She applied to drama school aged 18, and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1988[4] to 1991 (one of her classmates was Benito Martinez). On finishing her training, Hesmondhalgh was a part of Arts Threshold, a small independent theatre in London, for several years, and worked with Rufus Norris in his directorial debut. In the 1990s, she appeared in such television dramas as The Bill,[5] Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place,[6] and in the Victoria Wood comedic television movie Pat and Margaret.[7]