Creator / Harriet Thorpe

"Welcome to Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre, how may I help yooou?"

Harriet Amelia Thorpe (8 June 1957) is a English Actress best known for her appearances in The Brittas Empire and Absolutely Fabulous.

First appearing on TV in the sketch show Who Dares Wins and going on to have roles in the sketch shows of the time, Thorpe was eventually chosen to play Carole Parkinson in The Brittas Empire, featuring as a Struggling Single Mother who keeps her children behind the cupboards and desks of the reception area of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre.

Outside of her appearances on British Soap Operas, Thorpe tends to form part of a Production Posse with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, first appearing alongside them in Happy Families and also being well known for starring as the eccentric Fleur in their series Absolutely Fabulous.

Outside of her TV and film work, Thorpe is also known for theatre work, featuring in such productions such as Wicked, and Cabaret respectively.

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Works on TV Tropes she appeared in:

Film

• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) — Iris (Uncredited Role)
• Maurice (1987) — Barmaid
• Jack & Sarah (1995) — Woman (Uncredited Role)
• Calendar Girls (2003) — Brenda Mooney
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) — Wakanda (Deleted Role)
• Absolutely Fabulous (2016) — Fleur

Live-Action TV

• Girls on Top, 2 episodes^{show list} "Cancel Toast", "Big Snogs" (1985-86) — Chris
• The Bill, 2 episodes:
  • "Loan Shark" (1986) — Tarty Woman
  • "Lured in to the Trap" (2003) — Anne Wilson
• The Comic Strip Presents, 2 episodes:
  • Consuela (Or 'The New Saunders') (1986) — Jane
  • Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door (1987) — Brenda
• French and Saunders, 8 episodes:
  • 1 episode (1987) — Dede
  • 4 episodes^{show list} "Christmas Special", "Dangerous Liasons", "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", "French and Saunders Actually" (1988-2003) — Various
  • "The House of Idiot" (1993) — Countess of Hertzegovina
  • "French and Saunders Christmas Carol" (1994) — Wardrobe Mistress
  • "Titanic" (1998) — Molly Brown
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie, 1 episode (1990) — Various
• Alas Smith and Jones, 1 episode (1990) — Various
• The Brittas Empire, 52 episodes (1991-97) — Carole Parkinson
• 'Allo 'Allo!, episode "Up the Crick Without a Piddle" (1991) — Ethel
• Bottom, episode "Smells" (1991) — Woman in Bar
• Murder Most Horrid, 2 episodes:
  • "He Died a Death" (1991) — Sarah Deveraux
  • "Mrs Hats and Mrs Red" (1991) — Friend
• Absolutely Fabulous, 13 episodes (1993-2012) — Fleur
• Mike & Angelo, episode "Up to My Neck" (1994) — Margaret Pinner
• Goodnight Sweetheart, episode "Change Partners" (1996) — Gillian
• CASUAL+Y, 3 episodes:
  • "The Morning After" (2000) — Hannah
  • "Three in a Bed" (2003) — Anne Wilson
  • 1 episode (2017) — Raquel Kovak
• The 10th Kingdom, 1 episode (2000) — Charm Seller (Uncredited Role)
• Crossroads, 1 episode (2002) — Denise Hamilton
• All About Me, episode "Downloading" (2004) — Ruth
• Midsomer Murders, 2 episodes:
  • "Dance with the Dead" (2006) — Elaine Trim
  • "The Stitcher Society" (2021) — Georgie Tremayne
• Doctors
  • 4 episodes^{show list} "Two Out of Ten", "Ready or Not?", "Groomed for the Game", "A Little Knowledge..." (2008) — Clodagh Merrylees
  • "No Smoke Without Fire" (2013) — Sandy Wares
  • "Mr Charity" (2015) — Dr. Chris Bassey
  • "Doctor Carter Said" (2018) — Miranda Hill
  • "Wonderland" (2021) — Hattie Brooks
• The Musketeers, episode "The Queen's Diamonds" (2016) — Lady Francoise
• Hollyoaks, 2 episodes (2017) — Elizabeth
• Father Brown, episode "The Curse of the Aesthetic" (2020) — Nanny Ribble
• Endeavour, episode "Striker" (2021) — Miss Newell
• Eastenders (2023-) — Elaine Peacock

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