# Sarah Hadland
**Sarah Hadland** (born 1971) is an English actress known for comedy, drama, theater, and voice work, best known as Stevie Sutton in the BBC sitcom *Miranda* and as one of the original cast members of the CBBC sketch show *Horrible Histories*.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) • [2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) Her other television credits include *The Job Lot*, *Waterloo Road*, *W1A*, and *Daddy Issues*, and she appeared in the [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) film *Quantum of Solace* (2008).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Stevie Sutton, joke-shop manager and best friend to Miranda Hart's character, in the Bafta-nominated BBC sitcom *Miranda*, 2009 to 2015[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) |
| Early career | Left home at 16; dancing in the West End musicals *Cats* and *Grease* by 19[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) |
| Training | Laine Theatre Arts college in Surrey; trained in dance from the age of three[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) |
| Comedy lead | Trish, jobcentre manager in ITV's *The Job Lot* (2013–2015, 18 episodes); RTS award nomination for Best Comedy Performance[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) • [2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) |
| Film | Ocean Sky Receptionist in *Quantum of Solace* (2008); roles in *Confetti* (2006), *Magicians* (2007), and *Now Is Good* (2012)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Competed in the 2024 series with professional partner Vito Coppola and reached the grand final[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) |
| Recent work | Rita in two series of BBC One's *Daddy Issues* with Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey; Alice in Florian Zeller's *The Truth* in the West End[2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) |
## Early life and training
Sources disagree on some details of Hadland's birth. Her official website states she was born in 1971 in [Hampshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/hampshire) and raised in Cheshire[6](https://sarahhadland.com/); IMDb lists her birth date as 1971 and her birthplace as London[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/); Rotten Tomatoes gives February 20, 1971[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sarah_hadland); and a Guardian interview states she was born in [Hertfordshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/hertfordshire).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) All sources agree on the year 1971.
She trained in dance from the age of three[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) and became involved in youth theater while at school in Cheshire; the youth theater TEMPO lists her among its earliest members, playing Tilly in *Bugsy Malone* in 1985.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) • [8](https://www.tempotheatre.com/sarah-hadland) After leaving home at 16 she trained at Laine Theatre Arts College in Epsom, Surrey.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html)
Her first performing job was as a magician's assistant on a cruise ship, crossing the [Bay of Biscay](https://www.edgepedia.org/bay-of-biscay) while being levitated after rehearsals in a lock-up garage in [Kettering](https://www.edgepedia.org/kettering).[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html) By 19 she was dancing in the West End musicals *Cats* and *Grease*.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) A gig in a Birds Eye advertising campaign, in which she was cast as a 14-year-old at age 21, pushed her toward acting: the director was Mandie Fletcher, who told her she should get into acting.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html)
## Television career
**Miranda.** Hadland auditioned for [Miranda Hart](https://www.edgepedia.org/miranda-hart)'s radio show, which became the television sitcom *Miranda*, first broadcast on [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) in 2009.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) She played Stevie, who works in the joke shop below Miranda's flat, from 2009 to 2015.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) She initially doubted she would get along with Hart, recalling that she looked her up online and thought, "We have nothing in common; you're posh," but the two gelled immediately and remain close friends.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) • [1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) Mandie Fletcher directed the final episode, which aired in 2015.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html) Hadland has said the show's friendship between two strong female characters resonated with teenage viewers, some of whom told her it got them through being bullied.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html)
**Other comedy and drama.** She was one of the original cast members of the multi-award-winning CBBC series *Horrible Histories*, in which she also played [Queen Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-victoria) in one episode.[2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) She played the lead role of Trish, a West Midlands jobcentre manager, in three series of ITV's *The Job Lot*, a performance that earned her an RTS award nomination for Best Comedy Performance; she has called Trish her favorite role.[2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) • [10](https://timeandleisure.co.uk/things-to-do/sarah-hadland-interview/) She appeared in three seasons of the sketch show *That Mitchell and Webb Look* and in the BBC political sitcom *The Thick of It*, where she made her on-screen debut with a minor role in the second series.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) • [1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) Her drama credits include *Waterloo Road*, in which she played Linda Radleigh, *W1A*, Showtime's *The Man Who Fell to Earth*, and *Burton and Taylor* for the BBC.[6](https://sarahhadland.com/) • [2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) From 2024 to 2025 she played Rita, a salon owner, in two series of the [BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three) sitcom *Daddy Issues* alongside [Aimee Lou Wood](https://www.edgepedia.org/aimee-lou-wood) and David Morrissey.[2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/)
## Film and voice work
Hadland's film roles include the Ocean Sky Receptionist in the Bond film *Quantum of Solace* (2008), Jen in the improvised comedy *Confetti* (2006), Carol in *Magicians* (2007) alongside David Mitchell and [Robert Webb](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-webb), Caroline in *Now Is Good* (2012), and [Kathryn Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathryn-walker) in *Burton and Taylor* (2013).[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sarah_hadland) On Rotten Tomatoes her highest-rated film is *Burton and Taylor* at 100 percent and her lowest is *The Queen's Corgi* (2019), in which she voiced Mitzy, at 0 percent.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sarah_hadland)
Her voice work includes Celia in the English dub of the animated film *Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva* (2009) and video games including the *Fable* series, *LittleBigPlanet PS Vita*, and *James Bond 007: Bloodstone*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/) • [11](https://justvoicesagency.com/voice/sarah-hadland/) She has said her voiceover career kept her afloat in her early years.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda)
## Theatre
Hadland's stage credits include Hermia in *A Midsummer Night's Dream* at the Nottingham Playhouse, Frenchy in *Grease* at the Cambridge Theatre, and Swing in *Cats* in the West End.[8](https://www.tempotheatre.com/sarah-hadland) Later work includes Belinda Blair in the farce *Noises Off* at the Garrick Theatre, Ginnie in *Admissions* at the Trafalgar Studios, Sofia in *Dance Nation* at the Almeida, and Foible in *The Way of the World* at the Donmar Warehouse.[2](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/) In 2013 she made her debut stage comedy appearance opposite Robert Webb in *Raving*, written by Simon Paisley Day, at Hampstead Theatre.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda) She has said that theater remains terrifying for her, but that she values comedy performers being recognized as actors who can both make people laugh and move them.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda)
## Strictly Come Dancing
In 2024 Hadland competed in the twentieth series of the BBC's *Strictly Come Dancing*, paired with professional dancer [Vito Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/vito-coppola).[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) She had been a fan of the show since it began and had thrown "Strictly Come Hadders" parties for friends, but turned down invitations multiple times before a conversation with her *Murder, They Hope* co-star [Sian Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/sian-gibson) persuaded her to take part.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html) Her ballet training from childhood drew a public complaint from her friend, the *Doctor Who* actor [Alex Kingston](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-kingston), who joked that it was not fair to compete against a trained dancer.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) During the series she topped the leaderboard with the first Argentine Tango of 2024 in the Halloween special and drew wide attention for a Fosse-inspired Couple's Choice routine to Kylie Minogue's "Padam Padam" at the Blackpool special, scoring a nine from judge Craig Revel Horwood.[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-couples-choice-blackpool-b2648431.html) She reached the grand final, one of four remaining contestants.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html)
## Personal life
Hadland keeps her personal life out of the public eye and lives with her child in London; she has one child, a daughter.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview) • [13](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62961-sarah-hadland) She is a runner and has completed two London Marathons in under four hours, attributing her endurance to a paternal grandfather who was a reserve runner for the British Olympic team.[1](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html) She has spoken about the erosion of arts funding, arguing that youth theaters are where children from working-class and lower-middle-class families learn that creative jobs exist.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html)
## References
1. [Strictly Come Dancing: Meet Sarah Hadland, the comedian and Miranda star taking to the dance floor, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-hadland-strictly-bbc-miranda-hart-b2664383.html)
2. [Sarah Hadland, United Agents biography and credits](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/sarah-hadland/)
3. [Sarah Hadland: 'The worst thing anyone's said to me: you'll never, ever work', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/20/sarah-hadland-actor-stevie-miranda-interview)
4. [Sarah Hadland, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352864/)
5. [Sarah Hadland: 'I was brought up to try your absolute hardest', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/29/sarah-hadland-interview-miranda)
6. [Sarah Hadland, Official Website](https://sarahhadland.com/)
7. [Sarah Hadland Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sarah_hadland)
8. [Sarah Hadland, TEMPO YouthMT](https://www.tempotheatre.com/sarah-hadland)
9. [Miranda's Sarah Hadland on Strictly: 'It was made clear that our welfare would be top priority', The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-come-dancing-vito-coppola-b2615623.html)
10. [Interview: Sarah Hadland, Time & Leisure](https://timeandleisure.co.uk/things-to-do/sarah-hadland-interview/)
11. [Sarah Hadland, Just Voices Agency](https://justvoicesagency.com/voice/sarah-hadland/)
12. [Sarah Hadland's Strictly Couple's Choice sent an empowering message to women everywhere, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/sarah-hadland-strictly-couples-choice-blackpool-b2648431.html)
13. [Sarah Hadland, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62961-sarah-hadland)
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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*
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