Who Run The TV World? Girls!
It's a brilliant time to be a woman on TV. Just ask this bunch…
Channel 4Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison - Homeland
If there's one woman on TV you don't mess with, it's Carrie Mathison. Whatever she does, whether it's taking down terrorists, tackling sexist CIA chiefs or even pulling her infamous cry face, she does it excellently and leaves no stone unturned.
She may have a tendency to always follow her heart and gut feeling, and it sometimes lands her in trouble, but she is always proved right in the end. Carrie is never afraid to speak her mind or do what she feels is right, no matter how many people oppose her or try to belittle her. And of course, there aren't many actresses who can carry a whole show on their shoulders now that the main guy's been killed off - we salute you, Claire Danes.
ABC/Getty ImagesKerry Washington as Olivia Pope - Scandal
When Olivia Pope wants something done, her “gladiators in suits” get on it! Played by Kerry Washington, Olivia Pope is a ‘fixer’ and is the go-to gal for public figures and the White House. If there’s a crisis, she handles it. With a killer wardrobe, an epic collection of Prada handbags, brains and beauty, Olivia Pope is a force to be reckoned with. You don’t mess with her!
Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman - Orange Is The New Black
Taylor Schilling stars in OITNB as Piper Chapman, a middle class woman engaged to a nice boy and busily setting up an artisan soap business with her best friend, sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for smuggling a suitcase full of money for her drug-dealing ex-girlfriend 10 years previously.
Schilling’s Chapman is the perfect centre-piece for the show, moving from naïve prison newbie in the beginning to reveal a deeply flawed and changed character by the end of the series.
Indeed, the Piper of season one’s final scene is hard to recognise from the woman who walked into the prison. With a third run already commissioned, we’re delighted that Piper Chapman apparently won’t be getting early release anytime soon…
BBCSarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood - Happy Valley
Quite possibly the best female character on British TV in recent memory, played brilliantly by Sarah Lancashire, Catherine Cawood is an incredible woman.
Created specifically for the actress by Sally Wainwright, who also wrote Last Tango in Halifax for which Lancashire just won a BAFTA, Catherine is a brilliant policewoman with a dark past and revenge on her mind. “One of the factors that made me want to create Happy Valley,” said Wainwright, “was that I wanted to write something else for Sarah.”
Lancashire didn’t have to think twice about the role, which leapt off the page at her. “It’s always the same with Sally’s stuff; I’m a huge fan of her writing.” Lancashire is clear too about what she admires in Catherine. “She doesn’t give in, she never will. She wants revenge, but is such a die-hard police officer doing everything by the book and this is one thing she has to do her way.”
NetflixLaura Prepon as Alex Vause - OITNB
Laura Prepon plays Alex Vause, Chapman’s aforementioned drug-dealing ex-girlfriend who got her involved in the drug trade in the first place.
Prepon, who previously starred in That 70s Show, is perfect as Alex – a shrewd, ballsy and intelligent woman with a penchant for black eyeliner and a perfect insight into Piper’s behaviour.
Like all the characters, Alex is far from perfect - how such a smart woman falls in so heavily with an international drug cartel is a question that the show asks (and answers in her back story), and there is a constant question mark over her integrity and her moral compass with regards to her relationship with Piper.
At the end of season one, it was unclear what the future held for Alex and rumours abound Prepon’s chosen religion (she is a Scientologist) has led her to cut back her involvement in the second and subsequent series’. Sad face (covered in running eyeliner).
NetflixUzo Aduba as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren - OITNB
Undoubtedly one of OITNB’s most memorable characters – from a show full of them - is ‘Crazy Eyes’, played by Uzo Aduba. Nicknamed such because of, well, her crazy eyes, Suzanne takes a shine to Piper (or ‘Dandelion’, as she calls her) from the start and develops a pretty scary crush that leads to a disturbing retaliation when Piper rejects her (no spoilers, but you would not want to be incarcerated with anyone who expresses their anger the way ‘Crazy Eyes’ does on the floor of Piper’s cell…)
Of course, in OITNB nobody is what they seem, and what makes ‘Crazy Eyes’ a brilliant character is her light and shade. She has a knack for reciting Shakespeare and has flashes of brilliant insight into what is happening around her. And despite those eyes, you do feel for her – try to hold it together when, for example, she gingerly asks Piper why the other inmates call her what they do.
ShowtimeBillie Piper as Brona Croft - Penny Dreadful
We haven’t seen much of Billie since Secret Diary of a Call Girl ended in 2011, but to be fair she has been busy living in the countryside, having babies with husband and fellow actor Laurence Fox.
Now the former pop star is back in Penny Dreadful alongside Eva Green (also listed here), Timothy Dalton and Rory Kinnear. Making her first appearance in the second episode of the show, her character Brona Croft pretty quickly gets into a very steamy encounter with Reeve Carney’s Dorian Gray. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?
<bt>
Having sealed her star status playing intergalactic superhero Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, it’s nice to know that an actress can have a comeback of this calibre after a few years off with the family. And all the better that she has presumably only come back to work – dodgy 90s pop joke warning – because she wants to, because she wants to! (Sorry).
2013 Home Box OfficeLena Dunham as Hannah Horvath - GIRLS
Hannah Horvath is a bit of a monster. Selfish, self-involved, often inconsiderate, she is not someone you would be especially desperate to have in your life. Which is why she is such a brilliant character – she’s real.
Overachiever Lena Dunham, the creator-writer-director-producer of the HBO smash hit Girls, has created in Hannah a character who is instantly recognisable as a young woman trying to make sense of the world today – to be a success, a good girlfriend, a good friend – and failing. Often. Smart but not emotionally intelligent, funny but lacking insight, she is immature, but of course she is – she is yet to mature.
All hail Lena Dunham – queen of really real non-reality TV. Oh, and she has written a book, too. Show off.
Mary Berry - The Great British Bake Off
Oh, Mary – how we love you. With your wry looks, snappy dress sense and love of a boozy pudding, you are a domestic goddess and an icon. As a judge on The Great British Bake Off, Berry is representing for the more mature lady and showing that you don’t have to be a teenager to be a hit on the telly.
And at an impressive 79 years of age, she shows no signs of retiring anytime soon – alongside her role on the show, she has published three books in the last two years (including her autobiography) and earlier this year fronted her own series, Mary Berry Cooks.
All this, and she still finds time to hone her style – who could forget the snazzy floral Zara bomber jacket she wore on last year’s ‘Bake Off’, which became not only a talking point, but a fashion hit, selling out at stores within days? Mary, you go on with yo’ bad self!
PA PhotosLea Michele as Rachel Berry - GLEE
Lea Michele’s portrayal of musical theatre wannabe turned Broadway star Rachel Berry has, for a long time, been the only remaining reason to watch Glee.
Magnetic, engaging and just oh so darn cute, Michele’s Rachel can of course make mistakes (thinking right back to the show’s first season and the ill-advised pass she made at her then teacher, Mr Schuster… While singing ‘Crush’… Awkward!) and can be a little annoying, but you can’t argue that a character who can make you laugh or cry one minute, then belt out a scene-stealing showtune the next deserves a place on this list.
Michele has had a tough year since the death of boyfriend and co-star Cory Monteith, but with Glee heading into it’s final season with Rachel squarely front and centre as star of the show (and star of Broadway in the show), things look good for this wannabe turned actually-be.
PacificCoastNews.comSofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - Modern Family
Colombian actress Sofia Vergara is a machine. No, we’re not outing the South American beauty as a robot, or implying she was created in a lab (although with that figure, you could be forgiven for wondering), but recognising that she's a one woman empire.
Her brilliant turn as Gloria, the younger second wife of Modern Family's patriarch Jay, has led to highly lucrative sponsorship deals including Diet Pepsi, Covergirl and thyroid drug Synthroid (hey, private medicine is big business in the US-of-A). All of this meant total earnings for Vergara of $30 million from June 2012-13, making her the highest earning actress on US television according to Forbes.
Modern Family allows her to show off her considerable comedy chops and her character is by no means a bimbo, frequently getting the better of her somewhat know-it-all hubbie.
Vergara, we salute you – we just don’t know how you do it all (but we suppose the pay cheques help).
SkyEva Green as Vanessa Ives - Penny Dreadful
Many of us will forever be jealous of Green, the woman who wooed Daniel Craig’s James Bond out of those blue swimming shorts in Casino Royale, but we shouldn’t hold that against her forever. Following subsequent movie roles in The Golden Compass, Dark Shadows and 300: Rise of an Empire, Green has moved over to the small screen for her first TV role since the ill-fated Camelot.
In Sky’s gothic romp, Penny Dreadful, she plays Vanessa Ives, a mysterious woman with clairvoyant powers who is handy with the tarot cards, can hypnotise vampires and is clearly going to have a ‘thing’ with Josh Hartnett’s character. All of which is pretty admirable stuff.
ITVOlivia Colman as Ellie Miller - Broadchurch
Olivia Colman can do no wrong. She is all over our TV screens of late, seemingly in every show, on every channel. She is currently appearing alongside Nick Frost in Sky’s Mr Sloane, in which she plays his estranged wife, and has also been on screens this year in sitcoms Rev and W1A, as well as drama one-off The 7.39 with Sheridan Smith.
Arguably Colman’s biggest role to date though has been as Detective Ellie Miller in ITVs massive hit, Broadchurch.
Filming of the second series is currently underway and Colman scooped the best actress BAFTA for her performance last month, when she charmed the audience with her gently self-deprecating nature, wiping away her tears of joy and saying “Oh, I’m sorry, not cool.” And that’s what we love about her – she’s funny, she’s talented, but she’s also a real human being, and we love those don’t we?
BBCClaudia Winkleman - Strictly Come Dancing
It has been a long time coming for Claudia Winkleman, who has been working in television for more than twenty years, but was last month handed a well-earned promotion and announced as Sir Bruce Forsyth’s replacement as co-host of Saturday night entertainment juggernaut, Strictly Come Dancing, alongside pal Tess Daly.
Winkleman has presented the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two for years and has filled in for Sir Bruce increasingly over the last few series’, including taking over Sunday night results show duties when the 86-year old decided to ease off a little. How fitting that she should be handed the job on a permanent basis then, rather than see it given to a newcomer – a man, perhaps, or even a younger woman.
Winkleman taking up the job alongside Daly also means that the show, which pulls in average audiences of around 10 million each week, is fronted entirely by women. And that’s just fabulous.
BBCFiona Bruce - BBC
It would be criminal to compile a list like this and not include journalist and presenter, Fiona Bruce.
The Oxford graduate, who if you can believe it is 50 years old (whatever your secret is, Fiona, we want it) has fronted the BBC News at Ten, the broadcaster’s main news programme, for over a decade, having come up through Panorama and The Six O’Clock News on BBC1. She has also presented Sunday teatime staple, The Antiques Roadshow, for 6 years.
A confirmed feminist, Bruce was a punk during her time at university and, at one point, had blue hair. Fiona, it just makes us love you even more.
BBCGillian Anderson as Stella Gibson - The Fall
It may seem odd, in a piece about what a great time it is to be woman on TV, to include a character from a show about women being murdered by a vicious serial killer. Hopefully most of the women in this list represent a turning point of sorts away from this trend, but you cannot compile a list of important TV ladies and NOT include Anderson.
Currently filming the second series of The Fall opposite Jamie ’50 Shades’ Dornan, we’re hopeful that Anderson’s detective will get the better of him by the end of the second run.
Elsewhere, she has appeared in two NBC shows - in Hannibal opposite Hugh Dancy and in secret service drama, Crisis. So, even if Gibson is bested by the swoonsome Mr. Dornan in the end (and we sincerely hope not), there will be plenty more chances to see Anderson do her (really very good) thing.
BBCJessica Brown Findlay as Mary Yellan - Jamaica Inn
Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay left behind soapy melodrama to play Mary Yellan, the heroine in the BBC’s recent three part adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel, Jamaica Inn.
Set in 1820s Cornwall, it tells of Mary’s journey to live with her Aunt Patience and Joss, her violent husband, at their inn on Bodmin Moor.
What makes Mary strong is her moral compass, her sense of right and wrong, which is put to the test when she learns her uncle and his men are wreckers – luring ships onto rocks and murdering those on board for the spoils.
Emma Frost, who adapted the book for television, knows what appealed to her about Mary’s story. “Mary Yellan may have been created by Daphne du Maurier in the 1930s,” Frost said, “but she is a truly modern heroine. She is a brave, inspirational and pioneering young woman, who has the courage to be herself, to believe in herself.”
ABC via GettyKaren Gillan as Eliza Dooley - Selfie
Karen Gillan has come a long way from her hometown of Inverness – literally, she now lives in LA. Following her three-series run as Amy Pond in Doctor Who, Gillan relocated to sunny CA where she is working on her upcoming ABC sitcom, Selfie.
In the show, which is loosely based on My Fair Lady, Gillan plays Eliza Dooley (see what they did there?), a girl so desperate to be famous via the internet who hires an image expert, Henry Higenbottam (and there?!) to help her steer the course of social media.
And with her turn in the upcoming Marvel comic book movie Guardians of the Galaxy – for which Gillan bravely shaved her head completely bald – there’s no denying this is a girl safely saying ‘Doctor Who?!’
Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter - Agent Carter
Another British ex-pat currently living the high life in La La Land is Hayley Atwell, whose 8-part series Agent Carter is currently in production with ABC Studios and will hit our screens next year.
London-born Atwell has a CV filled with TV literary adaptations, including Any Human Heart, The Line of Beauty and Restless, and the new show sees her reprise her role as 1940s soldier Agent Peggy Carter from Marvel’s Captain America franchise.
It is refreshing in the sometimes boys’ only world of comic book tales – Captain America, Iron Man, Thor – that a woman is fronting a whole series set in that universe and Atwell’s Carter is a modern woman in a period setting – intelligent, brave and in no need of rescuing anytime soon.
Everything Marvel related seems to do pretty well and have plenty of dollar pumped into it, so we’ve got high hopes for this one.
BBCKellie Bright as Linda Carter - Eastenders
“I love playing her,” says Kellie Bright of her role as Linda Carter, the latest landlady to run the Queen Vic. “To me Linda is Barbie made of steel. She is a brilliant wife, a great mum and, although she doesn’t always handle everything the right way, she cares massively about her family. That’s what I love about her the most.”
Bright joined the show last Christmas, when executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins took over the soap and created a new family to run the Vic.
Although she might dress like a one-woman Atomic Kitten tribute act, Linda is a strong woman and Bright has already enjoyed strong storylines like Linda’s struggle with son Johnny’s sexuality. But the best bit for Bright? “The biggest joy of all,” she says, “is getting to work with the rest of the Carters who I absolutely adore!” Aw, ain’t that lovely?
BBCOona Chaplin as Kitty Trevelyan - The Crimson Field
Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, has been making a splash on TV lately with parts in The Hour, Dates and Inside No. 9, as well her role as with Talisa Maegyr in Game of Thrones. But playing WWI field nurse, Kitty Trevelyan, in BBC One’s The Crimson Field has propelled her even further into the limelight, and it’s a part she relished playing.
“She doesn’t suffer fools gladly,” said Chaplin, “she has been through so much she doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone. It makes her an interesting character to be.”
Creator and writer Sarah Phelps knew that Chaplin was Kitty when she saw her. “Generally you watch the auditions, and you know when that person has arrived,” said Phelps. “It’s really exciting when you know that right actor has arrived and is doing it right in front of you. That’s a real thrill.” There will be many more thrills to come from Chaplin, we are sure.
ITVMichelle Kegan as Tina McIntyre - Coronation Street
OK, so her character Tina may have breathed her last on recently, having been shoved off a balcony and bashed over the head by... someone (no spoilers, just in case you’re catching up...), but it is testament to Keegan’s popularity on the show that producers have chosen to give her character such a big exit story.
Having never acted before getting the role of Tina, Keegan has spent six and a half years on the show and is going out with a huge bang (well, two of them) and we don’t expect it will be long before she is back on our screens. In the meantime, she is keeping busy designing a clothing line for Lipsy and planning her upcoming wedding to the Mark Wright. Not jealous at all, Michelle. Nope.
WennTina Fey - 30 Rock
If there is one woman whose name is synonymous with US comedy, that woman is Tina Fey. The Saturday Night Live veteran’s show 30 Rock, which she created, wrote and executive produced, ran for seven seasons on NBC to critical acclaim, in between which she starred in movie comedies like Date Night and Admission. Oh, and she wrote Mean Girls.
Now Fey has created Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – a new show in which a young woman (Bridesmaids' Ellie Kemper) decides to start a new life having spent 15 years in a cult. Sounds great, but we like Fey to be on screen as much as off, and never more so than when she appears with…
NBC via GettyAmy Poehler - Parks and Recreation
Fey’s best bud, Poehler is another comedy powerhouse and when she teams up with her BFF, the laughter truck backs up into the drive and dumps its funny all over the place.
Her own hit NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation is in its seventh season, and she and Fey have appeared together plenty – on SNL and in movies like Baby Mamma and Mean Girls.
In January, the pair co-hosted the Golden Globes for the second time and their opening monologue was ten minutes of LOLz, full of great gags laced with a bit of feminist spirit, like this gem from Fey: “Gravity is nominated for Best Film. It's the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.”
If these two weren’t already joined at the funny bone, we would call for them to be surgically attached.
RexRobin Wright as Claire Underwood - House Of Cards
For a while, Robin Wright was known more for her personal life than her professional achievements – her much-publicised on again/off again marriage to Sean Penn finally ended in 2010. Since then, Wright – who starred opposite Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump – has enjoyed something of a career renaissance, with roles in Moneyball alongside Brad Pitt and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo with Daniel Craig.
It's her turn as Claire Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, however, that is winning her the most praise. For playing the Machiavellian, scheming wife of Kevin Spacey’s ambitious polititian, Wright won a Golden Globe award in January (the first woman to do so for an online only series) and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Oh, and she is engaged to hot young X-Men actor, Ben Foster. Hmm, Sean WHO?
ITVSusannah Reid - Good Morning Britain
Say what you like about Good Morning Britain (the critics certainly have), there is no denying that former BBC Breakfast co-host, Susannah Reid, pulled off a massive coup with her reported £1m move from Auntie’s morning magazine show to its newly created ITV rival.
Viewers may not have followed her – GMB is currently struggling to reach a 15% audience share and there are already rumours that the show, launched in April with much fuss, may be for the chop – but who cares? Placing second in last year’s run of Strictly Come Dancing seemingly gave Reid the power to name her terms for the jump to ITV, a brilliant position for any TV personality to find themselves in and a great moment for lovely presenter ladies across the land.
CBS via GettyKaley Cuoco as Penny - The Big Bang Theory
Kaley Cuoco is the female lead in the biggest sitcom on television, The Big Bang Theory, which is watched by approximately 20 million people in the US every week.
She's incredibly beautiful and, if reports are to be believed, her role as Penny, the across-the-hall neighbour to the nerdy main characters on the show, earns her up to $1m per episode (they make 24 of those a year). Oh, and she’s not even 30, plus she is married to a gorgeous pro tennis player. Yep, it’s undoubtedly a great time to be a woman on TV if you’re Kaley Cuoco.
Sky AtlanticClémence Poésy as Elise Wassermann - The Tunnel
Paris-born Clémence Poésy has been a familiar face to British audiences in recent years, having appeared as Fleur Delacour in three of the Harry Potter films, on top of roles in 127 Hours and In Bruges, and a brief stint as Chuck Bass’s French girlfriend in Gossip Girl.
In 2012 she appeared in the BBC’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, but it was her turn as Elise Wasserman in The Tunnel, Sky’s recent reworking of hit Scandi drama The Bridge, that caught people’s eyes.
Serious, driven and incredibly direct, Detective Wasserman displays behaviour consistent with Asperger syndrome – a challenge for any actress, but one that Poésy more than managed to pull off.
A second series is in development, so there is more to come from Poésy, who when she is not acting fronts campaigns for the likes of Chloe and G-Star Raw and sits front row at Burberry. Well, don’t we all?
RexDavina McCall - Long Lost Families
Davina is a TV icon, there is no denying it. The presenter, who started out on MTV and had a stint on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast, brought her quirky nature to dating show Streetmate before hitting the big time with Big Brother in 2000.
Fourteen years later, via a very long CV which includes presenting gigs on The Million Pound Drop, The Jump and Got to Dance, McCall has just won a BAFTA for Long Lost Family, the factual entertainment show she co-hosts with Nicky Campbell in which they reunite estranged relatives desperate to find one another after years of separation.
In an age when nothing lasts longer than 10 seconds on Snapchat or 140 characters on Twitter, it’s good to know that a woman like Davina can still be at the top of her game arguably 14 years after her biggest show, and be so loved by the public in the process.
