Siân Elizabeth Phillips (born 1980), known professionally as Siân Brooke, is a British actress. She is best known as Constable Grace Ellis in Blue Lights (2023–present) earning her a BAFTA TV Award for Leading Actress nomination.

Brooke has also appeared in Cape Wrath (2007), Sherlock (2017), Doctor Foster (2017), Good Omens (2019), Guilt (2019), Trying (2020–), and House of the Dragon (2022).

Early life and education Siân Elizabeth Phillips was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, in 1980 and is the youngest of three siblings. She took on a stage name to avoid confusion with Welsh actress Siân Phillips, choosing Brooke after an English Civil War general Lord Brooke who was killed at Lichfield. She is the daughter of a police officer and a teacher. Her parents are Welsh. Brooke's early education was at The Friary School in Lichfield. She initially joined the Lichfield Youth Theatre at the age of 11 before becoming a member of the National Youth Theatre, and subsequently training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating with a degree H Level in 2002.

Career Her acting debut was as Krista in television series Dinotopia in 2002. Brooke's television credits include A Touch of Frost, Hotel Babylon, Foyle's War, and The Fixer. As a child, she was featured in Strangers in Utah with Adrian Dunbar and Phyllida Law. She also played the lead roles of Laura in All About George and Lori Marcuse in Cape Wrath.

Brooke has lent her voice to the radio dramas Murder on the Homefront, A Pin to See the Peepshow, and Dreaming in Africa.

Brooke's theatre work includes Harvest, Dying City, Dido Queen of Carthage, In The Club, The Birthday Party, I’m Not Running and Absolutely Perhaps. She has also appeared in productions of Poor Beck, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet, with the Royal Shakespeare Company. From July to August 2008, Brooke played Dorothy Gale in the musical The Wizard of Oz at the Southbank Centre. The production was directed by Jude Kelly. During 2011 at the Almeida Theatre, London, she appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's My City and Neil LaBute's Reasons to be Pretty. From August to October 2015, Brooke played Ophelia alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the Barbican's production of Hamlet.

In 2017, Brooke starred in the fourth series of the television crime drama Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes' secret sister, Eurus. She initially auditioned for several characters in the show before the showrunners told Brooke that all the characters were one, Eurus, who would be a master of disguise. Michael Hogan, writing for The Daily Telegraph in his review of the third episode of the series, commented that the role was "a star-making turn from Siân Brooke". Later in the year, she appeared with Sheridan Smith and Gemma Whelan in the BBC miniseries The Moorside, based on the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews. She starred as Karen in the first four series of Apple TV series Trying, which has been renewed for a fifth series.

Her lead role performance in the 2023–26 BBC series Blue Lights as Grace Ellis, a mother of a teenager who made the decision in her 40s to leave her job as a social worker to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland, has been critically acclaimed.

Personal life

Brooke is married to Bill Buckhurst, a film, television and theatre director, with whom she has two children. She is an ambassador for the climate change adaptation charity The Glacier Trust.

Filmography Television Year(s) Title Role Notes 2002–2003 Dinotopia Krista 5 episodes 2005 All About George Laura 6 episodes 2005 Under the Greenwood Tree Television film 2006 Episode: "Endangered Species" 2006 Housewife, 49 Television film 2007 Foyle's War Episode: "Bleak Midwinter" 2007 Hotel Babylon Lisa 1 episode 2007 Cape Wrath Main cast 2008 1 episode 2008 Midsomer Murders Episode: "The Magician's Nephew" 2008 Television film 2009 Doc Martin Claire 1 episode 2010 Vexed 1 episode 2010 New Tricks Episode: "Dark Chocolate" 2011 Garrow's Law 1 episode 2011 Silk 1 episode 2013 Man Down Daisy 1 episode 2014 Lewis Episode: "The Lions of Nemea" 2015 Not Safe for Work Main cast 2017 Sherlock Main cast (Series 4) 2017 Miniseries 2017 Doctor Foster Main cast (Series 2) 2018 The Terror Supporting role (Season 1) 2019 Good Omens Main cast 2019Guilt Claire Main cast (Series 1) 2019 Television film 2020–present TryingKarenMain cast 2021 StephenMiniseries 2022 No Return Miniseries 2022–2024 House of the DragonQueen Aemma ArrynEpisodes: "The Heirs of the Dragon" and "Smallfolk"2023–present Blue LightsConstable Grace EllisLead role2024SupacellVictoria KeshTelevision series2026The Undeclared WarBarbara NapierMain cast (Series 2)

Film Year(s) Title Role 2019RadioactiveBronia Sklodowska2020Body of waterStephanie

Stage Year(s) Title RoleTheatre Notes 2002Just a BlokeLisaRoyal Court Theatre7 November – 23 November2002SarahRoyal Court Theatre7 November – 23 November2003Absolutely! (Perhaps)DinaWyndham's Theatre7 May – 13 September2004–2005Romeo and JulietJulietRoyal Shakespeare TheatreNoël Coward Theatre25 March 2004 – 8 October 200416 December 2004 – 8 January 20052004–2005King LearCordeliaRoyal Shakespeare TheatreTheatre Royal, NewcastleNoël Coward Theatre17 June 2004 – 14 October 200416 November 2004 – 20 November 200413 January 2005 – 5 February 20052004–2005Poor BeckMyrrhaThe Other PlaceSoho Theatre29 September 2004 – 7 October 200411 March 2005 – 16 March 20052005HarvestLauraRoyal Court Theatre2 September – 1 October2006HermiaTheatre Royal, NottinghamHackney EmpireSt David's Hall11 February12 February25 March2006Dying CityKellyRoyal Court Theatre12 May – 10 June2007–2008In the ClubSashaHampstead TheatreRichmond TheatreFestival Theatre, MalvernWycombe SwanTheatre Royal, BrightonBelgrade TheatreNew Theatre, Cardiff25 July 2007 – 25 August 200712 February 2008 – 16 February 200818 February 2008 – 23 February 200825 February 2008 – 1 March 20083 March 2008 – 8 March 200810 March 2008 – 15 March 200818 March 2008 – 22 March 20082008LuluLyric Theatre8 May – 24 May2008DorothyRoyal Festival Hall23 July – 31 August2009Dido, Queen of CarthageAnnaRoyal National Theatre17 March – 7 May2009Article 19Royal Court Theatre3 July – 4 July2010WanderlustRoyal Court Theatre9 September – 9 October2010Joseph KVariousGate Theatre11 November – 18 December2011EcstasyJeanHampstead TheatreDuchess Theatre10 March – 9 April12 April – 28 May2011My CityJulieAlmeida Theatre8 September – 5 November2011–2012Reasons to Be PrettyStephAlmeida Theatre10 November 2011 – 14 January 20122013TartuffeElmireBirmingham Repertory Theatre1 November – 16 November2015HamletOpheliaBarbican Centre5 August – 31 October2018I'm Not RunningPaulineNational Theatre

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2020National Film Awards UKBest Actress in a TV SeriesGood Omens 2026 BAFTA TV Awards BAFTA TV Award – Leading ActressBlue Lights

References

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