Lucy Jane Briers (born 19 August 1967) is an English actress. Her film, stage and television roles have included appearances in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and sitcom Game On.
Early life and education Lucy Jane Briershttps://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/LIraVe9NL2uNXNUZ_khh8TUj_V0/appointments was born in Hammersmith, London. She is the daughter of the actor Richard Briers and actress Ann Davies.https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/ann-davies-doctor-who-eastenders-dies-87-DWzCqZ_2/
Briers attended St Paul's Girls' School, London (1978–85); Lancaster University (where she studied theatre and sculpture); and then a three-year acting course at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She was also a member of the National Youth Theatre.Maureen Paton "Lucy Briers: 'Emphysema robbed my father of his laughter’" , telegraph.co.uk, 2 November 2013 As well as acting, Briers plays both the piano and flute.
Career Briers played Mary Bennet in the BBC's television adaptation of Pride & Prejudice (1995). She has narrated the documentary The Riddle of Pompeii, the 2001 series Nurses and Ladette to Lady.
In 2007, Briers appeared in Some Kind of Bliss, a one-woman play by Samuel Adamson at the Trafalgar Studios, a role she reprised in the 2008 Brits off Broadway season. She appeared in the BBC drama Einstein and Eddington (2008) and a West End production of Chekhov's Ivanov. In 2011, she appeared in BBC Four's Twenty Twelve first as Anna Mitchell, one of the three candidates for the post of curator of the Cultural Olympiad, then with her face blurred as Laura, Ian Fletcher's wife. In 2017, she appeared in the Father Brown episode "The Tree of Truth" as Prudence Bovary.
As of March 2026, Briers has played Mrs Hill in the BBC historical drama The Other Bennet Sister. Based on Jane Austen's characters from the novel Pride & Prejudice, the story follows proceedings from Mary Bennet's viewpoint, Mary also being the character Briers played in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2004 TMA Awards Best Supporting Actress Cloud Nine https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/tma-theatre-awards-2004-nominations-announced 2008 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Solo Performer Ship of Fools https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/full-list-your-theatregoers-choice-award-winners_19876/ 2019 Clarence Derwent Awards Best Female in a Supporting Role Rosmersholm https://www.westendtheatre.com/248062/news/awards/clarence-derwent-awards-uk-west-end-awards/
Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1992 A Masculine Ending Student TV film 1993 Unnatural Causes Liz Marley TV film 2002 Prince William Tiggy Legge-Bourke TV film 2003 Perks Sarah Tidewell Short 2006 Long Hot Summer Rachel 2008 Einstein and Eddington Librarian TV film 2011 The Night Watch Binkie TV film2013 Our Girl Major O'Brien Episode: "Pilot" (TV film) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Tonia Scott 2016 Genius Miss Wyckoff 2018 Oil Mum Short 2020 Emma Mrs Reynoldshttps://web.archive.org/web/20200726120714/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/5e45d7c826977 2020 The Show Inspector Barlow 2021 Zack Snyder's Justice League Dog Day Care Owner 2022 My Policeman Miss Brown 2024 We Live in Time Dr. Kerri Weaver 2025 Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Mrs. Vanneck 2026 Flavia Miss Mountjoy
Television Year Title Role Notes1992 Red Dwarf Harrison Episode: "Holoship" Screaming Jennifer Spatz Hayley Episode: "The Curse of Karen" Boon Maggie Episode: "MacGuffin's Transputer" The Blackheath Poisonings Maid 2 episodes 1993 The Brittas Empire Wendy Episode: "Two Little Boys" 1994 The 10%ers Sarah Episode: "Feud" 1995 Pride and Prejudice Mary Bennet Series regular 1996 Casualty Joanna Porter Episode: "Still Waters"1998 Game On Lulu Episode: "Crabs" Unfinished Business Policewoman 1 episode Imogen's Face Janet Mini-series Dangerfield Adele Griffiths Episode: "The Lost Boy" The Bill Clarinda Beecham Episode: "Love's Labour Lost" 1999 Wives and Daughters Lady Alice 1 episode 2000 Beast Briony's Friends Episode: "Frightening Shorts"2001 The Bill Helen Thompkins Episodes: "Long Shadows: Part 1" Nurses Narrator Voice role 2002 Helen West Clerk 1 Episode: "Shadow Play"2004 Agatha Christie's Poirot Beryl Collins Episode: "The Hollow" Bodies Nicola Quinn 1 episode 2005 Broken News Sam Henman 2 episodes 2006 Great News Marion2007 Doctors Emma Fleet Episode: "Flying Solo" Tchaikovsky Nadezdha von Meck Mini-series Bonkers Polly Cope 1 episode Silent Witness Patricia Darlow Episode: "Apocalypse" Genie in the House Miss Spinelli Episode: "Genie Swap" The Green Green Grass Doctor Episode: "The Final Curtain" 2008 Ashes to Ashes Patty 1 episode 2010 Doctors Rosie Clifton Episode: "Something Evil"2011 The Night Watch Binkie Midsomer Murders Jessica Wingate Episode: "Death in the Slow Lane"Twenty Twelve Anna Mitchell Episode: "Cultural Curator" Laura Fletcher Episode: "Equestrian Controversy"2012 Parade's End Mrs. Ferguson 2 episodes The Thick of It Cathy Hastings 1 episode DCI Banks Dr. Janet Lucas Episode: "Strange Affair"Dark Matters: Twisted But True Orphanage Matron Episode: "Pavlov's Children, Alien Rain, Glow Girls" Mary Mallon Episode: "Magical Jet Propulsion, Missing Link Mystery, Typhoid Mary" 2013–15 Count Arthur Strong Sheila Series regular; 6 episodes 2017 Father Brown Prudence Bovary Episode: "The Tree of Truth"2018 Casualty Gill Ransom 1 episode Press Linda Parks Episode: "Pure" Mrs Wilson Record Office Lady 1 episode2019 Victoria Mrs. Arbuthnot Episode: "Foreign Bodies" Four Weddings and a Funeral Jody 2 episodes 2019–22 Gentleman Jack Mrs Stansfield Rawson Recurring role; 4 episodes2020 Endeavour Mrs. Blish Episode: "Oracle" Home Margaret 1 episode Strike DCI Judy McMurran Episode: "Lethal White" 2022 House of the Dragon Ceira Lannister Episodes: "Second of His Name" and "We Light the Way" 2023 Lockwood & Co. Mrs. Harris Episode: "Death Is Coming" 2026 The Other Bennet Sister Mrs Hill 3 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2017 Mass Effect: Andromeda Various Voice role 2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla Aethelswith Voice role
Theatre credits Year Title Role Venue Notes 1992 Fooling About Miranda/Princess Oxford Playhouse, Oxford with Oxford Stage Company1993 Syme Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham The Tempest Miranda Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury The Venetian Twins Rosaura Oxford Playhouse, Oxford with Oxford Stage Company 1996 The Entertainer Jean Rice Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham 1997 Henry IV, Part 1 & Part 2 Lady Percy/Doll Tearsheet The Old Vic, The Cut, London with English Touring Theatre1998 Emma Jane Fairfax Calder's Gilded Balloon Theatre, Edinburgh part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Othello Desdemona New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme 1999 All That Trouble We Had Margo Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham2000 As You Like It Phebe Crucible Theatre, Sheffield & Lyric Theatre, London The Winter's Tale Paulina Southwark Playhouse, London Keepers Maggie Hampstead Theatre, London 2001 Spike Verity King Nuffield Theatre, Southampton Don Juan Charlotte Crucible Theatre, Sheffield 2002 Teeth 'n' Smiles Laura Crucible Theatre, Sheffield 2003 Electra Electra Gate Theatre, London2004 Cloud Nine Edward/Betty Crucible Theatre, Sheffield The Solid Gold Cadillac Miss Amelia Shotgraven Garrick Theatre, London 2005 Rose Bernd Frau Grolisch Arcola Theatre, London Musik Else Arcola Theatre, London The Shadow Box Beverley Southwark Playhouse, London2006 The Voysey Inheritance Honor Voysey Royal National Theatre, London Catch Andrea/Carol Royal Court Theatre, London2007 Ship of Fools Rachel/Monsieur Schultze/Holly Trinity/Margery Clermont Theatre503, London Some Kind of Bliss Rachel Trafalgar Studios, London One-woman show2008 Sexual Perversity in Chicago Joan Webber Theatre Royal, Norwich Ivanov Martha Babakina Donmar at the Wyndham's Theatre, London2009 Just Between Ourselves Pam Royal Theatre, Northampton Private Fears in Public Places Charlotte Royal Theatre, Northampton Miss Julie Christine Rose Theatre, Kingston upon Thames Bedroom Farce Jan Rose Theatre, Kingston upon Thames 2010 Behud (Beyond Belief) Joanne Stevenson Soho Theatre, London 2011 Top Girls Pope Joan/Louise Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester2014 Bring Up the Bodies Jane Rochford Aldwych Theatre, London & Winter Garden Theatre, New York City with Royal Shakespeare Company Wolf Hall Katherine of Aragon Aldwych Theatre, London & Winter Garden Theatre, New York City with Royal Shakespeare Company2015 Ivanov Zinaida Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester The Seagull Polina Andryevna Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester 2016 Show Boat Parthenia Ann Crucible Theatre, Sheffield & New London Theatre, London 2017 Forty Years On Miss Nisbitt Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester2019 Wild East Dr. Pitt Young Vic, London Rosmersholm Mrs. Helseth Duke of York's Theatre, London 2020 All of Us Rita/Doctor Anderson/Angela Royal National Theatre, London 2022 Orlando Virginia/Elizabeth I Garrick Theatre, London 2025 Backstroke Carol Donmar Warehouse, London 2026 The Market Deeping Model Railway Club Linda Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
References
External links
Lucy Briers' CV on B-Side Management website