Cathryn Bradshaw
Actor · Born January 13, 1964 (62) · Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
Cathryn Bradshaw (born 13 January 1964, Blackpool) is an English actress known for her role in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Cathryn Bradshaw was born in Blackpool in 1964 and brought up in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire where she attended Breck School. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, alongside Louise Plowright and Mark Strong, and graduated in 1987. Bradshaw's first television role came in 1988 when she played the Princess in an episode of The Storyteller. The following year she appeared in an episode of Inspector Morse ("The Secret of Bay 5B") and in the 1989 comedy musical film, Bert Rigby, You're a Fool alongside Robert Lindsay and Robbie Coltrane. Then in 1990, she played Melanie in the acclaimed BBC television drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit opposite Charlotte Coleman. She also appeared in four episodes of the ITV crime drama Chancer. She made a number of television appearances throughout the 1990s, In 1996, Bradshaw appeared at the National Theatre in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, and from 1997 to 1999 she was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company She has also appeared in Down to Earth and Midsomer Murders. In 2003, she played Paula in romantic drama film, The Mother opposite Daniel Craig, and in 2004 she played Mary Webb in the BBC musical drama Blackpool. She appeared in two films in 2006. Firstly, the romantic comedy Venus, as Jillian. She appeared in the psychological thriller Like Minds as Helen Colbie. She played Margaret Littlefair in the satirical black comedy television series Suburban Shootout which aired on Five and Paramount Comedy in the United Kingdom. In 2007, she appeared in an episode of the BBC sitcom Lead Balloon.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 13, 1964 (62)
- Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
- Actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
What are Cathryn Bradshaw's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Shadowas Paula in The Mother (2003)
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Cathryn Bradshaw's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Cathryn Bradshaw's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
18 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Red Riding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Lead Balloon(2006)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Venus(2006)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Murderous Intent(2006)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Willesden Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The Mother(2003)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Peep Show(2003)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
People Like Us(1999)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Midsomer Murders(1997)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Black Daisies For The Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Poirot(1989)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
The Storyteller: The Luck Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Storyteller(1987)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Casualty(1986)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows
Career shape
Star power in the 70th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 18 titles from 1986 to 2009.
Film career
- 2003Screen debut· The Mother
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Cathryn Bradshaw's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 83/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 89, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Cathryn Bradshaw work with?
People who share at least 2 of Cathryn Bradshaw's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roger Michell shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Roger MichellShared titles: Venus (2006), The Mother (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Michell
Writers
- Hanif KureishiShared titles: Venus (2006), The Mother (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Hanif Kureishi
Editors
- Nicolas GasterShared titles: Venus (2006), The Mother (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Nicolas Gaster
Producers
- Kevin LoaderShared titles: Venus (2006), The Mother (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Kevin Loader
- Rosa RomeroShared titles: Venus (2006), The Mother (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Rosa Romero
