Katy Carmichael

Born and brought up in Liverpool as the daughter of two architects, Carmichael attended Gateacre Community Comprehensive School. After six seasons with the National Youth Theatre, she studied for a drama, film and television degree, at the University of Bristol with peers Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Myfanwy Moore, and had a five-year relationship with the then-unknown drama student David Walliams.^[1]

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Her first professional acting role at the age of 18 was Connie in the Liverpool sitcom Bread which she filmed during her university studies. Early in her career, she teamed up with lifelong friend, future Spaced star and writer Jessica Hynes in a comedy double-act called The Liz Hurleys^[2]. After leaving university, she began a TV career with the 1950s Liverpool drama And The Beat Goes On (1994), the Galton and Simpson series with Paul Merton, Wing and a Prayer, Death Of A Salesman, and Dennis Potter's Karaoke / Cold Lazarus. She played DC Jo McMullen in Liverpool 1.

Carmichael reunited with Hynes and Pegg to play Twist Morgan in the BAFTA nominated Channel 4 sitcom Spaced. The sitcom lasted for two series. The three also previously appeared together in the short-lived sketch show Six Pairs of Pants (1995).

In 2001, Carmichael starred in her first film, Dead Babies, based on the novel by Martin Amis. She also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's comedy film In the Bleak Midwinter as mad puppetwoman and played the female lead Jane Wells in the period fantasy drama The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells. A variety of roles in comedy and drama followed, including Hex, Scarlett, One Foot in the Grave, Clocking Off and Cutting It. In 2002, she landed the role of florist Lucy Richards who became Lucy Barlow in Coronation Street and was involved in the award-winning Peter Barlow bigamy storyline for two years. She went on to play Melissa Ryan (sister of headteacher Rachel Mason) in school drama Waterloo Road in 2009. Carmichael played the mother in Danny Stack's short supernatural thriller Origin (2010). In 2014, Helen the down-trodden housewife in Jimmy McGovern's series Moving On for the BBC and was Hayley Blake, Connie Beauchamp's nemesis, in Casualty (2014–15). She plays Clarity Winlove in The Living and The Dead (2015).

Carmichael appeared in the BBC drama Three Girls and comedy drama film  Misbehaviour. She played Ana Oortman in The Miniaturist (2017)  She appeared briefly in Disney's Christopher Robin as Christopher's mother. 2020 saw Carmichael take smaller roles in locally filmed dramas in Bristol The Outlaws and The Girl Before and following year she appeared in the medical drama Malpractice directed by Philip Barantini and the Bafta nominated film H is for Hawk directed by Philippa Lowthorpe. She played Stephanie Al Qaq in Prisoner 951. In 2026 she appeared in Episode 4 of  Liverpool drama series The Cage for the BBC.

On stage, she played opposite Steven Berkoff in his 3-hander Sturm and Drang and Brighton Beach Scumbags at the Riverside Studios (1995), Yseult -Whitehands with Kneehigh Theatre's international hit Tristan and Yseult (2005–06) (Sydney Festival, US). Work at other theatres includes seasons at the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Liverpool Everyman, The Gate, and The Bristol Old Vic, where she met her future husband actor Tristan Sturrock in a production of The Beaux Stratagem.

In 2010, they set up Bristol based Theatre Damfino^[3] together. She has directed the company's projects to date including Mayday Mayday (Bristol Old Vic 2012) winner of the International Fringe Review award (Edinburgh 2012)^[4] and selected to play at St Ann's Warehouse New York and Spoleto Festival USA (2013). Mayday Mayday is a drama documentary (afternoon play Radio 4 TX 1 May 2015^[5]). The Radio play won the International Third Coast award (US) was nominated for two BBC Drama awards 2016 – best sound design and finalist for best drama production. Carmichael collaborated with Bib Gourmand winning chef Matt Williamson and Guardian food writer Claire Thomson^[6] to create the food-theatre show The Table Of Delights,^[7] which began as a gourmet tasting and performance experience for adults (Bristol Old Vic, 2013-2014). The children's version of the show premiered at The Print Room at The Old Coronet winning the Off West End award for best production for families category (2016).^[8][9] Carmichael is creative director of The Table of Delights a food entertainment hub for children sponsored by Yeo Valley and Pukka Tea.^[10] She directed singer and songwriter Kate Dimbleby's solo show Songbirds (Tobacco Factory, Bath Ustinov) based on her acclaimed a cappella album. She directs local stage and screen projects with students and young people in her home city Bristol.

As narrator, Carmichael has read several audiobooks, including The Rook by Daniel O'Malley and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. She has provided voice over for numerous television advertisements.^[11]

Carmichael has been married to actor Tristan Sturrock since 2005. They have three children together: a son born in 2004, a daughter born in 2006, and a second daughter born in 2010. One of their daughters, Bronte Carmichael, is also an actress, who is known for her role as Madeline Robin in the 2018 Disney film Christopher Robin and Leida Mothma in Andor.