Raquel Cassidy

She has played leading roles in other television series including Teachers, Party Animals, Moving Wallpaper, Lead Balloon, The Worst Witch and The Good Karma Hospital.

• Name — Raquel Cassidy • Born — 22 January 1968 • Birthplace — Fleet, Hampshire, England • Education — Farnborough Hill • Alma Mater — Girton College, Cambridge • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1997–present

Born to a Spanish mother and an English father, she was the third child and only daughter born to the couple. Born and brought up in Fleet, Hampshire, she was educated at Farnborough Hill Convent, and then Girton College, Cambridge, where she studied modern languages. She later began a PhD in biological anthropology, but abandoned it to pursue a career in acting.

In an early role, Cassidy played Lola Chaves in an episode of The Bill, speaking predominantly in Spanish. In 2001, she took the role of Susan Gately in Teachers, returning for the second series in 2002. She has also played the Home Office Junior Minister Jo Porter in Party Animals, Cassie Turner in The Worst Week of My Life, Nancy Weeks in Moving Wallpaper and Mel in Lead Balloon. In 2013, Cassidy joined the cast of Downton Abbey, playing the role of rehabilitated thief and lady's maid Phyllis Baxter for the show's final three series. In 2015, the cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She reprised the role for the show's 2019 feature film, also called Downton Abbey, its 2022 sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, and its 2025 conclusion, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. She has subsequently played the role of Miss Hardbroom in four series of the 2017 television revival of The Worst Witch. In 2022, she appeared in series 4 of The Good Karma Hospital as Frankie Martin. In 2023, she played Maria Swanson in an episode of British crime drama series The Chelsea Detective.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1998 — Killer Net — P.C. Pam Boxer — Mini-series; 2 episodes • 1999 — The Bill — Lola Chaves — Episode: "Lola" • Peak Practice — Cheryl Parker — Episode: "Hearts and Minds" • 2000 — Nature Boy — Ros — Mini-series; episode 2 • Hearts and Bones — Mary Jones — Episode: "Once There Was a Way to Get Back Home" • Thin Ice — DS Beckett — Television film • 2001 — Table 12 — Yolanda — Episode: "Aphrodisiac" • 2001–2002 — Teachers — Susan Gately — Series 1 & 2; 18 episodes • 2003 — Trust — Elizabeth Blackwood — Mini-series; episode 2 • Red Cap — Staff Sgt. Neve Kirland — 5 episodes • Holby City — Julie Redding — Episode: "Desperate Measures" • Trevor's World of Sport — Caroline Bradley — 3 episodes • 2004 — The Worst Week of My Life — Cassie Turner — 7 episodes • 2005 — According to Bex — Chris — 8 episodes • Last Rights — Nadine — Mini-series; 3 episodes • Twisted Tales — Lynne — Episode: "Murder Me" • 2006 — Comedy Lab — Jane — Episode: "FM" • 2006–2011 — Lead Balloon — Mel — Series 1–4; 26 episodes • 2007 — Party Animals — Jo Porter — 8 episodes • Britz — Joy — 2-part television film • Sold — Yvette Daniels — Episode #1.3 • 2008 — Casualty — Monica Batchelor — Episode: "Before a Fall" • Agatha Christie's Poirot — Maureen Summerhayes — Episode: "Mrs McGinty's Dead" • No Heroics — Kim the Agent — Episode: "Monkey Gone to Heaven" • 2008–2009 — Moving Wallpaper — Nancy Weeks — Series 1 & 2; 18 episodes • 2009 — New Tricks — Susannah Morton — Episode: "The Truth Is Out There" • 2010 — On Expenses — House of Commons Counsel — Television film • 2011 — Land Girls — Diana Granville — Series 2; 5 episodes • Doctor Who — Miranda Cleaves — Episodes: "The Rebel Flesh" & "The Almost People" • DCI Banks — Dr. Elizabeth Waring — Episodes: "Friend of the Devil: Parts 1 & 2" • 2012 — Midsomer Murders — Diana DeQuetteville — Episode: "The Dark Rider" • Hustle — Dr. Dana Deville — Episode: "Eat Yourself Slender" • A Touch of Cloth — Clare Hawkchurch — Episodes: "The First Case: Parts 1 & 2" • 2013 — The Other Child — DI Valerie Almond — 2 episodes • Jo — Pauline Langlois — Mini-series; episode: "Notre Dame" • Heading Out — Sabine — Episode #1.3 • Law & Order: UK — Lydia Smythson — Episode: "Dependent" • 2013–2015 — Downton Abbey — Phyllis Baxter — Series 4–6; 23 episodes • 2014 — Jonathan Creek — Sharon — Episode: "The Letters of Septimus Noone" • 2015 — Vera — Gloria Edwards — Episode: "Shadows in the Sky" • 2015–2017 — Uncle — Teresa — Series 2 & 3; 5 episodes • 2016 — Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge — Hayley — Episode: "Grundy + Snow" • 2017 — Silent Witness — Dr. Eva Vasquez — Episodes: "Awakening: Parts 1 & 2" • W1A — Tasmin Howard — Episode #3.5 • 2017–2020 — The Worst Witch — Miss Hardbroom — Series 1–4; 53 episodes • 2018 — Strangers — Rachel Hargreaves — 6 episodes • 2022 — The Good Karma Hospital — Frankie Martin — Series 4; 4 episodes • Safe Space — Lucy Leer — Episode #1.0 • 2023 — The Chelsea Detective — Maria Swanson — Episode: "Golden Years" • 2024 — Van der Valk — Anki Bergen — Episode: "Hope in Amsterdam" • 2026 — Beyond Paradise — June Harris — Episode #4.2

• Year — Title — Role • 2008 — Spending My Inheritance — Jo • 2015 — Ed Reardon's Week — Suzan

• Year — Title — Role — Theatre • 1997 — Twelfth Night — Viola — Royal Court Theatre • 1998 — Othello — Desdemona — National tour • Threesome — Ruth — Old Red Lion Theatre • 2002 — Possible Worlds — Joyce — Tron Theatre • 2004 — Macbeth — Lady Macbeth — International tour • 2005 — Anna Karenina — Anna Arkadyevna Karenina — Royal Lyceum Theatre • 2006 — Mirandolina — Mirandolina — Royal Exchange Theatre • 2019 — Shipwreck — Jools / Donald J. Trump's Secretary — Almeida Theatre