
Acting
Siobhan Finneran
Born 1966-04-27 · Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK
Siobhan Margaret Finneran is an English television and film actress. She made her screen debut in the 1987 independent film Rita, Sue and Bob Too, and subsequently worked consistently in television drama including roles in Coronation Street (1989–1990), Clocking Off (2000–2002) and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006). In 2005, Finneran originated the lead female role in the stage play On the Shore of the Wide World and was awarded the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Also a comedy performer, Finneran appeared as Janice Garvey, a leading character in the first seven series of ITV sitcom Benidorm (2007–2015). Later television roles include portraying a lawyer in the mini-series Unforgiven (2009), an embittered servant in the first three series of the costume drama Downton Abbey (2010–2012) and a recovering addict in Happy Valley (2014–2023), for which she was nominated for the 2017 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later film credits include Mrs Swift in the 2013 film release The Selfish Giant, which earned her a British Independent Film Award nomination. Finneran is also a prolific television documentary narrator. Finneran was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, then in Lancashire, to Irish parents. She moved with her family to Saddleworth as a young child, and has lived in the area ever since. During childhood Finneran was always drawn to the performing arts and was a fan of the celebrated English comedian Eric Morecambe, recalling that "as a little girl I wanted to be Eric Morecambe. Not to be like him but to actually be him". She completed a theatre studies course. In 2023, Finneran became patron for Manchester based charity Contact Hostel, an organisation that provides support and accommodation for teenage girls facing homelessness.
Acting credits
5.8A 19th-century widow has to make an impossible choice when, during an especially cruel winter, a foreign ship sinks off the coast of her Icelandic fishing village.
The Damned
2025
8.0Ahead of the start of the tenth series of the award-winning ITV sitcom, this special programme talks to the show's creator and writer Derren Litten about how it was created and cast members talk about their roles.
Benidorm: 10 Years on Holiday
2018
7.1Freed after a lengthy term in a juvenile detention center, convicted child killer Jack Burridge finds work as a deliveryman and begins dating co-worker Michelle. While out on the road one day, Jack notices a distressed child, and, after reuniting the girl with her family, becomes a local celebrity. But when a local newspaper unearths his past, Jack must cope with the anger of citizens who fear for the safety of their children.
Boy A
2008
7.2A hyperactive boy and his best friend, a slow-witted youth with an affinity for horses, start collecting scrap metal for a shady dealer.
The Selfish Giant
2013
6.4Sebastien Nicolas is a reclusive realtor leading a double life – in his spare time he creates complex disguises based on acquaintances. Combined with minutely studied and rehearsed impersonations, Sebastien can disappear completely into other people's lives. Things spiral out of control after he impersonates the wrong man.
Nobody from Nowhere
2014
6.3A group of young friends and neighbours come together for a fishing expedition after rumours spread of a giant carp in the area. In a world of broken families, cassette tapes and rumbling political fever, these friends, each with their own struggles to bear, share a moment of harmony.
Pond Life
2019
6.2On a run-down Bradford council estate, teenagers Rita and Sue both share a job babysitting for Bob and Michelle's children. On the way home one night, Bob takes Rita and Sue up to a deserted, countryside landscape. Knowing what he has in mind, the girls are only too happy to oblige and both have a sexual encounter with him that becomes a regular occurrence.
Rita, Sue and Bob Too
1987
NR25 years after the verdict in the Jamie Bulger murder trial, we reveal what the jury, public and press never heard, and what his two killers, Thompson and Venables, said during their time in custody from arrest to release.
James Bulger: The New Revelations
2018
6.7James Bolam portrays serial killer Dr. Harold Shipman in this made-for-TV drama. The film follows the story of Shipman, a general practitioner who throughout his career is believed to have killed as many as 250 of his patients. When the high death rate of his practice was investigated, it was discovered that he had given lethal doses of diamorphine to a vast number of his patients. He was put on trial where he was convicted of 15 murders and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Harold Shipman: Doctor Death
2002
NRA young woman forms an unusual attachment to a stuffed toy bunny as she struggles to get her life back on track after suffering a miscarriage.
Huggo
2024
6.8A faithful Jehovah's Witness is forced to shun her own sister because of a religious transgression. As the separation draws out, she starts to question the meaning of God's love.
Apostasy
2017
NRJordan is a 30-something with terminal cancer in 2027 who spends his final days drifting between morphine dreams and digital distractions. On a whim, he uses an old Chatroulette-style app and on the screen appears Danny, a sarcastic, vibrant guy, also terminally ill, who swears it’s 2005. As days pass, the two men form a deep bond, opening up about their regrets, dreams and the loneliness of facing death too soon.
Chatlines
2026
6.2This documentary tells the story of one of TV's darkest and most celebrated comedies, featuring cast interviews and extensive candid moments with creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Cameras are admitted everywhere throughout the making of the show's final series, from the writers' room to the makeup trailer, from prop store to set design, making this the perfect farewell to the multi-award winning series.
Inside No. 9: The Party's Over
2024
8.0It started with a 999 call from a lorry driver in Essex and ended in one of the UK’s biggest ever police investigations, a hunt for those responsible for the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants. Spanning Britain, Europe and Vietnam, this film shows how detectives cracked open a multimillion-pound international smuggling ring with its roots in a seemingly innocuous haulage business in the heart of Northern Ireland.
Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers
2021
This newly produced documentary discusses the turn from stage to script, the casting and rehearsal process, the use of the Steadicam, and people’s reactions and the controversy.
Having a Ball: The Making of Rita, Sue and Bob Too
2017
6.0A grief-stricken video archivist becomes increasingly obsessed with the meaning behind a sinister television signal hijacking.
Broadcast Signal Intrusion
2016
It's April 1974 and Manchester United are facing the prospect of relegation. Anthony never misses a match and it's the crucial last match of the season. Anthony's wife, Jenny, is pregnant but the baby is not due for another couple of weeks. At least, that's what they think.
The King and Us
2002
NRHow darts become one of Britain's most popular sports in the 1970s thanks to innovative ideas in television coverage and the increasing popularity of the top darts players.
Bullseyes and Beer: When Darts Hit Britain
2014
5.8What could be better? A footballer's wedding, a week in the sun, a luxury villa in historic Transylvania. It’s the trip of a lifetime for Coronation Street's favourite café owners Roy and Hayley Cropper, until the brash Glen and Verity appear... Opposites don't attract in this chaotic comic caper as the unlikely foursome embark on an adventure neither couple will ever forget. And when Weatherfield hell-raiser Becky McDonald jets in from her honeymoon, the stage is set for mountain mayhem deep in the heart of Dracula Country.
Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday
2009
10.0The Stork is a character-driven comedy about the well-intentioned yet utterly clueless parents of a queer woman hoping to start a family through artificial insemination with Norwegian sperm ordered online — a popular route for many queer couples. When the crucial delivery arrives and their daughter isn’t home, her parents step in to help… only for the sample to be accidentally destroyed. Caught in an awkward (and decidedly unsticky) predicament with the delivery driver, the trio scramble to fix their mistake before she finds out. As they debate increasingly absurd solutions, their misunderstandings — though loving — reveal a hilarious clash of good intentions and ignorance. Through chaos, confusion, and misplaced determination, The Stork explores how far parents will go to protect their child’s happiness. It’s a heartfelt, mischievous story about unconditional love, acceptance, and the messy beauty of trying your best — even when you haven’t quite got a clue.
The Stork
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NRAt a Catholic Confirmation camp, 16-year-old Orla's burgeoning sexuality sees her caught between the Madonna-Whore dichotomy, until a chance encounter with an anarchic 16th Century Saint helps her see the light. A taboo-busting comedy-drama about slut-shaming, Catholic guilt and female pleasure.
Rapture
2023