# Zoe Telford
**Zoe Telford** (also credited as **Zoë Telford**) is an English actress, born in 1973 in Norwich, England, known for a long run of British television roles including Dr. Kitty Gray in *The Lazarus Project*, Dr. Amber Hurst in *Red Eye*, Marianne Swift in *The Thick of It*, and Sarah in *Sherlock*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/) She won a Special Commendation for Best Performance in a British Feature Film at the 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival for the film *Greyhawk*.[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973, Norwich, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/) |
| Signature award | Special Commendation, Best Performance in a British Feature Film, Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014, for *Greyhawk*[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/) |
| Breakthrough television | Maggie in series 1 of Channel 4's *Teachers* (2001); Alison Jackman in the BBC's *Absolute Power* (2003–2005)[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/zoe_telford/) |
| Recent leading roles | Dr Kate McAllister in *Malpractice* series 2 (ITV, 2025); Dr. Kitty Gray in *The Lazarus Project* (2023, 6 episodes); Dr. Amber Hurst in *Red Eye* (2024, 3 episodes)[4](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/malpractice-season-2-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/) |
| Recurring return | Reprised Jane de Freitas in *Silent Witness* in 2025, ten years after her first appearance in the role[5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) |
| Screen count | 71 actress credits listed on IMDb, alongside 3 self appearances and 1 video-game voice credit[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/) |
## Early life and training
Telford did not set out to act. She trained as a dancer, and in interviews she has recalled that her mother pushed her to attend drama classes after school when she was a young teenager, which she resisted at first; she came to acting later, encouraged by teachers, and describes the realization that performing was central to her as a gradual one rather than a single decision.[5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) • [6](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/exclusive-interview-zoe-telford/) She grew up in Norfolk and moved to London at 16.[7](https://ibmagazine.co.uk/zoe-telford/)
## Television career
Her agent's credit list runs from 1990s staples such as *The Bill*, *Soldier Soldier*, and *Peak Practice* through a succession of British drama series.[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/) Two early roles established her profile: Maggie, girlfriend to [Andrew Lincoln](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-lincoln)'s Simon Casey, in the first series of [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4)'s school comedy-drama *Teachers* (2001), and Alison Jackman, a trainee at the fictional PR firm Prentiss McCabe, in the BBC's political satire *Absolute Power* (2003–2005).[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/zoe_telford/)
**Satire, crime, and period drama.** Telford's credits cluster around British television's most durable formats. She played Marianne Swift in two episodes of [Armando Iannucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/armando-iannucci)'s *The Thick of It* (2009) and the newly created policy adviser Claire Sutton in the 2013 remake of *Yes, Prime Minister*.[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/zoe_telford/) On the crime side she has appeared in *Criminal Justice*, *Law & Order: UK*, *Foyle's War*, *Ashes to Ashes*, *Lewis*, *Unforgotten*, *Grantchester*, *[London Kills](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-kills)*, and *Vera*, among others.[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/) • [5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) She played Sarah in the first series of *[Sherlock](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherlock-tv-series)* (2010).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/)
**Agatha Christie and period parts.** She has twice worked ITV's Christie adaptations, as Emily Trefusis in the [Miss Marple](https://www.edgepedia.org/miss-marple) story *The Sittaford Mystery* (2006) and as Rosalie Otterbourne in *Death on the Nile* (2004), and played [Eva Braun](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-braun) in the CBS mini-series *Hitler: The Rise of Evil* (2003) opposite [Robert Carlyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-carlyle).[5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice)
**Recent work.** From 2022 onward her roles have been substantial and recurring: Ingrid Campbell in *Litvinenko* (2022), Dr. Kitty Gray in the second series of Sky's *The Lazarus Project* (2023), a character she described as a genius astrophysicist building a time machine, and Dr. Amber Hurst in *Red Eye* (2024).[8](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40702/zoe-telford) • [9](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/zoe-telford/) She played Helen McGuire in the second series of Ben Richards' legal drama *Showtrial* (2024), a part she was preparing to film when interviewed about *The Lazarus Project*.[5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) • [9](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/zoe-telford/) In 2025 she led the second series of ITV's medical thriller *Malpractice* as consultant psychiatrist Dr Kate McAllister, James Ford's boss on the psychiatric unit; the series was written by Grace Ofori-Attah, herself a consultant psychiatrist, and produced by World Productions.[4](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/malpractice-season-2-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know) • [6](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/exclusive-interview-zoe-telford/) The same year she returned to *Silent Witness* as Jane de Freitas, a decade after her previous appearance in the role, and began starring as Harriet in *[The Crow Girl](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-crow-girl)*.[5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) • [8](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40702/zoe-telford)
## Film, theater, and voice work
Her film credits include [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen)'s *Match Point* (2005), a part she has described dismissively as "a blink-and-you-miss-me kind of thing," *The Painted Veil*, *Beyond the Pole*, and *Greyhawk* (2014), in which she played Paula, a housewife who helps a blind Army veteran find his dog; that performance earned her the Edinburgh festival commendation.[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/) • [5](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice) Stage work listed by her agent includes *The Servant* at the Lyric Hammersmith, *Les Liaisons Dangereuses* at Salisbury Playhouse, and John Godber's *Teachers* and *Shakers*.[2](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/) She has also done voice work, credited as Zombies in the 2021 video game *Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever* and as narrator on the documentary *Page Three: The Naked Truth* (2020).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/)
## Working style and personal life
In a 2025 interview Telford said she had become more selective about the parts she takes, prioritizing the directors and teams she works with, and that she prefers complex characters; she cited a line from the American director [Irvin Kershner](https://www.edgepedia.org/irvin-kershner), "There's nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face," as a touchstone.[6](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/exclusive-interview-zoe-telford/) She is a mother of two and has described moving after many years in London, including a long period in [Islington](https://www.edgepedia.org/islington), to a home in the countryside while continuing to visit the city regularly.[9](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/zoe-telford/) • [7](https://ibmagazine.co.uk/zoe-telford/)
## References
1. [Zoe Telford, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854364/)
2. [Zoe Telford, ARG Talent (Artists Rights Group)](https://argtalent.com/zoe-telford/)
3. [Zoe Telford, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/zoe_telford/)
4. [Malpractice season 2 cast and plot guide, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/malpractice-season-2-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know)
5. [theartsdesk Q&A: Zoë Telford on playing a stressed-out psychiatrist in ITV's 'Malpractice', The Arts Desk (16 May 2025)](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-zoe-telford-playing-stressed-out-psychiatrist-itvs-malpractice)
6. [Exclusive Interview: Zoë Telford, Fabric Magazine (May 2025)](https://fabricmagazine.co.uk/people/exclusive-interview-zoe-telford/)
7. [Zoe Telford Discusses Motherhood and Life in the Countryside, IB Magazine (17 August 2026)](https://ibmagazine.co.uk/zoe-telford/)
8. [Zoe Telford, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40702/zoe-telford)
9. [Zoe Telford On The Lazarus Project Season 2 – Interview, Country & Town House](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/zoe-telford/)
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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 T to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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