# Carolyn Pickles
**Carolyn Pickles** (born 1952) is an English actress whose screen career spans more than four decades, from [Roman Polanski](https://www.edgepedia.org/roman-polanski)'s *Tess* (1979) to the [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter) franchise, the ITV drama *Broadchurch*, and recent BBC series such as *Beyond Paradise* and *Sister Boniface Mysteries*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carolyn-pickles/). She is known to international audiences for playing Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies teacher, in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* (2010)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) |
| Training | Studied drama at the University of Manchester; appeared in student productions of *Narrow Road to the Deep North* and *Mother Courage and Her Children*[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/carolyn-pickles/bio/3030121291/) |
| Signature film roles | Marian in *Tess* (1979); Charity Burbage in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* (2010); Marsha in *The Spy Who Dumped Me* (2018)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) |
| Signature television roles | Maggie Radcliffe in *Broadchurch* (three series); Simone in *May to December* (1989–1994); DCI Kim Reid in *The Bill*[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-162569/filmographie/) • [5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/carolyn_pickles/) • [6](https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/907d0a76-ef8b-4e09-b528-570a6f5ee167/episodes/d9badf0b-16a3-4f9d-ac9c-2fb4ee5857c7/the-bill-podcast-the-bill-podcast-29-carolyn-pickles-dci-kim-reid-part-1) |
| Audio work | Voice of Cardinal Ollistra in the *Gallifrey* podcast series, 12 episodes, 2022–2026[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) |
| Family | Daughter of barrister and tabloid journalist James Pickles; spouse Tark Butler[7](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carolyn-pickles.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) |
| Languages | Speaks Russian and French[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) |
## Early life and training
Pickles was born in [Wakefield](https://www.edgepedia.org/wakefield), West Yorkshire, and grew up there as the child of James Pickles, who worked as a barrister and tabloid journalist[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) • [7](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carolyn-pickles.html). She studied drama at the [University of Manchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-manchester), where she appeared in student productions of *Narrow Road to the Deep North* and *Mother Courage and Her Children*[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/carolyn-pickles/bio/3030121291/). Her early stage work included a production of *The Playboy of the Western World* at the Riverside Studios Theatre and *Body Cell* at the Soho Poly Theatre[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/carolyn-pickles/bio/3030121291/).
## Film
Her film debut came in *Tess* (1979), Roman Polanski's adaptation of [Thomas Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-hardy), in which she played Marian[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/). Later film credits include *Agatha* (1979) as Charlotte Fisher, *The Mirror Crack'd* (1980) as Miss Giles, *Ali G Indahouse* (2002) as the headmistress, [Terry Gilliam](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-gilliam)'s *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus* (2009), *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* (2010), *[The Spy Who Dumped Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-spy-who-dumped-me)* (2018), and *Christmas on Mistletoe Farm* (2022)[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/carolyn_pickles) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/). On Rotten Tomatoes, *Tess* remains her highest-rated film at 81 percent from critics, against 49 percent for *The Spy Who Dumped Me*[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/carolyn_pickles).
In *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1*, she played Professor Charity Burbage, a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts, a role that placed her in the opening sequence of the film opposite the series' principal cast[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/) • [9](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Carolyn_Pickles).
## Television
Pickles's television work is extensive, with more than 100 acting credits listed on IMDb[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/). Her longest-running comedy role was Simone in the BBC sitcom *May to December*, which she played from series 1 in 1989 through series 6 in 1994[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/carolyn_pickles/). In drama, she played DCI Kim Reid in *The Bill*, a role for which she was later interviewed on *The Bill Podcast*[6](https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/907d0a76-ef8b-4e09-b528-570a6f5ee167/episodes/d9badf0b-16a3-4f9d-ac9c-2fb4ee5857c7/the-bill-podcast-the-bill-podcast-29-carolyn-pickles-dci-kim-reid-part-1), and Shelly Williams in the soap opera *Emmerdale* in 2003 and 2005[7](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carolyn-pickles.html) • [10](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/carolyn-pickles/).
**Broadchurch and recent drama.** She played newspaper editor Maggie Radcliffe in all three series of ITV's *Broadchurch* (2013, 2015, and 2017)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-162569/filmographie/). Her later television credits include Ruth in *MotherFatherSon* ([BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two), 2019), Rita Fenton in series 8 of *Vera* (2018), Reverend Mother Adrian in *Sister Boniface Mysteries* (2022), Rebecca Thompson in *Beyond Paradise* (2023), and Mrs O'Hara in the Netflix series *[Run Away](https://www.edgepedia.org/run-away-tv-series)*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carolyn-pickles/) • [4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-162569/filmographie/) • [10](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/carolyn-pickles/).
## Stage and audio work
Her stage credits listed by her agency include *Emilia* at the [Globe Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/globe-theatre) and in the West End, *Charles III* for the [Sydney Theatre Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/sydney-theatre-company) in the role of Camilla, *The Cherry Orchard* at the Sheffield Crucible under [Jonathan Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-miller), and *Fram* at the National Theatre[10](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/carolyn-pickles/).
In audio drama, she has voiced Cardinal Ollistra in Big Finish's *Gallifrey* series, credited for 12 episodes spanning 2022 to 2026, and previously appeared in *Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/).
## References
1. [Carolyn Pickles, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681949/)
2. [Carolyn Pickles, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carolyn-pickles/)
3. [Carolyn Pickles Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/carolyn-pickles/bio/3030121291/)
4. [Carolyn Pickles : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-162569/filmographie/)
5. [Carolyn Pickles, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/carolyn_pickles/)
6. [The Bill Podcast 29: Carolyn Pickles (DCI Kim Reid) Part 1](https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/907d0a76-ef8b-4e09-b528-570a6f5ee167/episodes/d9badf0b-16a3-4f9d-ac9c-2fb4ee5857c7/the-bill-podcast-the-bill-podcast-29-carolyn-pickles-dci-kim-reid-part-1)
7. [Carolyn Pickles, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carolyn-pickles.html)
8. [Carolyn Pickles, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/carolyn_pickles)
9. [Carolyn Pickles, Harry Potter Wiki](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Carolyn_Pickles)
10. [Carolyn Pickles, Conway Van Gelder Grant agency CV](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/carolyn-pickles/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Soap operas and continuing serials › British and Australasian soaps and characters › EastEnders › EastEnders cast members*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license