Elizabeth Carling

Elizabeth Carling (born 20 October 1967 in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actress and singer best known for her performances in Boon, Goodnight Sweetheart, Barbara, and Casualty. In 1991 Carling was briefly engaged to Neil Morrissey, whom she met while working on the ITV drama Boon and with whom she also appeared in an episode of BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly.

On 9 August 2009, it was announced that Carling is due to tour the UK from the end of August in a theatre production of Absurd Person Singular.

As of February 2010, she is starring in the theatre production of I Ought to Be in Pictures.

Carling is a fan of her local team Middlesbrough F.C. and attends some games.

Film & television roles

 * Vera: On 15 May 2011 Carling appeared in ITV 1 drama Vera.


 * The Damned United: (UK sports drama movie, released 2009) as Barbara Clough, playing the role of the wife of Brian Clough (played by Michael Sheen) in a film focusing on events from 1967 to 1974 when Brian Clough was manager ofDerby County and finally with his ill-fated 44 days in charge of Leeds United.


 * Casualty: In 2007, she departed from the hit BBC medical drama Casualty, in which she had played the role of Dr Selena Donovan. Her character had originally made a brief appearance where she appeared to carry out a new drugs trial in April 2003, although her first name was spelled Selina at that time. She returned to the show as a police surgeon in 2004 and was a regular cast member from that time until leaving. Selena’s storylines have included being kidnapped and stabbed by drug traffickers, contracting MRSA, and having romances with colleagues Harry, Will, and Nathan. In the episode “Nobody’s Perfect” (tx: 4 March 2006) she decided to leave her position of police surgeon due to an almost fatal mistake. At the end of Series 20, she gained the position of Associate Specialist at the cost of Maggie’s (Susan Cookson) Consultancy. She left the show at the end of series 21 due to a fatal gunshot wound to her character’s neck, causing the birth of her premature baby – but the loss of her own life.


 * Goodnight Sweetheart: In 1997–99, she took over the role of Phoebe Bamford (later to become Phoebe Sparrow) in the last three series of the time travel sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart. The part was originally played by Dervla Kirwan. After the series she released an album of Wartime covers also titled Goodnight Sweetheart. Goodnight Sweetheart is one of her favourite roles.


 * Border Cafe: TV mini-series in 2000 with Sean Gallagher.


 * Barbara: as Linda, the daughter of the eponymous matriarch in the ITV sitcom Barbara. She appeared in 24 of the series' 29 episodes, from 1999–2003, playing opposite her on-screen husband, Martin Pond (Mark Benton).


 * Crocodile Shoes II: as Wendy, the fiancee of Jed Shepperd. She appeared in all six episodes of the six part series (screened on BBC One in 1996).


 * Crocodile Shoes: as Wendy, the fiancee of Jed Shepperd (screened on BBC One in 1994).


 * Boon: as Laura Marsh, assistant to Ken Boon, in the ITV private investigator series Boon. She appeared in 40 episodes of Series 4, 5 and 6, from 1989–91. This was her first major TV role


 * The Bill: as Miss White, the hotel receptionist, in the 1987 episode "Overnight Stay".

Radio roles[edit]
She starred as Lucy in Radio 4's Double Income, No Kids Yet, which was written by David Spicer and also stars David Tennant, Meera Syal and Tony Gardner. The series was originally broadcast in 2001.

Elizabeth Carling has recently narrated a documentary on C4 called "Who Killed Scarlett?"