Happy Valley: Sarah Lancashire is unrecognisable in unearthed video from early career
30 January 2023 – 11:57 GMT Francesca Shillcock Star of BBC show Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire has had a hugely successful career – take a look at an unearthed video of the star as she wows on stage…
Sarah Lancashire is revered for her role as no-nonsense Sergeant Catherine Cawood on BBC series Happy Valley – but the actress had quite a career before starring in the popular police drama.
Before appearing on Happy Valley, the star was already famous for her roles on TV shows like Coronation Street and Last Tango in Halifax, but Sarah found success on stage as well. Check out the video below to see her sing Nobody by Betty Blue Eyes at the 2012 Olivier Awards…
WATCH: Sarah Lancashire wows on stage at the Olivier Awards
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When Sarah started acting in the 1980s, she earned her spurs by appearing in theatrical shows like Blood Brothers and The Beauty Game. The star even landed her “big break” when she starred again in Blood Brothers as Linda, but this time in London’s West End at the Albery Theatre.
She was perhaps best known for her role as Raquel Wolstenhulme on Coronation Street in the mid-1990s. Sarah played the role from 1991 to 1996 and even appeared in the spin-off film Coronation Street: The Cruise, which focused on Raquel and Curly Watts’ (Kevin Kennedy) honeymoon.
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Sarah has been very successful in her career
Sarah left theater work behind while raising her three children, but the actress took up stage work later in her career. She returned to the West End in 2005 after taking on the role of Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre.
By 2011, she had landed the role of Joyce Chivers in Betty Blue Eyes and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
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Theater work aside, Sarah’s television career has gone from strength to strength. In 2012 she appeared in Last Tango in Halifax alongside Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi and Nicola Walker. Sarah’s role in Caroline earned her a TV BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress, which she would win in 2014.
For her iconic role as Catherine Cawood, Sarah was twice nominated at the BAFTAs, once in 2015 and 2017, with the second year being the year she won.
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