Carly Bawden

Bawden grew up on a farm in Milverton, Somerset near Taunton. She has an older sister and younger brother.^[1]

Bawden attended Wellington School, where she was a member of Gillard's.^[2] She joined the school's chapel choir, which included performing for the Pope.^[3] Bawden went on to graduate from the Guildford School of Acting in 2009.^[4]

Upon graduating from drama school in 2009, Bawden was cast as the Mistress in the Evita tour, arranged by Bill Kenwright.^[3] For her performance, Bawden was nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Rolein a Musical at the TMA Theatre Awards. She then played Swallow in Kenwright's tour of Whistle Down the Wind.^[1] She also starred opposite Oliver Savile in Sleeping Beauty at the Theatre Royal, Wakefield.^[5]

In 2011, Bawden made her West End debut starring as Geneviève Émery in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg directed by Emma Rice at the Gielgud Theatre.^[6] She also played Catherine in Pippin at the Menier Chocolate Factory.^[7] The following year, she played Susan Pevensie in Rupert Goold's adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in Kensington Gardens^[8] and starred as Eliza Doolittle opposite Dominic West in My Fair Lady at the Sheffield Crucible.^[9][10]

Bawden returned to the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2014 for Assassins, that she starred as Lynette Fromme.^[11] In 2015, Bawden took over the role of Dahlia from Dianna Agron for the West End run of the play McQueen^[12] at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket and starred as Alice in Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini's musical Wonder.land.^[13] Bawden made her television debut in 2016 with a guest appearance in the BBC One medical soap opera Doctors and a recurring role as Ruth in the BBC Two period drama Close to the Enemy.^[2]

In 2017, Bawden originated the role of Angélique in the musical Romantics Anonymous, reuniting with Emma Rice,^[14] and played Maria in Twelfth Night, both at the Globe Theatre. She would later reprise her role in the former at the Bristol Old Vic in 2020.^[15] In the interim, Bawden played Clementine in the musical Sylvia at London's Old Vic in 2018^[16] and Rose Red in Ghost Quartet at the Boulevard Theatre in 2019.^[17]

Bawden starred as Julie in the 2021 London revival of Carousel at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.^[18] She had a role as Anna in the 2023 musical adaptation of Rock Follies at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester.^[19]

Bawden is in a relationship with actor Harry Hepple.^[20]