# Nell Hudson
**Nell Hudson** (born 1990) is an English actress and writer best known for playing Laoghaire MacKenzie in the Starz historical drama *[Outlander](https://www.edgepedia.org/outlander-tv-series)* and Nancy Skerrett, the Queen's dresser, in the ITV period drama *[Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-british-tv-series)*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/) • [2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) She is also the author of the debut novel *Just for Today*.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/) |
| Training | Oxford School of Drama, Three Year Course[4](https://oxforddrama.ac.uk/notable_alumni/nell-hudson/) |
| Signature roles | Laoghaire MacKenzie in *Outlander* (2014 onward); Nancy Skerrett in *Victoria* (2016–2019)[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) |
| First professional role | A 2012 episode of the BBC One medical drama *Holby City*[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) |
| Other screen work | Clarissa in *The Doll Factory*, Louise in *The Irregulars*, Charlotte Humphries in *Informer*, Ruth in *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*[4](https://oxforddrama.ac.uk/notable_alumni/nell-hudson/) |
| Writing | Debut novel *Just for Today*, following a year in the life of a group of girls in London in 2019[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/) |
| Family | Daughter of the journalist and author Cressida Connolly[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) |
## Early life and training
Hudson was born in 1990 in Worcester, Worcestershire, and was raised on the Wyke Manor Estate in Wick.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson) She developed an interest in acting as a teenager and trained at the Oxford School of Drama, where she performed in theatrical productions and graduated from the school's Three Year Course.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) • [4](https://oxforddrama.ac.uk/notable_alumni/nell-hudson/) In an interview with 1883 Magazine she recalled that she had never acted in front of a camera before drama school, and that she signed with her first agent because the agent offered; only four or five actors from her graduating class were offered representation.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/)
She is the daughter of the journalist and author Cressida Connolly.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/)
## Television and film career
Hudson's professional acting career began in 2012 with a guest appearance in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) medical drama *Holby City*; the same year she appeared in the short films *Cast Offs* and *Les Bohemes*.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/)
**Outlander.** Her career turning point came in 2014, when she was cast as Laoghaire MacKenzie in Starz's time-travel drama *Outlander*, adapted from [Diana Gabaldon](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-gabaldon)'s book series.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson) The audition was a self-tape, recorded on her laptop with her mother reading the other part; the second round took place in a room with three producers, the director John Dahl, and [Sam Heughan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-heughan), who plays Jamie Fraser.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/) Laoghaire is a young woman smitten with Jamie despite his love for Claire, and the character became one fans, in one fan site's phrasing, love to hate.[6](https://www.outlandertvnews.com/2017/03/new-nell-hudson-qa/) Hudson described the character's appeal in a 2017 interview: in the first book Laoghaire was lovely to play, and her own version of events seemed plausible and her motives real to her.[6](https://www.outlandertvnews.com/2017/03/new-nell-hudson-qa/) The character ages from 16 to 36 across the series, and Hudson said she had to be aged up considerably for the later episodes.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/) She reprised the role across multiple seasons, returning as recently as season 7, with a special guest appearance in the episode "Unfinished Business" broadcast on November 22, 2024.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson)
**Victoria.** From 2016 to 2019 Hudson portrayed Nancy Skerrett, the Queen's dresser, in ITV's period drama *Victoria*, appearing in 24 episodes.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/) In a 2019 interview with Fabric Magazine she called the role a career highlight and described the anxious wait for the casting call, which came at 7 p.m. on a Monday after days of silence.[7](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/nell-hudson-interview-april-2019/) Each series took around six months to film.[7](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/nell-hudson-interview-april-2019/)
**Other work.** Her credits include Charlotte Humphries in the BBC series *Informer* (2018), Louise in Netflix's *The Irregulars* (2021), Ruth in the 2022 film *[Texas Chainsaw Massacre](https://www.edgepedia.org/texas-chainsaw-massacre-2022-film)*, and Clarissa in the [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) series *The Doll Factory* (2023).[4](https://oxforddrama.ac.uk/notable_alumni/nell-hudson/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson) She has also appeared as Paulette Roland in *Call the Midwife*, Tabitha Brown in *Death in Paradise*, and roles in *[Crossing Lines](https://www.edgepedia.org/crossing-lines)*, *Agatha Raisin*, and *Toast of Tinseltown*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson) Her film work includes Gwen in *Haunting of the Queen Mary* (2023) and Becky in *Salvable* (2025).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/)
On stage she played Lydia Bennet in Tamara Harvey's production of *Pride and Prejudice* at the Sheffield Crucible in 2015.[2](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/)
## Writing
Hudson is also a writer. Her debut novel, *Just for Today*, grew out of notes she scribbled in a notebook she always carries; she realized one notebook held a continuous story from front to back, and completed the book over roughly three years around acting jobs.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/) She has described it as following a year in the life of a group of girls in London in 2019, and has compared its flavor to [Donna Tartt](https://www.edgepedia.org/donna-tartt)'s *The Secret History* set in present-day London.[3](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/) A 2021 Hachette rights guide lists the title with Hudson credited as a professional actor who graduated from the Oxford School of Drama in 2012.[8](https://www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Headline-US-Rights-Guide-2021-s.pdf) In a 2019 interview she also said she was working on a script with Tilly Seale, an assistant dresser on *Victoria*.[7](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/nell-hudson-interview-april-2019/)
## Personal life
In August 2025, trade and entertainment coverage reported that Hudson, then known for *Outlander*, had given birth to her first child.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/)
## References
1. [Nell Hudson – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/nell-hudson/)
2. [Nell Hudson | Booking Agent | MN2S](https://mn2s.com/booking-agency/talent-roster/nell-hudson/)
3. [Nell Hudson – 1883 Magazine (Texas Chainsaw Massacre interview)](https://1883magazine.com/nellhudson/)
4. [Nell Hudson | Notable Alumni | Oxford School of Drama](https://oxforddrama.ac.uk/notable_alumni/nell-hudson/)
5. [Nell Hudson | TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6692/nell-hudson)
6. [New Nell Hudson Q&A, Outlander TV News (March 12, 2017)](https://www.outlandertvnews.com/2017/03/new-nell-hudson-qa/)
7. [Exclusive Interview: Nell Hudson, Fabric Magazine (April 2019)](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/nell-hudson-interview-april-2019/)
8. [Reading Group, Upmarket & Literary Fiction – Headline US Rights Guide 2021, Hachette](https://www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Headline-US-Rights-Guide-2021-s.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Gw to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 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