| Birth Name: | Dorothy Perpetua Gatacre |
| Birth Date: | 5 December 1971 |
| Birth Place: | Merton, London, England |
| Occupation: | Actress, writer |
| Yearsactive: | 1997–present |
| Parents: | John Wells |
| Children: | 2 |
Dorothy Perpetua Wells (born Gatacre; 5 December 1971)[1] is an English actress and writer.
She co-wrote and starred in the Sky Living series Doll & Em (2014–2015) with Emily Mortimer, and wrote and directed the 2019 comedy-drama Good Posture. Her other television work includes roles in Star Stories (2006–2008), Some Girls (2012–2014), Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy (2012–2014), Blunt Talk (2015–2016), Dracula (2020), The Outlaws (2021) and Inside Man (2022).
Wells was born Dorothy Gatacre, in Merton, London, the last of six children. She is the daughter of comic actor John Wells and Teresa Chancellor, daughter of Sir Christopher Chancellor, general manager of Reuters from 1944 to 1959. Wells grew up thinking her father was her stepfather, and did not find out he was her biological father until she was eighteen. She later changed her name from Gatacre—her mother's first husband was Edward Gatacre—to Wells. Her first cousin is the actress Anna Chancellor.[1] [2]
She was educated in a Catholic convent school, after failing the entrance exam for St Paul's. While trying to build an acting career, she worked as a journalist at the Evening Standard and as a book reviewer.[3]
Wells married photographer Mischa Richter in 2000. They have a daughter, Elsie (b. 2002) and a son, Ezra (b. 2005). Both appeared with their mother in Doll & Em.[2]
In 2020, Wells and Richter divorced.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Sea Change | Jane | ||
| 2001 | Far on Foot | Sophie Cartwright | Short film | |
| Bridget Jones's Diary | Woney | |||
| 2002 | Morvern Callar | Susan | ||
| 2003 | Nobody Needs to Know | Dolly | Associate Producer | |
| I Capture the Castle | Fur Department Vendeuse | |||
| 2008 | Franklyn | Nurse | ||
| 2009 | Mr. Right | Fizz | ||
| 2012 | Tumult | Tour Guide | Short film | |
| 2014 | Benny & Jolene | Rosamund | ||
| 2015 | Black Mountain Poets | Claire | ||
| 45 Years | Charlotte | |||
| 2016 | Pride and Prejudice and Zombies | Mrs. Featherstone | ||
| Bridget Jones's Baby | Woney | |||
| 2017 | Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | The Woman in the Field | ||
| Home Again | Tracy | |||
| I Do... Until I Don't | Vivian Prudeck | |||
| 2018 | Boundaries | Sofia | ||
| Furlough | SA Group Leader | |||
| Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Anna | |||
| 2020 | The Stand In | Second AD Daisy | ||
| 2021 | Love Spreads | Julie | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Bill | Janet James | 1 episode | |
| 1998 | Dinnerladies | Hannah | ||
| Midsomer Murders | Ava Rokeby | |||
| 1999 | In the Name of Love | Helen Walters | TV film | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | Celia Johnson | 1 episode | ||
| 2000 | Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes | Elspeth Scott | ||
| 2002 | The Gathering Storm | TV film | ||
| Bertie and Elizabeth | Princess Mary | |||
| 2003; 2008 | Peep Show | Paula | 2 episodes | |
| 2004 | The Final Quest | Anthea | TV film | |
| Sex Traffic | Sarah | |||
| Murphy's Law | Susan Green | 1 episode | ||
| 2006 | Doctors | Claire Morris | ||
| 2006–2008 | Star Stories | Various characters | 12 episodes | |
| 2007 | The Mighty Boosh | Methuselah | 1 episode | |
| 2007; 2010 | The IT Crowd | Miranda / Paula | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Comedy Showcase | Lydia Tennant | 1 episode | |
| Free Agents | Sarah Stephens | 3 episodes | ||
| 2009–2011 | Campus | Lydia Tennant | 7 episodes | |
| 2011–2012 | Spy | Judith Elliot | 16 episodes | |
| 2012 | Starlings | Annika | 1 episode | |
| Casualty | Josie Betts | |||
| Pramface | Ante-natal Instructress | |||
| 2012–2014 | Some Girls | Anna Hitchcock | 18 episodes | |
| Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy | Various characters | 9 episodes | ||
| 2014–2015 | Doll & Em | Dolly | 12 episodes; creator, writer, associate producer | |
| 2015–2016 | Blunt Talk | Celia Havemeyer | 20 episodes | |
| 2016 | Younger | Stephanie | 1 episode | |
| 2018 | Portlandia | Dolly Wells | ||
| Room 104 | Catherine | 1 episode - "Woman in the Wall" | ||
| 2019 | The Christmas Kid | Agent | ||
| 2020 | Dracula | Sister Agatha Van Helsing / Dr. Zoe Van Helsing | Miniseries | |
| 2021 | The Pursuit of Love | Aunt Sadie | Recurring | |
| 2021 | The Outlaws | Margaret | 2 series filming back to back | |
| 2021 | Around the World in 80 Days | Estella | 1 episode | |
| 2022 | Inside Man | Janice Fife[6] [7] | Miniseries | |
| 2023 | And Just Like That... | Joy | 2 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Eliza Bean | Recurring character |