Katie Redford (actress) explained

Katie Redford
Birth Name:Katie Ann Redford
Birth Date:2 March 1989
Birth Place:Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England
Years Active:2013–present

Katie Ann Redford (born 2 March 1989)[1] [2] is an English actress, writer and playwright. Since 2017, she has portrayed the role of Lily Pargetter in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers, as well as making appearances in television series including Doctors as Bethany Morris and Still Open All Hours as Beth. She also played characters in Young Hyacinth and Mount Pleasant.[3] [4] Redford is also a writer, having written an audio drama Yellow Lips in 2021 and her debut play Tapped in 2022.[5]

Career

Redford was born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire. She began her career working behind the scenes of the BBC soap opera Doctors as a runner.[6] [7] [8] [9] At the beginning of her acting career, she appeared in several short films including Pitfall, Turn Your Bloody Phone Off: American Blood, Turn Off Your Bloody Phone - Film 4 Frightfest: The Dark Heart of Cinema and Norm.[9] In 2015, Redford was cast as Bethany Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. However she was sacked before filming after it emerged that Redford had lied about her age and said she was 19 when she was in fact 25, in order to play 14-year-old Bethany in the show, a character 11 years her junior.[10] [11] [12] The role was recast to Lucy Fallon instead.[13] [14] Redford later said that she did not want to be in Coronation Street and received online abuse on social media.[15] [16] Redford has also played Lisa in the film Urban Hymn and Cazzy in the fifth series of the comedy Mount Pleasant.[17] In 2016, she played Rose Walton in Young Hyacinth, the prequel to Keeping Up Appearances.[18]

In 2017, Redford returned to Doctors, this time in an acting role as Bethany Morris, appearing in four episodes.[19] [20] Redford was then cast as Lily Pargetter in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers and was then cast in the role of Beth in Still Open All Hours and appeared until 2019.[21] [22] In 2018, she co-wrote and appeared in the short film Ghosted alongside Alison Steadman.[9] In 2019, she played Lizzie Wiley in the Channel 5 mini drama Cold Call.[23] She also played characters called Rose in Mister Runner and Werewolf in 2020 and appeared in the radio drama Teatime.[24] In 2021, Redford played social worker Jane in the BBC comedy Alma's Not Normal and in 2022 appeared as Jill the Phone Woman in the episode of Not Going Out titled "Jury".[9]

Redford began writing in between acting jobs and is a member of the BBC Writersroom Comedy Room.[25] Redford wrote her first audio drama, Yellow Lips which debuted on BBC Radio 4 in 2021 and follows a daughter's memories of her mum's struggle with mental health.[26] In 2022, Redford wrote a play called Tapped which was described in The Guardian newspaper as "episodic-TV quality, with some amusing dialogue and interesting narrative turns" and was rated three out of five stars.[5] [27]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013DoctorsRunner
2013PitfallChloeShort film
2014Turn Your Bloody Phone Off: American BloodJanetShort film
2014Turn Off Your Bloody Phone - Film 4 Frightfest: The Dark Heart of CinemaJanetShort film
2014NormWaitressShort film
2015Urban HymnLisaFilm
2015Mount PleasantCazzyRecurring role
2016Young HyacinthRoseTelevision film
2017–presentThe ArchersLily PargetterRadio role
2017DoctorsBethany MorrisGuest role
2018GhostedEmmaShort film
2019Cold CallLizzieRecurring role
2017–2019Still Open All HoursBethMain role
2020Mister WinnerRoseEpisode: "The Interview"
2020WerewolfRoseShort film
2021Alma's Not NormalJaneRecurring role
2022Not Going OutJill the Phone WomanEpisode: "Jury"
2022OutlanderMargitEpisode: "I Am Not Alone"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FreeBMD - Search. www.freebmd.org.uk.
  2. Web site: Coronation Street actress Katie Redford sacked after lying about her age. amp.smh.com.au.
  3. Web site: Kerry Howard is Young Hyacinth in these pictures from Keeping Up Appearances prequel. . 17 August 2016.
  4. Web site: Still Open All Hours gets a fifth series on BBC One. . 2 May 2018.
  5. Web site: Tapped review – inside the funny-sad world of the Go Get It! Group . . 13 April 2022 .
  6. Web site: Katie Redford. Hatch.
  7. Web site: Midlands Interview with Katie Redford. 3 September 2019. www.midlandsmovies.com.
  8. Web site: Fun fact about The Mill's new work experience visitor - many years ago she was a Runner on the show! Welcome back Katie.. Twitter. Doctors. 10 February 2017. 13 May 2022.
  9. Web site: Katie Redford. 12 October 2021.
  10. Web site: Corrie drops actress over age claims. 19 January 2015. BBC News.
  11. Web site: Meet The New (New) Face Of Bethany Platt. 29 January 2015. HuffPost UK.
  12. Web site: Coronation Street Bethany Platt actress dropped after claims emerge she lied about her age. Radio Times.
  13. Web site: Bethany's Back!. ITV.
  14. Web site: Coronation Street role recast. 29 January 2015. BBC News.
  15. Web site: 'Distraught' actress (25) victim to online abuse since it emerged she said she was 19 to bag Coronation Street role .
  16. Web site: Sacked Katie Redford 'didn't want to be in Coronation Street' . . 25 January 2015 .
  17. Web site: Mount Pleasant Series 5. 1 March 2016. Tiger Aspect Productions.
  18. Web site: BBC One - Young Hyacinth, "Who would play your Richard?" and other questions. BBC.
  19. Web site: Here's your first look at sacked Corrie star in Doctors. . 29 January 2017.
  20. Web site: Axed Coronation Street star lands new BBC soap role . . 16 January 2017 .
  21. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Lily Pargetter. BBC.
  22. Web site: BBC One - Still Open All Hours, Series 4, Episode 2. BBC.
  23. Web site: Meet the cast of Cold Call, Channel 5's first ever original drama. Tobi. Akingbade. 19 November 2019. www.standard.co.uk.
  24. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Teatime. BBC.
  25. Web site: The view from inside BBC Writersroom's Comedy Room. 17 January 2017. BBC.
  26. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Drama, Yellow Lips. BBC.
  27. Web site: The World Premiere of Katie Redford's TAPPED Comes to Theatre503 .