Ashley McGuire is a British actress, known for her roles as Big Mandy in the BBC comedy series This Country, Vicky Houghton[1] in the BBC One series This Is Going to Hurt, Shakira in the Channel 4 comedy series Man Down and Bev Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Life and career

McGuire attended Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama.[2] McGuire has portrayed various TV roles, including Malory Towers, Coronation Street, Dead Boss, Small Axe, Decline and Fall, It's a Sin and Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After.[3] She has also appeared as Shakira in Man Down, "Big" Mandy Harris in This Country and Bev Slater in EastEnders.[4]

Her stage work includes Home by Nadia Fall (2012 and 2013), Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (2015) and Top Girls (2019) by Caryl Churchill, Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker (2015), and The Suicide by Suhayla El-Bushra (2016), all at the Royal National Theatre.[2] Susannah Clapp, a theatre critic for The Observer, wrote about McGuire's portrayal of Falstaff in Phyllida Lloyd's all-female Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse (2014): "A magnificent Falstaff... she is glorious. A one-person vindication of the all-female enterprise. If it were needed."[5][6]

Stage

Year Theatre Play Role Ref.
2006 Battersea Arts Centre Saved or Destroyed [7]
2008
2009
2010 		Canal Café Theatre
Pleasance, Edinburgh
Pleasance, Inner London 		I'll Always Think of You That Way Alison [8]
2010 Soho Theatre Fatal Light Maggie [9]
2011 Theatre Uncut Housekeeping Joan [10]
2012
2013 		National Theatre Home Sharon [11]
2014 Donmar Warehouse Henry IV Falstaff [12][13]
2015 National Theatre Our Country's Good Dabby Bryant [14][15]
2015 National Theatre An Oak Tree [16]
2015 National Theatre Light Shining in Buckinghamshire Vagrant [17]
2016 National Theatre The Suicide Sarah and Margaret Thatcher [18][19]
2016 Lyric Hammersmith Shopping and F***ing Brian [20]
2017 Bush Theatre Hir Paige [21][22]
2019 National Theatre Top Girls Dull Gret [23]

Filmography

Year Category Title Role
2001 TV series The Savages Frightening girl
2001 TV series Casualty Julie
2003 TV series Murphy's Law Maid
2004 Feature film England Expects Dawn
2004 TV series EastEnders Carol
2005 Feature film Gypo Penny
2007 Feature film Ruby Blue Debbie
2008 Feature film Caught in a Trap Prison inmate
2009 TV series The Bill (series 24) Stella Tanner
2009 Feature film Harry Brown Community WPC
2010 Feature film Baseline Susan
2010 Feature film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Death Eater #9
2010 TV series Miranda Meals on Wheels lady
2010 TV series Law & Order: UK (series 4) Simone Lewis
2011 Feature film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Death Eater #9
2011 TV series Coronation Street Ginny Portis
2012 Feature film The Grind Linda
2012 TV series Dead Boss Slasher
2012 TV series Trollied Millionth customer
2012 TV series 4Funnies Cheryl
2013 TV series Derek Shelley
2013 TV series The Job Lot Dawn Carter
2013 TV series The IT Crowd Homeless lady
2013 TV series Obsession: Dark Desires Stalking neighbour
2013–2017 TV series Man Down Shakira
2014 Feature film Gold Rosie
2014 TV series In the Club Annette Harris
2014 Feature film The Riot Club Police officer 2
2014 Feature film Chewing Gum Blap Mary
2014 Short Counting Backwards Flo Brown
2015 Feature film Hector Chiropodist
2016 Feature film David Brent: Life on the Road Mo
2016 Feature film Bridget Jones's Baby Midwife
2017 Short Double Act Casting Director
2017 TV series Decline and Fall Lady Circumference
2017–2020 TV series This Country Mandy Harris
2018 Short Relativity Mrs Ryder
2018 Short Little Shit Mum
2018 Feature film Solo: A Star Wars Story Lodge Human Trainer (uncredited)
2018 TV series Wanderlust Janet Malherbe
2018–2019 TV series EastEnders Bev Slater
2019 Feature film The Hustle Policewoman
2019 Feature film Eternal Beauty Jean (uncredited)
2019 Feature film The Gentlemen Maureen
2020–present TV series Malory Towers Matron
2020 TV film Small Axe – Alex Wheatle Cook
2020 TV series Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After Mayoress
2021 TV series It's a Sin Lorraine Fletcher
2021 TV series Angela Black Judy
2022 TV series This Is Going to Hurt Ms Vicky Houghton

References

  1. ^ "Meet the cast of BBC One's This Is Going to Hurt". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Ashley McGuire". www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Meet the cast of Sky One's Jack in the Beanstalk: After Ever After". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  4. ^ Allcock, Beth (20 September 2018). "EastEnders: Hayley Slater's mum Bev's real identity exposed by fans as Ashley McGuire makes shock Walford entrance". OK!. Reach plc. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Donmar Warehouse all female Henry IV 'commendable'". BBC News. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Ashley McGuire - Wireless Theatre". www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ^ Millward, Tom (8 June 2016). "Donmar Warehouse Autumn/Winter Season 2014-2015". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  8. ^ Web, UK Theatre. "I'll Always Think Of You That Way (Play) archive [PLAY]". UK Theatre Web. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Theatre review: Charged 1 at Soho Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. ^ Woddis, Carole (2011). "Theatre Uncut Reviews". Reviews Gate. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  11. ^ Hutton, Dan (28 August 2013). "Shifting perspectives". Exeunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Henry IV review – a welcome change from male-dominated Shakespeare". The Guardian. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  13. ^ Shenton, Mark (8 June 2016). "Henry IV - RSC 2014". London Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Review: Our Country's Good, National Theatre ✭✭✭". British Theatre. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Our Country's Good (National Theatre, Olivier) | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  16. ^ "an oak tree at Temporary Theatre in front of the National 2015". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  17. ^ Hitchings, Henry (23 May 2015). "Light Shining in Buckinghamshire theatre review: vision of English". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Review: National Theatre presents The Suicide - disability arts online". www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  19. ^ Gurtler, Camilla (17 April 2016). "Review: The Suicide, National Theatre". A Younger Theatre. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  20. ^ Yates, Peter (12 July 2019). "Shopping And F***ing at The Lyric Hammersmith – Review". London Theatre 1. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Hir, Bush Theatre review – transgender home is sub-prime". theartsdesk.com. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Hir - Review". www.theamerican.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  23. ^ "A handsome revival of Caryl Churchill's Top Girls at the National Theatre, London". www.ft.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2021.

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