendary...

Lorna Doone

2001

The Christmas Candle poster
5.9

Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candlemaker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end.

The Christmas Candle

2013

You're Dead... poster
6.8

A veteran bank robber and his sidekicks plan a heist that goes awry.

You're Dead...

1999

Cracker: Nine Eleven poster
7.0

After living in Australia for the past decade, Fitz and Judith return to Manchester in 2004 for their daughter Katie's wedding. Drinking too much at the reception, Fitz stumbles through a rambling toast, which only embarrasses the bride. Instead of spending time with his grandson, son of his married son Mark, Fitz opts to join in the investigation of a serial killer who has an apparent dislike of Americans in the wake of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq.

Cracker: Nine Eleven

2006

Open All Hours: Inside Out poster
NR

Retrospective celebrating the shop sitcom, including a new short scene starring David Jason. Also features Diane Morgan, Johnny Vegas, Tim Healy and Charlotte Barker.

Open All Hours: Inside Out

2026

No artwork available
7.5

Night Flight was a powerful drama set in 1943 and the present telling the story of two World War II veterans. Harry Peters piloted a Lancaster bomber at just 20. His now middle-class world is thrown into disarray when former comrade Vic Green lands. A tale of secrets, scandal and corruption based on ghosts as yet not laid to rest.

Night Flight

2002

Hornblower: Duty poster
7.3

Admiral Pellew interrupts Hornblower's wedding reception and tasks him to locate a British ship which has disappeared off the French coast, where Napoleon's troops are engaged in covert activities.

Hornblower: Duty

2003

Burlesque Fairytales poster
5.6

A fairytale thriller film set one night in a 1930's London theatre where all is not what it seems.

Burlesque Fairytales

2010

King Lear poster
8.5

An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.

King Lear

1998

The Vanishing Man poster
7.0

While Nick Cameron is returning to England from the continent with mysterious cargo in the cabin section of his small aircraft, he is thrown off-course by a severe electrical storm and loses radio contact. To his surprise and horror, he is arrested upon landing and accused of being a traitor in connection with the cargo he has been carrying - which, unknown to him, contained plutonium. Although he pleads innocent, Nick is not believed and is sentenced to a long term in prison. While in prison, he is subjected to special experimentation at a mysterious laboratory - with one unnerving, and unexpected, side-effect of the experiments being intermittent invisibility. —David McAnally

The Vanishing Man

1997

No artwork available
2.0

Michael Frayn play part of TV series Theatre Night.

Benefactors

1989

Standing in for Henry poster
NR

At an advertising agency in Nottingham, young graphic designer Graham is recruited as a temporary replacement for the iconic Henry. The agency are desperate to be part of the Swinging Sixties but not without Henry. Can Graham replace him?

Standing in for Henry

1980

No Visible Scar poster
NR

A wounded member of a rebel terrorist organisation is tended by an English nurse. She is imprisoned, interrogated, then released to face another form of interrogation.

No Visible Scar

1981

Love on a Gunboat poster
NR

In 1956 Britain staggers through crises in Suez and Cyprus while Leslie Potter pursues and marries Monica Dobbs. Twenty years later the nation has still not recovered. Neither has Leslie.

Love on a Gunboat

1977

No artwork available
5.5

A factual reconstruction of the events leading up to, during and after the Marchioness was struck by the Bow Belle Dredger on the river Thames in August 1989, which killed over 50 people. The film was due to be broadcast by ITV in 2007 but complaints from some of the families of the victims led to it being withdrawn ahead of transmission. It has never been broadcast in the UK, but has been screened in France.

The Marchioness Disaster

2008

Season's Greetings poster
9.0

Adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's black comedy about eight adults trying to have a happy family Christmas and failing dismally.

Season's Greetings

1986