Nicola Walker - wikipedia Nicola Walker Jump to : navigation , search Not to be confused with Nicole Walker . Nicola Walker ( 1970 - 05 - 15 ) 15 May 1970 ( age 47 ) Stepney , London , U.K. Nationality British Education Forest School , Walthamstow Alma mater New Hall , Cambridge Footlights Occupation Actress Years active 1990 -- present Spouse ( s ) Barnaby Kay Children Harry Kay Nicola Walker ( born 15 May 1970 ) is an English actress , known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards , including Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks from 2003 to 2011 . She has also worked in theatre , radio and film . In 2013 , she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time . In 2014 , she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax . Contents ( hide ) 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Television 2.2 Theatre 2.3 Film 2.4 Audio 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 3.3 Video Games 4 Theatre credits 5 Personal life 6 References 7 External links Early life ( edit ) Walker was born in Stepney in the East End of London and has an older brother . She attended Saint Nicholas School , Old Harlow , and Forest School , Walthamstow , and undertook acting classes from age 12 to speak to boys . Interviewed in 2014 by The Guardian , she said , `` I was really encouraged by my mother . My dad thought it was a ridiculous thing to do . '' Walker then attended New Hall , Cambridge , where she started her acting career with the Cambridge Footlights . Her contemporaries included Spooks writer David Wolstencroft and comedian Sue Perkins , who were all part of the 1990 national tour . Perkins , then an older undergraduate , was assigned to be her `` college mother '' , although Walker later said : `` She was the worst college mother I could have had ... They 're meant to hold your hand . She asked to borrow my bike , got drunk and I never saw it again . '' Walker acted on stage as Perkins 's stooge and years later their partnership was resumed when Perkins cast Walker in her sitcom Heading Out . Career ( edit ) Offered a place at RADA , on graduation from Cambridge , she already had some roles and an agent , so Walker decided to pursue her acting career . Based in London , she shared a flat with Perkins , Sarah Phelps , and Emma Kennedy , and acted at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Festival Fringe . Television ( edit ) Her first major television roles were in 1997 , as Gypsy Jones in Channel 4 's adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time , and as English teacher Suzy Travis in two series of Steven Moffat 's school - based sitcom Chalk . She has also appeared in guest roles in episodes of series such as Dalziel and Pascoe , Jonathan Creek , Pie in the Sky , and Broken News . She got the leading part of DI Susan Taylor in the ITV thriller serial Touching Evil in 1997 , co-starring opposite Robson Green . She also appeared in its two sequel serials in 1998 and 1999 . Also in 1999 , she took the lead role in the post-apocalyptic drama serial The Last Train , also screened on ITV ( and written by future Spooks writer Matthew Graham ) . Also in 2003 , Walker played Molly in the BBC Radio adaptation of Neuromancer by William Gibson . In 2003 , with the production team of Kudos Television looking to replace the character played by Jenny Agutter in Series 1 of Spooks , the part of Ruth Evershed was specially written for Walker from Series 2 . She remained with the show until the fifth series , during the production of which it was announced she was expecting her first child and would be leaving . She returned in 2009 and continued until the series ended in 2011 . Benji Wilson of The Daily Telegraph praised Walker 's performance , stating : `` an actress who has squeezed every drop out of TV 's greatest ever largely dumbstruck doormat for the best part of a decade . Her scenes with Peter Firth , another fine player , have become self - contained little bubbles of weltschmerz within every recent episode '' . In 2007 , Walker had a prominent supporting role as a child snatcher in the ITV1 drama serial Torn and appeared in the BBC adaptation of Oliver Twist . In 2009 , she appeared as a maid in a new BBC adaptation of Henry James ' The Turn of the Screw , which also starred Michelle Dockery and Sue Johnston . In 2010 , Walker appeared as a beleaguered wife ( Linda Shand ) of a murderer in an episode of the BBC1 crime thriller Luther . In February 2011 , she appeared as nervous social worker Wendy in the BBC TV series Being Human . In February 2012 , she played a major character in the one off BBC crime drama Inside Men . In 2012 , 2013 and 2014 / 15 , she appeared alongside Derek Jacobi , Anne Reid , and Sarah Lancashire , in three series of the BBC original drama Last Tango in Halifax . In February and March 2013 , Walker reunited with her former Cambridge Footlights colleague Sue Perkins in the BBC comedy Heading Out . She then appeared in the second series of Prisoners ' Wives and the third series of Scott & Bailey . Walker was again nominated for a Television BAFTA for `` Best Supporting Actress '' in 2014 for her role in Last Tango in Halifax , but the award was won by her co-star Sarah Lancashire . In 2015 , she appeared as Jackie `` Stevie '' Stevenson , the colleague of DI John River played by Stellan Skarsgård , in the BBC drama series River . She also starred as DCI Cassie Stuart , alongside actor Sanjeev Bhaskar as DS Sunil `` Sunny '' Khan , in the ITV drama series Unforgotten , which returned for a second series in January 2017 . Theatre ( edit ) Walker won an Olivier Award in 2013 for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Judy , the main character Christopher 's mother , in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time . The play won seven Olivier Awards , equalling Matilda the Musical 's record win in 2012 . In 2014 , she starred alongside Mark Strong and Phoebe Fox in Arthur Miller 's play A View from the Bridge , at the Young Vic theatre . The play received extremely positive reviews from critics and transferred to Wyndham 's Theatre in London 's West End in 2015 and to the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway . Film ( edit ) In film , her roles have tended to be smaller supporting parts . Her most prominent role has been as the irritating folk singer in Four Weddings and a Funeral ( 1994 ) , who sings `` Ca n't Smile Without You '' at the first wedding . She also appeared in the feature film adaptation of the classic television series Thunderbirds ( 2004 ) . In 2005 , she portrayed a British journalist caught up in the Rwandan genocide in Shooting Dogs . Audio ( edit ) In July 2011 , Walker played the significant supporting role of Medtech Liv Chenka in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio drama Robophobia , opposite Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor . The Chenka character proved popular both with producers and listeners , and in February 2014 Walker returned to the role , this time as a foil for Paul McGann 's Eighth Doctor in Dark Eyes 2 . The character was sustained throughout Dark Eyes 3 and Dark Eyes 4 , at the end of which it was revealed that Chenka was to continue as the Doctor 's established travelling companion . In October 2015 , Walker again returned to the role in the first volume of the 4 - volume Doom Coalition . In 2017 , she starred in the company 's adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel The Shape of Things to Come . Since 2013 , Walker has voiced the Norwegian detective Annika Strandhed in three series of the BBC Radio 4 drama series Annika Stranded . Filmography ( edit ) Film ( edit ) Year Film Role Notes 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Frightful Folk Duo -- Wedding One 1994 Milner Colette Brustein Television movie 1994 Faith Grace Television movie The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders Lucy Diver Television movie 1997 Cows Shirley Johnson Television movie 2000 Shiner Det . Sgt . Garland Thunderbirds Panhead 's Mother 2005 Shooting Dogs Rachel 2007 Oliver Twist Sally Television movie 2009 The Turn of the Screw Carla Television movie 2014 Second Coming Counsellor Television ( edit ) Year Film Role Notes 1997 Pie in the Sky Carol Episode : `` In the Smoke '' 1997 A Dance to the Music of Time Gypsy Jones Episode : `` The Twenties '' 1997 Chalk Suzy Travis 12 episodes 1997 -- 1999 Touching Evil Susan Taylor / D.I. Susan Taylor 16 episodes 1998 Jonathan Creek WPC Fay Radnor Episode : `` Mother Redcap '' 1999 The Last Train Harriet Ambrose 5 episodes 2000 Dalziel and Pascoe Abbie Hallingsworth Episode : `` A Sweeter Lazarus '' People Like Us Helen Meredith Episode : `` The Journalist '' 2003 -- 2011 Spooks Ruth Evershed 33 episodes Red Cap Maj . Rebecca Garton Episode : `` Fighting Fit '' 2005 Broken News Katie Willard 3 episodes 2007 Torn Joanna Taylor 3 episodes Luther Linda Shand Episode : `` # 1.4 '' Law & Order : UK Daniela Renzo Episode : `` ID '' 2011 Being Human Wendy Episode : `` The Longest Day '' 2012 Inside Men Kirsty Coniston 4 episodes 2012 New Tricks Helen Hadley Episode : `` Old School Ties '' 2012 A Mother 's Son DC Sue Upton 2 episodes 2012 -- present Last Tango in Halifax Gillian 18 episodes Nominated -- BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film 2013 Prisoners ' Wives DCI Jo Fontaine 4 episodes 2013 Heading Out Justine 6 episodes 2013 Scott & Bailey Helen Bartlett 4 episodes 2014 Babylon Sharon Franklin , Assistant Commissioner 7 episodes 2015 -- Unforgotten DCI Cassie Stuart 2 series ( 12 episodes ) 2015 River DS Jackie `` Stevie '' Stevenson 6 episodes 2018 Collateral Jane Oliver Miniseries Video Games ( edit ) Year Film Role 2011 The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings Síle de Tansarville 2015 The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt Síle de Tansarville Theatre credits ( edit ) Relocated -- Royal Court Theatre London ( 2008 ) Gethsemane -- National Theatre London ( 2008 / 9 ) Season 's Greetings -- National Theatre London ( 2010 / 11 ) Di and Viv and Rose -- Hampstead Theatre ( Downstairs ) London ( 2011 ) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time -- National Theatre London ( 2012 ) for which she won the 2013 Olivier Award in the category ' Best Actress in a Supporting Role ' A View from the Bridge -- Young Vic / Wyndham 's Theatre ( West End ) London ( 2014 / 15 ) , Lyceum Theatre on Broadway ( 2015 / 16 ) Personal life ( edit ) She is married to actor Barnaby Kay . The couple have a son Harry ( born 2006 ) , who is named after Harry Pearce , the character of her co-star Peter Firth in Spooks . References ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : `` Spooks : Nicola Walker '' . Life of Wylie . Retrieved 28 February 2013 . ^ Jump up to : `` Nicola Walker : ' I 've got a feisty face ' '' . Telegraph.co.uk. 4 April 2014 . Retrieved 1 February 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Bestselling Fiction & Non-Fiction Authors , from The Orion Publishing Group '' . Orionbooks.co.uk . Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 26 . Jump up ^ After the Chalk Dust Settled , featurette on Chalk Series 1 DVD , ReplayDVD.co.uk , prod . & dir . Craig Robins Jump up ^ Wilson , Benji ( 23 October 2011 ) . `` Spooks : the final episode , so ludicrously silly it might just be true , review '' . The Daily Telegraph . Telegraph Media Group . Retrieved 28 October 2011 . Jump up ^ `` BBC One -- Luther , Series 1 '' . Bbc.co.uk. 2012 - 09 - 18 . Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 26 . Jump up ^ `` BBC Three -- Being Human '' . Bbc.co.uk. 2013 - 05 - 24 . Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 26 . Jump up ^ `` Bafta for Last Tango in Halifax star Sarah Lancashire '' . Halifax Courier. 19 May 2014 . Retrieved 6 September 2015 . Jump up ^ Adejobi , Alicia ( 4 September 2015 ) . `` Missing Broadchurch ? ITV 's new crime drama Unforgotten will become your new addiction '' . International Business Times . Retrieved 6 September 2015 . Jump up ^ `` River -- BBC One '' . BBC . Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 04 . Jump up ^ `` Curious Incident wins seven '' . BBC News . 28 April 2013 . Retrieved 28 April 2013 . External links ( edit ) Nicola Walker on IMDb Nicola Walker profile on the Spooks website at bbc.co.uk . ( hide ) Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role 1977 -- 1984 Actor Nigel Hawthorne ( 1977 ) Robert Eddison ( 1978 ) Patrick Stewart ( 1979 ) David Threlfall ( 1980 ) Joe Melia ( 1981 ) David Healy ( 1982 ) Alan Devlin ( 1983 ) Edward Petherbridge ( 1984 ) Actress Mona Washbourne ( 1977 ) Elizabeth Spriggs ( 1978 ) Doreen Mantle ( 1979 ) Suzanne Bertish ( 1980 ) Gwen Watford ( 1981 ) Anna Massey ( 1982 ) Abigail McKern ( 1983 ) Marcia Warren ( 1984 ) 1985 -- 1990 Merged Imelda Staunton ( 1985 ) Paul Jesson ( 1986 ) Michael Bryant ( 1987 ) Eileen Atkins ( 1988 ) Michael Bryant ( 1989 / 1990 ) 1991 -- 1995 Actor David Bradley ( 1991 ) Oleg Menshikov ( 1992 ) Julian Glover ( 1993 ) Joseph Mydell ( 1994 ) Ken Stott ( 1995 ) Actress Sara Crowe ( 1991 ) Frances de la Tour ( 1992 ) Barbara Leigh - Hunt ( 1993 ) Helen Burns ( 1994 ) Dora Bryan ( 1995 ) 1996 -- 2002 Actor Trevor Eve ( 1997 ) Roger Allam ( 2000 ) Ben Daniels ( 2001 ) Toby Jones ( 2002 ) Actress Deborah Findlay ( 1997 ) Patricia Hodge ( 2000 ) Essie Davis ( 2001 ) Marcia Warren ( 2002 ) Merged Simon Russell Beale ( 1996 ) Sarah Woodward ( 1998 ) Brendan Coyle ( 1999 ) 2003 -- 2009 Merged Essie Davis ( 2003 ) Warren Mitchell ( 2004 ) Amanda Harris ( 2005 ) Noma Dumezweni ( 2006 ) Jim Norton ( 2007 ) Rory Kinnear ( 2008 ) Patrick Stewart ( 2009 ) 2010 -- present Actor Eddie Redmayne ( 2010 ) Adrian Scarborough ( 2011 ) Richard McCabe ( 2013 ) Jack Lowden ( 2014 ) Nathaniel Parker ( 2015 ) Mark Gatiss ( 2016 ) Anthony Boyle ( 2017 ) Actress Ruth Wilson ( 2010 ) Michelle Terry ( 2011 ) Nicola Walker ( 2013 ) Sharon D. Clarke ( 2014 ) Angela Lansbury ( 2015 ) Judi Dench ( 2016 ) Noma Dumezweni ( 2017 ) Merged Sheridan Smith ( 2012 ) VIAF : 9386331 SUDOC : 174316216 BNF : cb16509570k ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicola_Walker&oldid=796088677 '' Categories : 1970 births Living people People from Stepney People educated at Forest School ( Walthamstow ) Alumni of New Hall , Cambridge Actresses from London English television actresses English stage actresses English film actresses English radio actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners 20th - century English actresses 21st - century English actresses Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from December 2014 Use British English from December 2014 Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 18 August 2017 , at 12 : 09 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia 
who played gillian in last tango in halifax
Nicola Walker ( 1970 - 05 - 15 ) 15 May 1970 ( age 47 ) Stepney , London , U.K. Nationality British Education Forest School , Walthamstow Alma mater New Hall , Cambridge Footlights Occupation Actress Years active 1990 -- present Spouse ( s ) Barnaby Kay Children Harry Kay Nicola Walker ( 1970 - 05 - 15 ) 15 May 1970 ( age 47 ) Stepney , London , U.K. Nationality British Education Forest School , Walthamstow Alma mater New Hall , Cambridge Footlights Occupation Actress Years active 1990 -- present Spouse ( s ) Barnaby Kay Children Harry Kay Nicola Walker ( born 15 May 1970 ) is an English actress , known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards , including Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks from 2003 to 2011 . She has also worked in theatre , radio and film . In 2013 , she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time . In 2014 , she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax . Walker was born in Stepney in the East End of London and has an older brother . She attended Saint Nicholas School , Old Harlow , and Forest School , Walthamstow , and undertook acting classes from age 12 to speak to boys . Interviewed in 2014 by The Guardian , she said , `` I was really encouraged by my mother . My dad thought it was a ridiculous thing to do . '' Walker then attended New Hall , Cambridge , where she started her acting career with the Cambridge Footlights . Her contemporaries included Spooks writer David Wolstencroft and comedian Sue Perkins , who were all part of the 1990 national tour . Perkins , then an older undergraduate , was assigned to be her `` college mother '' , although Walker later said : `` She was the worst college mother I could have had ... They 're meant to hold your hand . She asked to borrow my bike , got drunk and I never saw it again . '' Walker acted on stage as Perkins 's stooge and years later their partnership was resumed when Perkins cast Walker in her sitcom Heading Out . Offered a place at RADA , on graduation from Cambridge , she already had some roles and an agent , so Walker decided to pursue her acting career . Based in London , she shared a flat with Perkins , Sarah Phelps , and Emma Kennedy , and acted at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Festival Fringe . Her first major television roles were in 1997 , as Gypsy Jones in Channel 4 's adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time , and as English teacher Suzy Travis in two series of Steven Moffat 's school - based sitcom Chalk . She has also appeared in guest roles in episodes of series such as Dalziel and Pascoe , Jonathan Creek , Pie in the Sky , and Broken News . She got the leading part of DI Susan Taylor in the ITV thriller serial Touching Evil in 1997 , co-starring opposite Robson Green . She also appeared in its two sequel serials in 1998 and 1999 . Also in 1999 , she took the lead role in the post-apocalyptic drama serial The Last Train , also screened on ITV ( and written by future Spooks writer Matthew Graham ) . Also in 2003 , Walker played Molly in the BBC Radio adaptation of Neuromancer by William Gibson . In 2003 , with the production team of Kudos Television looking to replace the character played by Jenny Agutter in Series 1 of Spooks , the part of Ruth Evershed was specially written for Walker from Series 2 . She remained with the show until the fifth series , during the production of which it was announced she was expecting her first child and would be leaving . She returned in 2009 and continued until the series ended in 2011 . Benji Wilson of The Daily Telegraph praised Walker 's performance , stating : `` an actress who has squeezed every drop out of TV 's greatest ever largely dumbstruck doormat for the best part of a decade . Her scenes with Peter Firth , another fine player , have become self - contained little bubbles of weltschmerz within every recent episode '' . In 2007 , Walker had a prominent supporting role as a child snatcher in the ITV1 drama serial Torn and appeared in the BBC adaptation of Oliver Twist . In 2009 , she appeared as a maid in a new BBC adaptation of Henry James ' The Turn of the Screw , which also starred Michelle Dockery and Sue Johnston . In 2010 , Walker appeared as a beleaguered wife ( Linda Shand ) of a murderer in an episode of the BBC1 crime thriller Luther . In February 2011 , she appeared as nervous social worker Wendy in the BBC TV series Being Human . In February 2012 , she played a major character in the one off BBC crime drama Inside Men . In 2012 , 2013 and 2014 / 15 , she appeared alongside Derek Jacobi , Anne Reid , and Sarah Lancashire , in three series of the BBC original drama Last Tango in Halifax . In February and March 2013 , Walker reunited with her former Cambridge Footlights colleague Sue Perkins in the BBC comedy Heading Out . She then appeared in the second series of Prisoners ' Wives and the third series of Scott & Bailey . Walker was again nominated for a Television BAFTA for `` Best Supporting Actress '' in 2014 for her role in Last Tango in Halifax , but the award was won by her co-star Sarah Lancashire . In 2015 , she appeared as Jackie `` Stevie '' Stevenson , the colleague of DI John River played by Stellan Skarsgård , in the BBC drama series River . She also starred as DCI Cassie Stuart , alongside actor Sanjeev Bhaskar as DS Sunil `` Sunny '' Khan , in the ITV drama series Unforgotten , which returned for a second series in January 2017 . Walker won an Olivier Award in 2013 for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Judy , the main character Christopher 's mother , in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time . The play won seven Olivier Awards , equalling Matilda the Musical 's record win in 2012 . In 2014 , she starred alongside Mark Strong and Phoebe Fox in Arthur Miller 's play A View from the Bridge , at the Young Vic theatre . The play received extremely positive reviews from critics and transferred to Wyndham 's Theatre in London 's West End in 2015 and to the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway . In film , her roles have tended to be smaller supporting parts . Her most prominent role has been as the irritating folk singer in Four Weddings and a Funeral ( 1994 ) , who sings `` Ca n't Smile Without You '' at the first wedding . She also appeared in the feature film adaptation of the classic television series Thunderbirds ( 2004 ) . In 2005 , she portrayed a British journalist caught up in the Rwandan genocide in Shooting Dogs . In July 2011 , Walker played the significant supporting role of Medtech Liv Chenka in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio drama Robophobia , opposite Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor . The Chenka character proved popular both with producers and listeners , and in February 2014 Walker returned to the role , this time as a foil for Paul McGann 's Eighth Doctor in Dark Eyes 2 . The character was sustained throughout Dark Eyes 3 and Dark Eyes 4 , at the end of which it was revealed that Chenka was to continue as the Doctor 's established travelling companion . In October 2015 , Walker again returned to the role in the first volume of the 4 - volume Doom Coalition . In 2017 , she starred in the company 's adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel The Shape of Things to Come . Since 2013 , Walker has voiced the Norwegian detective Annika Strandhed in three series of the BBC Radio 4 drama series Annika Stranded . Year Film Role Notes 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Frightful Folk Duo -- Wedding One 1994 Milner Colette Brustein Television movie 1994 Faith Grace Television movie The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders Lucy Diver Television movie 1997 Cows Shirley Johnson Television movie 2000 Shiner Det . Sgt . Garland Thunderbirds Panhead 's Mother 2005 Shooting Dogs Rachel 2007 Oliver Twist Sally Television movie 2009 The Turn of the Screw Carla Television movie 2014 Second Coming Counsellor Year Film Role Notes 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Frightful Folk Duo -- Wedding One 1994 Milner Colette Brustein Television movie 1994 Faith Grace Television movie The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders Lucy Diver Television movie 1997 Cows Shirley Johnson Television movie 2000 Shiner Det . Sgt . Garland Thunderbirds Panhead 's Mother 2005 Shooting Dogs Rachel 2007 Oliver Twist Sally Television movie 2009 The Turn of the Screw Carla Television movie 2014 Second Coming Counsellor Year Film Role Notes 1997 Pie in the Sky Carol Episode : `` In the Smoke '' 1997 A Dance to the Music of Time Gypsy Jones Episode : `` The Twenties '' 1997 Chalk Suzy Travis 12 episodes 1997 -- 1999 Touching Evil Susan Taylor / D.I. Susan Taylor 16 episodes 1998 Jonathan Creek WPC Fay Radnor Episode : `` Mother Redcap '' 1999 The Last Train Harriet Ambrose 5 episodes 2000 Dalziel and Pascoe Abbie Hallingsworth Episode : `` A Sweeter Lazarus '' People Like Us Helen Meredith Episode : `` The Journalist '' 2003 -- 2011 Spooks Ruth Evershed 33 episodes Red Cap Maj . Rebecca Garton Episode : `` Fighting Fit '' 2005 Broken News Katie Willard 3 episodes 2007 Torn Joanna Taylor 3 episodes Luther Linda Shand Episode : `` # 1.4 '' Law & Order : UK Daniela Renzo Episode : `` ID '' 2011 Being Human Wendy Episode : `` The Longest Day '' 2012 Inside Men Kirsty Coniston 4 episodes 2012 New Tricks Helen Hadley Episode : `` Old School Ties '' 2012 A Mother 's Son DC Sue Upton 2 episodes 2012 -- present Last Tango in Halifax Gillian 18 episodes Nominated -- BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film 2013 Prisoners ' Wives DCI Jo Fontaine 4 episodes 2013 Heading Out Justine 6 episodes 2013 Scott & Bailey Helen Bartlett 4 episodes 2014 Babylon Sharon Franklin , Assistant Commissioner 7 episodes 2015 -- Unforgotten DCI Cassie Stuart 2 series ( 12 episodes ) 2015 River DS Jackie `` Stevie '' Stevenson 6 episodes 2018 Collateral Jane Oliver Miniseries Year Film Role Notes 1997 Pie in the Sky Carol Episode : `` In the Smoke '' 1997 A Dance to the Music of Time Gypsy Jones Episode : `` The Twenties '' 1997 Chalk Suzy Travis 12 episodes 1997 -- 1999 Touching Evil Susan Taylor / D.I. Susan Taylor 16 episodes 1998 Jonathan Creek WPC Fay Radnor Episode : `` Mother Redcap '' 1999 The Last Train Harriet Ambrose 5 episodes 2000 Dalziel and Pascoe Abbie Hallingsworth Episode : `` A Sweeter Lazarus '' People Like Us Helen Meredith Episode : `` The Journalist '' 2003 -- 2011 Spooks Ruth Evershed 33 episodes Red Cap Maj . Rebecca Garton Episode : `` Fighting Fit '' 2005 Broken News Katie Willard 3 episodes 2007 Torn Joanna Taylor 3 episodes Luther Linda Shand Episode : `` # 1.4 '' Law & Order : UK Daniela Renzo Episode : `` ID '' 2011 Being Human Wendy Episode : `` The Longest Day '' 2012 Inside Men Kirsty Coniston 4 episodes 2012 New Tricks Helen Hadley Episode : `` Old School Ties '' 2012 A Mother 's Son DC Sue Upton 2 episodes 2012 -- present Last Tango in Halifax Gillian 18 episodes Nominated -- BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film 2013 Prisoners ' Wives DCI Jo Fontaine 4 episodes 2013 Heading Out Justine 6 episodes 2013 Scott & Bailey Helen Bartlett 4 episodes 2014 Babylon Sharon Franklin , Assistant Commissioner 7 episodes 2015 -- Unforgotten DCI Cassie Stuart 2 series ( 12 episodes ) 2015 River DS Jackie `` Stevie '' Stevenson 6 episodes 2018 Collateral Jane Oliver Miniseries Year Film Role 2011 The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings Síle de Tansarville 2015 The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt Síle de Tansarville Year Film Role 2011 The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings Síle de Tansarville 2015 The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt Síle de Tansarville Relocated -- Royal Court Theatre London ( 2008 ) Gethsemane -- National Theatre London ( 2008 / 9 ) Season 's Greetings -- National Theatre London ( 2010 / 11 ) Di and Viv and Rose -- Hampstead Theatre ( Downstairs ) London ( 2011 ) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time -- National Theatre London ( 2012 ) for which she won the 2013 Olivier Award in the category ' Best Actress in a Supporting Role ' A View from the Bridge -- Young Vic / Wyndham 's Theatre ( West End ) London ( 2014 / 15 ) , Lyceum Theatre on Broadway ( 2015 / 16 ) Relocated -- Royal Court Theatre London ( 2008 ) Gethsemane -- National Theatre London ( 2008 / 9 ) Season 's Greetings -- National Theatre London ( 2010 / 11 ) Di and Viv and Rose -- Hampstead Theatre ( Downstairs ) London ( 2011 ) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time -- National Theatre London ( 2012 ) for which she won the 2013 Olivier Award in the category ' Best Actress in a Supporting Role ' A View from the Bridge -- Young Vic / Wyndham 's Theatre ( West End ) London ( 2014 / 15 ) , Lyceum Theatre on Broadway ( 2015 / 16 ) She is married to actor Barnaby Kay . The couple have a son Harry ( born 2006 ) , who is named after Harry Pearce , the character of her co-star Peter Firth in Spooks .