Julia Hills

Julia Hills (born 3 April 1957) is an English actress, known for playing Rona in all eight series of the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children. She also played various roles in Channel 4's first late night satirical sketch show Who Dares Wins, Beryl in two series of the sitcom Dad and Caroline Joyner in Casualty.[1]

Early life and career

Hills was born in Nottingham. She graduated from the University of Bristol in 1978 with an Upper Second class degree in English and Drama. She is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company where she played many leading roles including Sally Forth in the premiere of Peter Nichols' musical Poppy. Perdita in The Winter's Tale and Diana in All's Well That Ends Well directed by Trevor Nunn. She also played Edwin Drood in the New York Shakespeare Theatre production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Savoy Theatre in 1987 working with Lulu and Ernie Wise.

Theatre work

Hills was nominated for an Olivier Award (Actress of the Year in a Musical) in 1984 for her performance as Emily Tallentire in Howard Goodall and Melvyn Bragg's musical The Hired Man.[2]

Other theatre credits include Eve in Flying Under Bridges by Sandi Toksvig adapted by Sarah Daniels (Watford Palace Theatre), Betty in Larkin with Women (Coventry Belgrade), Vera in Stepping Out (New Vic Theatre Stoke), The Hired Man (Leicester Haymarket and West End), A Midsummer Night's Dream (RSC Stratford and Barbican) Rusty in Our Friends in the North by Peter Flannery (RSC Newcastle and Barbican), The Witch of Edmonton (RSC Stratford), Beside Herself by Sarah Daniels (Royal Court), We The Undersigned, Dealing With Clair by Martin Crimp (Orange Tree Richmond), Toine in Piaf, Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, The Tempest, Sylvia Raven in Shaw'sThe Philanderer, Beside The Sea, Susannah in Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, A Mad World my Masters, Dorcas Frey in David Hare's Plenty (Bristol Old Vic), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bristol Old Vic and London Old Vic), Brecht's Mr Puntila and his Man Matti, Does This Train Stop at Southend? (Stratford East), Bunty Mainwaring in Coward's The Vortex, Shore Saints and Sea Devils (Library Theatre Manchester), Fertility Dance (Nuffield Southampton), Jack and the Beanstalk (York Theatre Royal) and two national tours of Who Dares Wins – Sex and Drugs and Sausage Roll. From February 2009 she took part in a nationwide tour of Calendar Girls[2] before it moved to the Noël Coward Theatre from 4 April 2009.[3]

In recent years, she has appeared as Mrs Eynsford-Hill in Pygmalion at Manchester's Royal Exchange theatre and rejoined the tour of Calendar Girls to play the role of Annie. She played Amy Ruskin in Special Occasions at The Mill Theatre Sonning playing opposite her husband Paul Clarkson and then played Homily Clock in The Borrowers at The Nuffield Theatre Southampton. She completed sell out seasons at Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol garnering five star reviews for her performances as Goneril in King Lear and Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard both directed by Andrew Hilton and then moved to the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham where she performed in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie playing Amanda Wingfield. She has played the part of Kath in Entertaining Mr Sloane by Joe Orton at Curve Leicester and Toine in Piaf directed by Paul Kerryson. She has played Margaret in Springs Eternal by Susan Glaspell at The Orange Tree Theatre Richmond directed by Sam Walters and Worst Wedding Ever by Chris Chibnall at the Salisbury Playhouse. In 2019, she created the role of Dolly Bantry for the first-ever English stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd at the Salisbury Playhouse directed by Melly Still which subsequently toured in the UK and Ireland.[4]

Television work

Hills has appeared in many TV shows, such as in 2point4 Children in which she played Rona for the show's 8 series run on BBC1 (1991–1999). She also starred as all of the women and even some of the male characters in the Channel 4 comedy series Who Dares Wins (1984–88). She has appeared as Caroline Joyner in hospital drama Casualty (2004–2005), and previously in the series as Carol Simpson for one 1993 episode.[5]

She also starred in Ladies in Charge for 6 episodes in 1986 and shared a leading role with Kevin McNally in BBC sitcom Dad as Beryl Hook for 13 episodes (1997–1999) over 2 series. Dad was written by Andrew Marshall who also created 2point4 Children. She has also appeared as herself on The Good Sex Guide in 1993 and The Alan Titchmarsh Show in 2009.[6][7]

Hills is also known for playing Annabelle Shrivener in The Archers as well as appearing in numerous other radio series and plays. Her films include Homeground (1982).[8] In 2014, she appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors in the recurring role of Hazel Conroy.[9] She returned to the soap in February 2022, where she played Susan Rutherford for one episode.[10]

Selected filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Lost Tribe Lala 2 episodes
1984 Goodbye Days TBC TV movie
A Winter Harvest Rita 2 episodes
1984 –

1988

 Who Dares Wins Various 22 episodes
1985 Storyboard Babs Palmer Episode: "Ladies in Charge"
The Lenny Henry Show Various Episode #2.4
1986 Ladies in Charge Babs Palmer 6 episodes
1987 –

1988

 The Refuge Julia 14 episodes
1988 The Bretts Dulcie Episode: "The Golden Dustman"
1990 Boon Dr. Freda Butler Episode: "Best Left Buried"
1991 The Upper Hand Shirley Grant Episode: "And the Winner Is..."
1991 –

1999

 2point4 Children Rona Harris 56 episodes
1992 Haggard Bathsheba Episode: "The Claimant"
1993 Casualty Carol Simpson
1997 –

1999

 Dad Beryl Hook 13 episodes
2000 Peak Practice Kay Episode: "Divided We Stand"
2002 Doctors Cathy Beacham Episode: "Afraid to Love"
2003 Murphy's Law Katherine Episode: "Manic Monday"
Trevor's World of Sport Kirsty Episode #1.1
Star Mrs. Fisher 13 episodes
2004 Murder in Suburbia Julia McKee Episode: "A Good Deal of Attention"
Wipe Out Aunt Mary TV movie
2004 –

2005

 Casualty Caroline Joyner 5 episodes
2006 All in the Game June TV movie
2008 Roman Mysteries Viba 2 episodes
2010 Doctors B.J. Markell[11] Episode: "Mystery at Moot Point"
Outnumbered Babs Episode: "The Internet"
2012 Casualty Cathy Preist Episode: "My Aim is True"
2014 Law & Order UK Hayley Ashburton Episode: "Hard Stop"
Doctors Hazel Conroy 7 episodes
2016 Boomers Pat Episode: "Wedding"
2018 EastEnders Morag Morgan 8 episodes
2022 Doctors Susan Rutherford Episode: "A Respectable Neighbourhood"
The Emily Atack Show Various 2 episodes

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Our Man in Havana Milly 3 episodes
1987 –

1988

 Saturday Night Fry Various 6 episodes
1992 Dealing With Clair Liz
The Culper Tapes Gwenda
1996 Life Death and Sex with Sue and Mike Sue 6 episodes
2000 Book at Bedtime Narrator
2001 The Rainbow Bridge Kate 10 episodes
2002 Earth Song TBC
The Lost Child Rachel
2003 It Started With a Click Rachel
Gilbert Without Sullivan Georgiana 1 episode
2004 Julie and the Prince Julie
The Walsall Boys Marie
2006 Falco Pollia 4 episodes
Revolting People Mary 6 episodes
2007

2025

 The Archers Annabelle Scriviner 75 episodes

References

  1. ↑ "Beds Herts and Bucks – Entertainment – Julia's flying high!". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Julia Hills". Tres Magazine. 12 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "Calendar Girls Sets London Dates at Noel Coward". What's On Stage. 17 October 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (4 March 2019). "The Mirror Crack'd review – death and dazzle as Miss Marple goes to the movies". The Guardian.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ "Casualty: Getting Involved". BBC Genome.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "The Good Sex Guide: Episode #1.2 (1993)". IMDb.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "The Alan Titchmarsh Show: Episode dated 30 January 2009". IMDb.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ "Homeground (1982)". BFI Film Forever. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Great Expectations". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Timblick, Simon. "'Doctors' spoilers: Emma Reid confronts Zara..." What to Watch. (Future plc). Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "BBC BBC One Programmes – Doctors, Series 11, Mystery at Moot Point". BBC. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
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