# Natalie Casey
**Natalie Casey** is an English actress, presenter, narrator and singer, best known for playing Carol Groves in the soap opera *Hollyoaks* and Donna Henshaw in the [BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three) sitcom *Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps* from 2001 to 2011[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey). She was born in Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, England[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/), and has since built a substantial stage career alongside her television and voice-over work.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, England; birth year given as 1980[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey) |
| Signature TV role | Donna Henshaw in *Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps* (2001–2011, 78 episodes)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/) |
| Early fame | Carol Groves in *Hollyoaks*, January 1996 to December 2000; reprised the role in October 2025[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Natalie_Casey) |
| Chart record | At age three, her single "Chick Chick Chicken" reached number 72 in the UK charts; she is described as the youngest person ever to have a recording in the English music charts[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey) • [5](https://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Natalie_Casey) |
| Major stage roles | Paulette in *Legally Blonde* at the Savoy Theatre; Miss Adelaide in *Guys and Dolls* at the Sheffield Crucible; Judy Bernly in the UK tour of *9 to 5*[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey) • [6](https://www.thestar.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/tv-comedy-star-natalie-casey-on-stage-on-sheffield-crucible-musical-guy-and-dolls-1325311) |
| Recent work | Lauren in the 2026 UK tour of *2:22 – A Ghost Story*; Juliet in *Romeo and Juliet* at the New Vic Theatre, September–October 2026[7](https://www.westendtheatre.com/323061/news/222-a-ghost-story-tour-to-star-james-bye-natalie-casey-gary-lucy-and-shvorne-marks/) • [8](https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/productions/romeo-juliet/) |
| Voice work | Narrator of *Dinner Date* (212 episodes), *Cash in the Attic* (40 episodes, 2022), and *Shock Docs* (10 episodes, 2016)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey) |
## Television career
Casey's first major television role was Carol Groves in the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) soap *Hollyoaks*, a regular part she held from January 1996 to December 2000[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Natalie_Casey). IMDb credits her with 31 episodes as Carol Groves between 1996 and 1999[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/), and she later reprised the character in October 2025[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Natalie_Casey).
**Donna Henshaw.** In 2001 Casey joined *Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps*, a BBC Three sitcom set in Runcorn, as Donna Henshaw, appearing as a series regular across the show's run and alongside castmates including [Sheridan Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheridan-smith), Will Mellor, Ralf Little and [Kathryn Drysdale](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathryn-drysdale)[9](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/). Her agent's CV lists the role as spanning series 1 to 10, under directors Geoff Posner, Nick Wood, and Gareth Carrivick[9](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/). TVmaze dates her tenure at 2001–2011 across 78 episodes[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey).
Her later television work has been more episodic. She played Maggie Tubby in *Agatha Raisin* Series 4 on Sky 1 (2022), Annie in the BBC's *Chopratown*, and Lisa in the pilot *KERRY* for Lucky Giant/NBC Universal[9](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/). A 2007 profile also credits her with appearances in *Brookside: Double Take!* and presenting work on *100 Greatest Musicals*, *24: Access All Areas*, and *Big Brother's Little Brother*[10](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-with-natalie-casey_21119/).
## Narration and voice work
A significant strand of Casey's career is narration. She has narrated *Dinner Date*, a dating program on which she recorded 212 episodes[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey); UKGameshows notes that she replaced Charlotte Hudson as the show's narrator when it moved to ITVBe[5](https://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Natalie_Casey). She also narrated 40 episodes of *Cash in the Attic* in 2022, 10 episodes of the documentary series *Shock Docs* in 2016, and voiced various characters in 22 episodes of the children's series *Spot Bots* in 2016[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey). She was also the voice-over for seven episodes of *Gino's Win Your Wish List* (2018)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey).
## Music and musical theater
Casey entered public life as a child singer. Her single "Chick Chick Chicken", recorded when she was three years old, reached number 72 in the UK charts, making her the youngest person ever to have a recording in the English music charts, according to her London Theatre profile[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey). UKGameshows records the same peak position and adds that the chart took a week off over Christmas in the pre-computerisation era, so the single's ceiling cannot be known[5](https://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Natalie_Casey).
Musical theater runs in her family: her older sister is the West End performer Anna Jane Casey[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey). Natalie made her West End debut in *Fame* at the Shaftesbury Theatre in May 2007, opposite Ian "H" Watkins[10](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-with-natalie-casey_21119/). Her musical credits since include *Oklahoma!* at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Paulette in the Olivier Award-winning *Legally Blonde* at the Savoy Theatre, and Judy Bernly in the UK tour of *9 to 5*[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey). At the Sheffield Crucible she played Miss Adelaide in *Guys and Dolls*, a Christmas musical that ran from 7 December to 18 January; her character was described in local coverage as a performer at the Hot Box burlesque club and the long-suffering fiancée of gambler Nathan Detroit[6](https://www.thestar.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/tv-comedy-star-natalie-casey-on-stage-on-sheffield-crucible-musical-guy-and-dolls-1325311).
Her straight-play work includes *Abigail's Party* at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Wyndham's Theatre, *The Invisible Man*, and the UK tour of Frantic Assembly's *Things I Know To Be True*, in which she played Pip Price under director Scott Graham[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey) • [9](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/). She played Sylvia in Maria Friedman's West End production of *Stepping Out* at the Vaudeville Theatre[9](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/).
## Recent stage work
**2:22 – A Ghost Story.** Casey joined the UK tour of Danny Robins's supernatural thriller *2:22 – A Ghost Story* as Lauren, leading the production's 2026 leg alongside James Bye as Sam, Gary Lucy as Ben, and Shvorne Marks as Jenny, resuming from 8 January at Northampton's Royal & Derngate under directors Matthew Dunster and Gabriel Vega Weissman[7](https://www.westendtheatre.com/323061/news/222-a-ghost-story-tour-to-star-james-bye-natalie-casey-gary-lucy-and-shvorne-marks/). The show has played to more than 1.1 million people across 17 countries, was named Best New Play at the WhatsOnStage Awards, and received multiple Olivier Award nominations[7](https://www.westendtheatre.com/323061/news/222-a-ghost-story-tour-to-star-james-bye-natalie-casey-gary-lucy-and-shvorne-marks/).
**Romeo and Juliet.** In September and October 2026 Casey played Juliet in a reimagining of Shakespeare's tragedy at the New Vic Theatre in [Newcastle-under-Lyme](https://www.edgepedia.org/newcastle-under-lyme), opposite the comedian [Russell Kane](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-kane) as Romeo, with both performers making their New Vic debuts[8](https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/productions/romeo-juliet/). The production, a collaboration between the New Vic and the company Not Too Tame directed by Jimmy Fairhurst, imagines the lovers meeting in their 40s; the Guardian's review described the staging as cacophonous and comedic, with an experienced older duo engaging in an enthusiastic liaison rather than a rebellious first romance[11](https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/romeo-juliet-in-their-40s-further-casting-announced-for-new-vic-and-not-too-tames-bold-reimagining-of-romeo-juliet/) • [12](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/sep/23/romeo-and-juliet-review-russell-kane-natalie-casey). Fairhurst praised Casey's audition, saying she "came in, grabbed the thing by the throat and made it hers. Shakespeare sounding like Shane Meadows"[13](https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Natalie-Casey-Joins-ROMEO-JULIET-at-the-New-Vic-Alongside-Russell-Kane-20260617).
## Notes on the record
Sources differ on Casey's birth year: IMDb and TVmaze both give 15 April 1980[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey), while the London Theatre profile says she was born in 1981 in Rawtenstall[4](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey). Her *Hollyoaks* tenure is also reported differently: the Hollyoaks Wiki gives January 1996 to December 2000[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Natalie_Casey), IMDb gives 1996 to 1999[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/), and TVSA gives 1995 to 2000[14](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9549).
## References
1. [Natalie Casey, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/86566/natalie-casey)
2. [Natalie Casey, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143505/)
3. [Natalie Casey, Hollyoaks Wiki (Fandom)](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Natalie_Casey)
4. [Natalie Casey, Stars on Stage, London Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/natalie-casey)
5. [Natalie Casey, UKGameshows](https://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Natalie_Casey)
6. [TV comedy star Natalie Casey on stage on Sheffield Crucical musical Guys and Dolls, The Star](https://www.thestar.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/tv-comedy-star-natalie-casey-on-stage-on-sheffield-crucible-musical-guy-and-dolls-1325311)
7. [2:22 – A Ghost Story tour to star James Bye, Natalie Casey, Gary Lucy and Shvorne Marks, West End Theatre](https://www.westendtheatre.com/323061/news/222-a-ghost-story-tour-to-star-james-bye-natalie-casey-gary-lucy-and-shvorne-marks/)
8. [Romeo & Juliet, New Vic Theatre](https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/productions/romeo-juliet/)
9. [Natalie Casey, Creative Artists Management](https://cam.co.uk/talent/natalie-casey/)
10. [20 Questions With… Natalie Casey, WhatsOnStage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-with-natalie-casey_21119/)
11. [Romeo & Juliet in their 40s: further casting announced, New Vic Theatre](https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/romeo-juliet-in-their-40s-further-casting-announced-for-new-vic-and-not-too-tames-bold-reimagining-of-romeo-juliet/)
12. [Romeo and Juliet review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/sep/23/romeo-and-juliet-review-russell-kane-natalie-casey)
13. [Natalie Casey Joins Romeo & Juliet at the New Vic Alongside Russell Kane, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Natalie-Casey-Joins-ROMEO-JULIET-at-the-New-Vic-Alongside-Russell-Kane-20260617)
14. [Natalie Casey, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=9549)
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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 › British soap actors and production people*
*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