Joanna Lumley | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Lumley in 2015 | |
| Born | Joanna Lamond Lumley (1946-05-01)1 May 1946 (age 79) Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir, British India |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Television | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is a British actress, comedian, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model.[1] She has won twoBAFTA TV Awards for her role asPatsy Stone in theBBC sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous (1992–2012) and was nominated for the 2011Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for theBroadway revival ofLa Bête. In 2013, she received the Special Recognition Award at theNational Television Awards and in 2017 she was honoured with theBAFTA Fellowship award.
Lumley's other television credits includeThe New Avengers (1976–1977),Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982),Sensitive Skin (2005–2007),Jam & Jerusalem (2006–2008) andFinding Alice (2021–present). She also playedElaine Perkins inCoronation Street in 1973. Her film appearances includeOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969),Trail of the Pink Panther (1982),Curse of the Pink Panther (1983),Shirley Valentine (1989),James and the Giant Peach (1996),Ella Enchanted (2004),Corpse Bride (2005),The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) andAbsolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016). She had roles in two episodes ofAre You Being Served? (1973–1975) written byJeremy Lloyd, whom she had married anddivorced three years prior to her first appearance on the show. In 2025, she playedGrandmama in the American seriesWednesday (2022).
Lumley is an advocate andhuman rights activist forSurvival International and theGurkha Justice Campaign. She supports charities andanimal welfare groups, such asCompassion in World Farming andVegetarians' International Voice for Animals. Lumley was made aDame (DBE) in the2022 New Year Honours for services to drama, entertainment and charity.
Joanna Lamond Lumley was born on 1 May 1946 inSrinagar,Jammu and Kashmir, inBritish India. Joanna Lumley's parents married in 1941 and she has early memories of living in the tropics.[2]
Her mother, Thyra Beatrice Rose (née Weir), was English. Her father,Major James Rutherford Lumley, was born inLahore (now part ofPakistan) with Scottish and English ancestry and was a direct descendant ofMaj.-Gen. Sir James Rutherford Lumley. Her father served as an officer in theBritish Indian Army's6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles inBurma during World War II, most notably at theBattle of Mogaung in June 1944[3][4] during which his life was saved byTul Bahadur Pun[2]. Maj.-Gen. Sir James Rutherford Lumley was a direct descendant ofJoan Beaufort, Queen of Scots.
Her grandfatherLieutenant ColonelLeslie Weir had been born inGhazipur and served as an army officer inKashmir; he was a close friend of the13th Dalai Lama.[5]
In 1954 the family went "home" on leave to England, travelling on theHMT Empire Windrush.[6] When her parents returned to Asia, she stayed, boarding at Mickledene School inRolvenden, Kent. She was eight years old, which she later described as "paralysingly young". From 11 to 17 she attendedHolmhurst St Mary's Convent School,[7] run byCommunity of the Holy Family:
Lumley attended theLucie Clayton Finishing School inLondon, after being turned down by theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 16.[10]
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Lumley spent three years as a photographic model, notably forBrian Duffy, who photographed her with her son, born in 1967. That year she also appeared on theBBC2 programmeThe Impresarios: For Appearance's Sake.[11] She also worked as a house model forJean Muir. Over forty years later, she participated in another photoshoot – again with her son – for Duffy as part of a retrospective of the photographer's work.[12]
Lumley appeared in an early episode of theBruce Forsyth Show in 1966. She appeared in a British television advertisement for Nimble Bread first screened in 1969.[13]
Lumley did not receive any formal training at drama school. Her acting career began in 1969 with a small, uncredited role in the filmSome Girls Do, and as aBond girl inOn Her Majesty's Secret Service, in which she had two lines as the English girl among the villainousErnst Stavro Blofeld's "Angels of Death".[14] Lumley went on to have a brief but memorable role asElaine Perkins inCoronation Street, in which her character turned downKen Barlow's offer of marriage, as well as roles in other popular television series such asAre You Being Served?,Steptoe and Son andThe Protectors. In 1973, she made another big screen appearance as Jessica Van Helsing inThe Satanic Rites of Dracula, the last Hammer Dracula film to starChristopher Lee. She also had a role in the comedy filmDon't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974) alongsideLeslie Phillips andJoan Sims.[15]
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Lumley has specialised in upper-class parts throughout her career, thanks to her voice and accent. Lumley's first major role was asPurdey inThe New Avengers, successor to the secret agent seriesThe Avengers, a role she played in all twenty-six episodes from 1976 to 1977.
In 1979, she appeared in another series which acquired a cult following:Sapphire & Steel, withDavid McCallum. Conceived asITV's answer toDoctor Who, Lumley played a mysterious elemental being ("Sapphire") who, with her collaborator, "Steel", dealt with breaches in the fabric of time. In 1986, television producerSydney Newmansuggested Lumley for the role ofthe Doctor but his idea was dismissed.[16][17][18]
Over a decade later Lumley's career was boosted by her portrayal of the louche, selfish and frequently drunk fashion directorPatsy Stone, companion toJennifer Saunders'sEdina Monsoon in theBBC comedy television seriesAbsolutely Fabulous (1992–1996, 2001–2004, 2011–2012).Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie was released in 2016.
From 1994 to 1995, Lumley starred alongsideNadine Garner andJohn Bowe in the British television showClass Act, playing the part of Kate Swift, an upper-class lady who had fallen on hard times.[19]
Other work has included:Lovejoy as widow Victoria Cavero,In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1996), a film about a journey made by her grandparents inBhutan, andA Rather English Marriage (nominated for aBAFTA for Best Actress 1999) andDr Willoughby (1999). In 1995, she provided the voice of Annie the rag doll in the animated seriesThe Forgotten Toys. In 1999, she also provided the voice for Sims the chicken in the BAFTA award-winning animated seriesTheFoxbusters. In 2000, she co-produced a new drama seriesThe Cazalets. She appeared in a TV series onSarawak, where she spent time in her childhood.[20][21]
Lumley starred as the elderly Delilah Stagg in the 2006sitcomJam & Jerusalem withDawn French,Jennifer Saunders, andSue Johnston. In July 2007, she starred in the second series of the dramaSensitive Skin where she played the main character Davina Jackson. The BBC said this would be the final series of the dark comedy.[22]
She has worked withTim Burton on two film projects, inJames and the Giant Peach (1996) andCorpse Bride (2005). She has also appeared alongsideHugh Laurie in the British romantic comedyMaybe Baby (2000) and alongsideAnne Hathaway inElla Enchanted (2004). She has appeared twice as Mrs. Dolly Bantry inAgatha Christie's Marple, in the episodes: 'The Body in the Library' (2004) and 'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side' (2009). In 2010, she appeared in a 4-episode guest arc on theBBC drama,Mistresses as Vivienne Roden.[23] In 2013, she appeared in theMartin Scorsese crime drama,The Wolf of Wall Street.[24]
She starred inDavid Hirson'sLa Bête at theComedy Theatre, London, 26 June–28 August 2010 withDavid Hyde Pierce andMark Rylance, directed byMatthew Warchus; and also at theMusic Box Theatre, Broadway, New York, opening on 14 October 2010.[25] She was nominated for theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance.
Lumley, who has one of the most recognised voices in the UK,[26] has gained prominence as a voice-over artist. Users ofAOL in the United Kingdom are familiar with Joanna Lumley's voice. She recorded the greetings "Welcome", "You have email" and "Goodbye" for that company.[27]
From 2004 to 2006 she appeared in adverts forinsurance brokersPrivilege.[28][29]
Lumley appeared on the last run ofITV'sParkinson as a guest, on 27 October 2007, discussing the subject of young girls in the UK. She was asked to write the introduction to a revised edition in November 2007 of the book calledThe Magic Key to Charm written by the pioneering female journalistEileen Ascroft.[30] This is a book of tips to women, first written by Ascroft in 1938 about how to be glamorous. "I thought it was absolutely enchanting, it's how young women were told how to behave in the old days and I think it might be just coming back for a bit of a revival", she explained in the interview.
"Because, I have to say I adore our young ones and I think we have got some of the prettiest and loveliest girls in the world but I think sometimes the behaviour gets a bit bad and I think the girls let themselves down. They are so pretty and so lovely but they should behave better, I think, then they will be more successful."[30]
In 1999 she appeared in theComic ReliefDoctor Who parodyThe Curse of Fatal Death as the final incarnation of the Doctor.[31] She also appeared with Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French andSienna Miller in the French and Saunders pastiche ofMamma Mia forComic Relief 2009 in which she played the role of Tanya (named Patsy in the spoof).[32]
In 2004 Lumley appeared as the "Woman with the Sydney Opera House Head" in Dirk Maggs's long-awaited radio adaptation of the third book of theDouglas Adams seriesThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[33]
In 2005 she published herautobiography,No Room for Secrets, which was serialised byThe Times,[34] for which she was once a regular contributor.
In September 2008, the BBC airedJoanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights, a documentary about her search to see theNorthern Lights in northernNorway.[35][36]
In 2009 she portrayed a rock star, believed to have been dead for 35 years, and her twin, in the "Counter Culture Blues" episode of the British television mystery seriesLewis (known in the U.S. asInspector Lewis).[37]
In 2011, Lumley appeared inUptown Downstairs Abbey, theComic Relief parody of the critically acclaimed historical television dramasDownton Abbey andUpstairs Downstairs. Playing herself and the character of Mrs. Danvers, she starred alongside others including Jennifer Saunders,Kim Cattrall,Victoria Wood,Harry Enfield,Patrick Barlow,Dale Winton,Olivia Colman andTim Vine.
In recent years, Lumley has worked extensively on ITV, and in 2010 Lumley was executive producer and presenter ofJoanna Lumley's Nile, where she journeyed up theRiver Nile from sea to source inRwanda, for ITV.[38] This was broadcast in four parts on ITV beginning on 12 April 2010, and repeated in June 2013.
Lumley travelled again for ITV in 2011, this time visiting Greece for a four-part series titledJoanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. The series aired on ITV beginning on 13 October.[39] Once again, in 2012, Lumley travelled for ITV, now in search ofNoah's Ark. The trip, which encompassed 3 continents and also involved an adventurous jaunt into Iran, aired in late 2012 as a single 90-minute documentary titledJoanna Lumley's Ark.[40][41]
In March 2014 she appeared in aBBC One hour-long documentary featuring American musicianWill.i.am. The programme was calledJoanna Lumley Meets will.i.am.[42][43] In December 2014, she presentedBette Midler: One Night Only, a one-off ITV special.[44]
In 2015 she presented a three-part factual series for ITV calledJoanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure.[45] The series saw Lumley travel 6400 miles from Hong Kong toMoscow, along theTrans-Siberian Railway.[46]
In September 2016, she presentedJoanna Lumley's Japan, a three-part documentary series for ITV and in July 2017, she presentedJoanna Lumley's India for ITV.
In 2018 she presentedJoanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure, a four-part travelogue covering eight countries which were part of theancient trade route.[47]
In May 2024, Lumley was announced as the UK's jury spokesperson for the final of theEurovision Song Contest 2024.[48]
Lumley is also known for her support forGurkhas, theexiled Tibetan people and government, theKhonds indigenous people of India and the Prospect Burma charity, which offers grants to Burmese students, for whom she broadcast a BBC Radio 4 charity appeal in 2001.[49] Her father was a commanding officer of a troop of Gurkhas who fought inWorld War II.[50]
In 2008, Lumley became the public face of theGurkha Justice Campaign, a campaign to provide allNepalese originGurkha veterans who served in theBritish Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. Those serving following 1997 had already been granted permission, but the British Government had not extended the offer to all of the Gurkhas. On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large all-party group including Gurkhas starting fromParliament Square to10 Downing Street with a petition signed by 250,000 people.[51]
On 24 April 2009, she stated that she was "ashamed" of the UK administration's decision to affix five criteria to the Gurkhas' right to settle in the UK. With the support of both Opposition parties and Labour rebel MPs on 29 April 2009, a Liberal Democrat motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence was passed, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 residence in the UK and access to housing, social security and healthcare.[52][53][54] Following the Government defeat, theMinister for ImmigrationPhil Woolas stated that a further review would be completed by the middle of July.
On 5 May 2009, Lumley said that she had received private assurances of support from "a senior member of theRoyal Family",[55] and attended a meeting withPrime MinisterGordon Brown at10 Downing Street the following day. Afterwards, she described the meeting as "extremely positive", and praised Mr Brown, saying, "I trust him. I rely on him. And I know that he has now taken this matter into his own hands and so today is a very good day."[56]
However, on the day following the meeting with Brown, five Gurkha veterans who had applied for residency in the United Kingdom received letters telling them that their appeals had been rejected – many saw this as a betrayal, despite the fact that for the letters to have been received the day after the meeting they might have been sent before it (and certainly following the 29 April Commons vote). Lumley confrontedPhil Woolas at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue and, after her pursuing him around the studio, the pair held an impromptu press conference in which Woolas agreed to accept Gurkha Justice Campaign input in developing new guidelines by July while giving sympathetic treatment to Gurkhas not meeting the then current immigration guidelines before the development of new guidelines.[57]
Following aCommons Home Affairs Committee meeting in which talks were held between campaigners, theMinistry of Defence and theHome Office on 19 May,[58] all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 were given the right to settle in Britain.[59]
Lumley's success in campaigning prompted calls for her to stand as aMember of Parliament at the2010 general election. However, she dismissed the suggestion.[60] During an appearance onFriday Night with Jonathan Ross on 29 May 2009, she reiterated that she had no desire to stand for election to the House of Commons.
In July 2009, Lumley went on a visit to Nepal. Upon her arrival atTribhuvan International Airport, she was greeted by crowds of Gurkha supporters. Lumley said in a statement, "I feel so humbled by the fact I'm going to meet so many ex-Gurkhas and their families, and see where they are and how they live."[61] While there, Lumley was hailed 'Daughter of Nepal' by the crowds of fans at the airport.[62]
Lumley has long been a supporter ofSurvival International and the cause of indigenous rights, and narrated Survival's documentary,Mine: Story of a Sacred Mountain.[63][64] The film tells the story of the remoteDongria Kondha tribe in India and their battle to stop a vastbauxite mine from destroying their land and way of life. In defence of the Dongria, she has said,
"It greatly disturbs me that a British company will be responsible for the destruction of these wonderful people. I urge the public to support the Dongria, who simply want to be allowed to live in peace. Unlike so many of India's rural poor, the Dongria actually live very well in the Niyamgiri hills, and it's a terrible irony that whatVedanta is proposing to do in the name of 'development' will actually destroy this completely self-sufficient people."[65]
Lumley also contributed her writing for the bookWe Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, released in October 2009 with profits going in support of Survival.[66] A collection of photographs, statements from tribal people and essays from international authors, the book explores the richness of the cultures ofindigenous peoples around the world and the risks to their existence. In her essay for the book, Lumley speaks of the Dongria way of life and the threats they face in the name of corporate interests, and calls for action to stop such decisions.[67]
Since 1984 Lumley has been a Patron ofBorn Free Foundation founded in the same year by the stars of the popular wildlife filmBorn Free,Bill Travers andVirginia McKenna.[68] The Foundation (originally called Zoo Check), campaigns to 'keep wildlife in the wild'. She has fronted a number of the charity's campaigns, including the relocation of endangered giraffe in Kenya and, in 2020, narrating a short film entitled 'Protect Them, Protect Us', concerning the relentless exploitation and consumption of wildlife and the natural world, and its link with the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the death of Bill Travers in 1994, Lumley remains a close friend of McKenna and her eldest son,Will Travers, who is the charity's Executive President.[citation needed][69]
In May 2016, Lumley became a Patron ofPopulation Matters, an organisation campaigning for the achievement of a sustainable global population size.[70]
Lumley has been a Patron of the UK charityTree Aid,[71] since 1993. The organisation aims to enable communities in Africa's drylands to fight poverty and become self-reliant, while improving the environment.
Lumley is also a Patron of thePastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA). PENHA is an African inspired and led international nongovernmental organization (INGO) and research institute, founded in 1989 by a group of development practitioners concerned about the future of pastoralism in theHorn of Africa.[72][73]
Another charity which Lumley is a Patron of isKids for Kids, helping children in Darfur, Sudan.[74]
Lumley is also a Patron of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust.[75]Moat Brae was the favourite place for authorJ. M. Barrie to play as a child and the house and gardens are said to have inspired Barrie to createPeter Pan. The trust is undertaking a £4 million fundraising project to renovate the Georgian house and gardens to operate as an educational and cultural centre for local schools and JM Barrie enthusiasts and scholars.[76][77]
Lumley is a Patron of the UK environmental charity Earth Restoration Service.[78] which supports environmental restoration programmes in UK schools, particularly byplanting trees andwildflower meadows. In 2008, she spoke on behalf of the charity in theHouse of Lords to argue for a strong and more widespreadenvironmental movement across the world, and in 2009 she provided the voice over for a shortanimated film produced by the charity.[79]
Lumley is Patron of the UK charity Trust in Children[80] which aims to help children from poor backgrounds to access education and opportunities for non-academic development.[81]
Lumley has a long association and interest inNepal and its people that grew out of her father's service as an officer in 6th Gurkha Rifles. She agreed to become a Vice Patron ofThe Gurkha Welfare Trust in 2009.[82]
Lumley first lobbied for a garden bridge across London'sRiver Thames in the late 1990s as a memorial to the latePrincess Diana; this campaign was unsuccessful. In 2002 she presented detailed plans (produced by engineering group Arup) for the bridge to thenMayor of LondonKen Livingstone; this bid was also rejected. In 2012 days after the re-election ofBoris Johnson as Mayor of London Lumley sent an effusive congratulatory letter to him outlining her proposal for the bridge.[83] It was later revealed that she felt confident of a favourable response from Johnson as she had known him "since he was four years old".[84]Thomas Heatherwick was proposed by Lumley as the designer for the bridge; he is mentioned favourably in her 2004autobiography.[84]
The Johnson-chairedTransport for London body initiated a competition for a new central London cross-river footbridge. Three firms were invited to submit proposals and Heatherwick Studios won the competition despite having never previously built a bridge on the proposed scale unlike the losing practices which had built very many. This outcome proved highly controversial.[84] Equally the subsequent funding arrangements for the bridge attracted criticism. These included "unorthodox" circumvention of official procedures for public money use by thenChancellor of the ExchequerGeorge Osborne, and a £10,000 taxpayer-funded trip by Johnson, Heatherwick and SirEdward Lister toApple Computer inSan Francisco seeking sponsorship for the bridge (the bid failed). Escalating cost estimates for the project topped out at around £200 million[85] leading to withdrawal of pledged private sponsorship.[84]
This together with strong opposition from local residents created ever-greater scrutiny of the proposals. It became clear that the bridge would be closed at night, involve the felling of 30 mature trees and effectively privatise long-held public space in central London. Lumley also reversed her position on cycleway provision for the bridge.[84]
Johnson continued to support the failing project until his very last day in office; attempting to shore up its funding with last minute manoeuvring to guarantee public money for the by then £70m shortfall.[84]
Following the election ofSadiq Khan in 2016 Mayoral support for the project was withdrawn (finally in August 2017) in the face of lack of funds and persistent planning issues.
£46.4m of public money had been spent.[86] A Khan-commissioned report concluded that the "business case for the bridge was flimsy and that the procurement process in which Heatherwick Studio won the contract was “not open, fair or competitive”.[87]
Lumley made little comment on the fiasco until in 2017, interviewed byThe Times newspaper she stated that the cancellation was “absolutely shattering, devastating... The negativity troubles me in my heart. I hope we’re not turning into the sort of country that instantly says no before it considers saying yes. A nation that just pulls the shutters down. The silent majority still love the bridge, but of course they were not asked what they think."[88] Murdoch was on record as having supported both Johnson and the bridge project.
In 1996, the Lumley Research Fellowship was established atGreen College,University of Oxford. Sponsored byFriends Provident financial group, it was for a young researcher on "major environmental or wildlife issues, with particular reference to Africa". The candidates were interviewed by Lumley.[89]
In February 2013, Lumley was assessed as one of the 100 most influential women in the United Kingdom byBBC Radio 4'sWoman's Hour.[90]
Lumley's son was born in 1967.[91] His father is photographer Michael Claydon.[92] She was briefly married to actorJeremy Lloyd between 1970 and 1971.[93] She married the conductor Stephen Barlow in 1986; they live in Central London.[94] They also own a house near the village ofPenpont,Dumfriesshire, in Scotland.[95]
Lumley supports over 60 charities and has been avegetarian for over 40 years.[96] She has donated books toBook Aid International. She is patron of theBorn Free Foundation[97] and passionate about theFree Tibet campaign.[98]
In May 2009 Lumley supported theGreen Party during the2009 European Elections campaign. For Lumley, the work of Green MEPs in theEuropean Parliament in pursuing human rights and animal rights made the Green Party "the obvious choice" and urged UK voters "to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European Elections."[99] Lumley also appeared in literature to support changing the British electoral system fromfirst-past-the-post toalternative vote for electing Members of Parliament to theHouse of Commons in theAlternative Vote referendum in 2011.[100]
In 2010, Lumley donated £1,000 toCaroline Lucas's campaign to become the first Green Party MP during the2010 general election campaign.[101] She endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of Lucas at the2015 general election.[102]
In August 2015, Lumley backed children's fairytales app "GivingTales" in aid of UNICEF together with other British celebrities includingRoger Moore,Stephen Fry,Ewan McGregor,Joan Collins,Michael Caine,David Walliams,Charlotte Rampling,Paul McKenna andMichael Ball.[103]
In July 2021, Lumley joined an international line-up of actors in backing calls for theGreat Barrier Reef to be placed on a list of world heritage sites currently in danger.[104]
In 2023, Lumley attended thecoronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. In July 2023, Lumley revealed that she hasprosopagnosia, a condition which impairsface perception.[105][106]
Lumley was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1995 New Year Honours and promotedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the2022 New Year Honours for services to drama, entertainment and charitable causes.[107][108][109]
Elected aFellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), Lumley was awarded an HonoraryDoctor of Letters (Hon. D.Litt.) by theUniversity of Kent in July 1994.[110] In 2002, she was awarded anhonorary degree byOxford Brookes University.[111] In 2006, she was awarded an HonoraryDoctor of Letters (Hon. D.Litt.) by theUniversity of St Andrews.[112][113]
In July 2008, she was awarded an HonoraryDoctor of the University (Hon DUniv) byQueen's University Belfast,[114][115][116] and in March 2019, she and her husband were both awardedhonorary doctorates by theUniversity of Chester.[117]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Emergency Ward 10 | Patient | Unknown |
| 1969 | The Wednesday Play | Elsie Engelfield | Episode: "The Mark III Wife" |
| 1971 | Comedy Playhouse | Samantha Ryder-Ross | Episode: "It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes Darling" |
| It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling | All 7 episodes | ||
| 1972 | Steptoe and Son | Bunty | Episode: "Loathe Story" |
| 1973 | The Protectors | Liz | Episode: "Petard" |
| Coronation Street | Elaine Perkins | 8 episodes | |
| 1973-1975 | Are You Being Served? | Miss French/German Lady | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | General Hospital | Various | 6 episodes |
| 1976 | The Cuckoo Waltz | Harriet Paulden | Episode: "Babysitter'" |
| 1976–1977 | The New Avengers | Purdey | All 26 episodes BAFTA win – "Special Award" (2000) |
| 1979 | The Plank | Model | Short |
| 1979–1982 | Sapphire & Steel | Sapphire | All 34 episodes |
| 1981 | The Morecambe & Wise Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1981–1985 | The Kenny Everett Television Show | Various | 5 episodes |
| 1983 | The Weather in the Streets | Kate | Television film |
| 1984 | Mistral's Daughter | Lally Longbridge | Miniseries |
| The Glory Boys | Helen | Television film | |
| Oxbridge Blues | Gigi | Episode: "That Was Tory" | |
| 1986 | The Two Ronnies | Miss Dibley | 1 episode |
| 1990 | A Ghost in Monte Carlo | Lady Drayton | Television film |
| 1991 | A Perfect Hero | Loretta Stone | Miniseries |
| 1991–1994 | The Full Wax | Joanna Lumley | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Lovejoy | Victoria Cavero | 3 episodes |
| 1992–1996 2001–2004 2011–2012 | Absolutely Fabulous | Patsy Stone | All 39 episodes British Comedy Award win – "Best Comedy Actress" (1993) BAFTA win –"Best Light Entertainment Performance" (1993) BAFTA win –"Best Comedy Performance" (1995) BAFTA nomination – "Best Comedy Performance" (1996) BAFTA nomination – "Best Comedy Performance" (1997) BAFTA nomination – "Best Comedy Performance" (2002) |
| 1993 | Cluedo | Mrs Peacock | 6 episodes |
| 1994–1995 | Class Act | Kate Swift | All 14 episodes |
| 1995 | The Forgotten Toys | Annie | Voice; all 26 episodes |
| 1996 | Roseanne | Patsy Stone | Episode: "Satan, Darling" |
| 1998 | The Tale of Sweeney Todd | Mrs. Lovett | Television film |
| A Rather English Marriage | Liz Franks | Television film BAFTA nomination – "Best Actress" | |
| Coming Home | Diana Carey-Lewis | 2 episodes | |
| 1999 | Dr Willoughby | Donna Sinclair | All 6 episodes |
| The Curse of Fatal Death | The FemaleDoctor | Comic Relief special | |
| Alice in Wonderland | Tiger Lily | Television film | |
| Nancherrow | Diana Carey-Lewis | Miniseries | |
| 1999–2000 | Foxbusters | Sims | Voice; all 26 episodes |
| 2000 | Mirrorball | Jackie Riviera | Pilot |
| 2002 | Up in Town | Madison Blakelock | British Comedy Award nomination – "Best Comedy Actress" |
| 2004, 2011 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Dolly Bantry | 2 episodes (The Body in the Library andThe Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side) |
| 2005–2007 | Sensitive Skin | Davina Jackson | All 12 episodes |
| 2006–2008 | Jam & Jerusalem | Delilah Stagg | 6 episodes |
| 2009 | Lewis | Esme Ford | Episode: "Counter Culture Blues" |
| 2010 | Mistresses | Vivienne Roden | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Uptown Downstairs Abbey | Mrs. Danvers / Herself | Comic Relief special |
| 2012 | Little Crackers | Magazine Editor | Episode: "Joanna Lumley's Little Cracker: Baby, Be Blonde" |
| The Making of a Lady | Lady Maria Byrne | Television film | |
| 2013 | Jonathan Creek | Rosalind Tartikoff | Episode: "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb" |
| Gangsta Granny | Queen Elizabeth II | TV film | |
| 2017 | Carnage | Joanna Lumley | Mockumentary |
| 2019 | Bodyguard | Prime Minister | Comic Relief special entitled Red Nose Bodyguard |
| 2020 | The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse | Narrator | Episode: "The Brave Little Squire" |
| 2021 | Finding Alice | Sarah | All 6 episodes |
| Motherland | Felicity | Series 3 episode 3 | |
| 2022 | Christmas Special | ||
| 2023 | Summer Camp Island | Susie McCallister (at 97 years old) | Episodes: "Night Pockets" & "Retrace Our Hooves" |
| 2024 | Fool Me Once | Judith Burkett | Main role[118] |
| 2025 | Amandaland | Felicity | All 6 episodes[119] |
| Wednesday | Grandmama Hester Frump | 4 episodes | |
| The Room in the Tower | Mrs Stone | Lead role[120] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Whodunnit? | Panelist | TV game show |
| 1991 | In Search of the White Rajahs | Herself | Documentary |
| 1994 | Girl Friday | Special | |
| 1997 | Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon | ||
| 2008 | Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights | Documentary | |
| Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began | |||
| 2009 | Joanna Lumley Catwoman | ||
| 2010 | Joanna Lumley's Nile | Documentary series | |
| 2011 | Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey | ||
| 2012 | Joanna Lumley: The Search for Noah's Ark | Documentary | |
| 2014 | Joanna Lumley Meets will.i.am | ||
| Bette Midler: One Night Only | Herself/host | TV special | |
| 2015 | Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure | Documentary series | |
| Joanna Lumley: Elvis and Me | Documentary | ||
| 2016 | Joanna Lumley's Japan | Documentary series | |
| 2017 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Herself | "The Missing Crown Jewels" mini-series |
| Joanna Lumley's Postcards | Herself/presenter | Documentary series | |
| Joanna Lumley's India[121] | |||
| Joanna & Jennifer: Absolutely Champers | Herself/co-presenter | One-off documentary | |
| Poetry Off the Page | Narrator | Television film | |
| 2018 | 71st British Academy Film Awards | Herself/presenter | |
| Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure | Documentary series | ||
| 2020 | Joanna Lumley's Hidden Caribbean: Havana to Haiti | ||
| Joanna Lumley's Unseen Adventures | |||
| Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport | Narrator | ||
| 2021 | Joanna Lumley's Home Sweet Home – Travels in My Own Land (a.k.a. Joanna Lumley's Britain) | Herself/presenter | |
| Joanna Lumley and the Human Swan | |||
| 2022 | Joanna Lumley's Great Cities of the World | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest judge | Series 4, episode 1 | |
| 2023 | Joanna Lumley's Spice Trail Adventure | Herself/presenter | Documentary series[122] |
| 2024 | Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | Herself/spokesperson | [123] |
| 2025 | Joanna Lumley’s Danube | Herself/presenter | Documentary series[124] |
She has also narrated a number of audiobooks and provided forewords for works by other authors
Joanna Lumley returns for a new travelogue and this time she's in Greece.
Clive Tulloh's new indie Burning Bright has secured two new celebrity-fronted commissions for ITV1.
Joanna Lumley, the actress, will defy Foreign Office advice and travel to Iran to film a documentary about Noah's ark.
I urge you to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European elections
