Rachael Stirling

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977)<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite web.</ref> is a British stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award for her stage work. She played Nancy Astley in the BBC drama Tipping the Velvet, and Millie in the ITV series The Bletchley Circle. She has also guest starred in Lewis and one episode of Doctor Who, co-starring with her mother, Diana Rigg.

Early life and education

Stirling was born in Marylebone, London, England and is the daughter of actress Diana Rigg and theatre producer Archibald Stirling, Laird of Keir.<ref name="Evening Standard">Template:Cite web.</ref> Her parents married in 1982 and divorced in 1990.<ref name="Diana Rigg Story">Template:Cite web</ref>

Stirling attended Wycombe School. She graduated with a BA in art history from the University of Edinburgh, where she performed with the Edinburgh University Theatre Company.<ref name="BBC" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Theatre

Stirling made her first major appearance on stage in 1997 as Desdemona in the National Youth Theatre revival of Othello at the Arts Theatre opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role.<ref name="BBC" /> A year later, again at the Arts Theatre with the NYT, she played Olive in the female version of The Odd Couple; while in 1998, portraying Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa for NYT at the Arts. She next appeared in a variety of roles in plays such as Dusty Hughes' Helpless (Donmar Warehouse, 2000); A Woman of No Importance (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2003); Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre, 2004); and Tamburlaine (Bristol Old Vic and Barbican, 2005), and she followed in her mother's footsteps as Lionheart's daughter in the National Theatre stage version of Theatre of Blood (2005). In 2006, for the Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal, Bath, she played Helena in Peter Gill's revival of Look Back in Anger, while in 2007 at Wilton's Music Hall in London, she starred as Yelena in David Mamet's version of Uncle Vanya,<ref>Uncle Vanya The Stage, 29 January 2007 – Review of Stirling in Uncle Vanya</ref> and as Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Stirling starred onstage in The Priory directed by Jeremy Herrin at the Royal Court Theatre in 2009. Her role as Rebecca earned her a nomination for Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.<ref name="Evening Standard" /><ref name="Telegraph 2014-01">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010 she appeared as Helena in Peter Hall's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Rose Theatre, Kingston.<ref name="Evening Standard" /> Stirling starred as Lady Chiltern in a 2010 production of An Ideal Husband at the Vaudeville Theatre, for which she received her second nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award.<ref name="Telegraph 2011-03">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Telegraph 2014-01"/> From February to April 2012, she appeared as Sylvia alongside Mark Gatiss, Tobias Menzies, and Nancy Carroll in The Recruiting Officer, the production at the Donmar Warehouse directed by newly appointed artistic director Josie Rourke.

Film

Stirling's first screen appearance was in the 1998 British comedy film Still Crazy.<ref name="BBC" />

Other film appearances include Maybe Baby, Redemption Road (2001), Complicity (with her Tipping the Velvet co-star Keeley Hawes), Another Life (with Vanity Fair actress Natasha Little), The Triumph of Love (with Mira Sorvino), as Mary Jones in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and as Anna in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Television

Stirling's first break in television was in the 2000 NBC miniseries In the Beginning, which was adapted from the Book of Genesis.<ref name="BBC" /> Stirling played the young Rebeccah, with her mother, Diana Rigg, as the older Rebeccah. Her next notable role was Nan Astley in the 2002 BBC drama series Tipping the Velvet.<ref name="Telegraph 2014-01"/>

In 2003, she appeared as Caroline Crale in Agatha Christie's Poirot episode "Five Little Pigs".

In 2011, Stirling starred in the BBC Four adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love as Ursula Brangwen.<ref name="Telegraph 2011-03" /> She portrayed Millie in both series of the ITV mystery drama The Bletchley Circle in 2012 and 2014,<ref name="Telegraph 2014-01"/> and reprised the role in The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (2018).

Stirling appeared in a 2013 episode of Doctor Who titled "The Crimson Horror" alongside her mother.<ref name="Telegraph 2014-01"/> The episode had been specially written for Stirling and her mother by Mark Gatiss (marking the very first appearance of the two actresses together professionally) and was aired on 4 May 2013 as part of Series 7.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Stirling portrayed Kate Wilkinson in the Cold War spy thriller television series The Game,.<ref name="Telegraph 2014-01"/> She appeared as a main character in the BBC Four comedy drama Detectorists as Becky, initially girlfriend, then wife, of Andy (played by Mackenzie Crook), also featuring alongside her mother, Diana Rigg, who played Becky's mother.

Stirling appeared as a guest on the BBC1 cookery programme Saturday Kitchen Live which was broadcast on 1 March 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2015, Stirling played the part of Arabella Yount, the spendthrift wife of a banker, in the three-part BBC series Capital based on John Lanchester's novel of the same name.<ref name="BBC Online - Capital">Template:Cite web</ref>

In December 2016, Stirling appeared on University Challenge at Christmas as part of a team made up of notable alumni of the University of Edinburgh.

In 2021, she starred in the ITV television drama series Hollington Drive.

Other work

Stirling is an occasional interviewer on the BBC Radio 4 chat show Loose Ends,<ref name="Evening Standard" /> and presented the station's programme Stage Door in December 2012. She also wrote a restaurant column for Diplomat magazine.<ref name="Evening Standard" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Stirling took part in Occupy London's reading of Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, London in December 2011.

In 2014, Stirling appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4's Midweek with Libby Purves, Roger Bannister and Kevin Warwick.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Stirling can speak Russian and is experienced in horse riding and jumping.<ref name="BBC" /> From 2007 to 2012, she was in a relationship with actor Oliver Chris,<ref name="Broadway.com">Template:Cite web.</ref> Stirling married musician and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey on 3 June 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They have one son, born in April 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Year	Film/Show	Role	Notes
1998	Still Crazy	Clare Knowles
2000	Maybe Baby	Joanna
	Complicity	Claire
2001	Redemption Road	Becky
	Another Life	Avis Graydon
	The Triumph of Love	Corine
2004	Freeze Frame	Katie Carter
2006	The Truth	Martha
2007	Dangerous Parking	Kirstin
2009	The Young Victoria	Duchess of Sutherland
2010	Centurion	Druzilla
2012	Salmon Fishing in the Yemen	Mary Jones
	Snow White & the Huntsman	Anna
2013	Sixteen	Laura
2015	Scottish Mussel	Ms Pringle
2016	Their Finest	Phyl Moore
2019	Wild Bill	Lady Mary Harborough

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	In the Beginning	Young Rebeccah	TV film
2001	Othello	Lulu
2002	Tipping the Velvet	Nan Astley	Miniseries
	Bait	Stephanie Raeburn	TV film
2003	Agatha Christie's Poirot	Caroline Crale	Episode: "Five Little Pigs"
2004	Agatha Christie's Marple	Griselda Clement	Episode: "The Murder at the Vicarage"
	The Final Quest	Young Annabelle	TV film
2005	Riot at the Rite	Marie Rambert
2006	Beyond	Guilean Hade
	Hotel Babylon	Nina Bailey	First episode
	The Haunted Airman	Julia Jugg	TV film
2008	Lewis	Zöe Kenneth	Episode: "Life Born of Fire"
2009	Minder	Eve Cornell	Episode: "Thank Your Lucky Stars"
	Boy Meets Girl	Veronica Burton	4 episodes
2011	Women in Love	Ursula Brangwen	Miniseries
2012	The Bletchley Circle	Millie
2013	Doctor Who	Ada Gillyflower	Episode: "The Crimson Horror"
2014	The Game	Kate Wilkinson	Miniseries
2014–2022	Detectorists	Becky	19 episodes
2015	Capital	Arabella Yount	Miniseries
2016	Churchill's Secret	Sarah Churchill	TV film
2018	The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco	Millie	TV series spin-off of The Bletchley Circle
2020	Life	Kelly Aston	Miniseries
2021	Midsomer Murders	Eleanor Karras	Episode: "Happy Families"
	Hollington Drive	Helen	Miniseries
2023	Heartstopper	Amanda Olsson	2 episodes
	The Chelsea Detective	Rebekah Chaban	Episode: "The Blue Room"

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 830556

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