Maxine Peake

Acting

Maxine Peake

Born July 14, 1974 · Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK (age 52)

Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is als…

Known For

I SwearI Swear · 2025
I Swear
8.22025
MovieDramaHistory
Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 15, John Davidson navigates his way against the odds through troubled teenage years and into adulthood, finding inspiration in the kindness of others to discover his true purpose in life.
The Theory of EverythingThe Theory of Everything · 2014
The Theory of Everything
7.82014
MovieDramaRomance
Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time.
Wendell & WildWendell & Wild · 2022
Wendell & Wild
6.62022
MovieAnimationComedy
Two scheming demons strike a deal with a punk rock-loving teen so they can leave the Underworld and live out their dreams in the Land of the Living.
All or NothingAll or Nothing · 2002
All or Nothing
7.12002
MovieDrama
Penny works at a supermarket and Phil is a gentle taxi-driver. Penny’s love for Phil has run dry and they lead joyless lives with their two children, Rachel, a cleaner, and Rory, who is unemployed and aggressive.
Words of WarWords of War · 2025
Words of War
6.72025
MovieDramaThriller
World-renowned journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. She was ultimately murdered in the elevator of her block of flats and it remains unclear who paid for the contract killing.
The FallingThe Falling · 2015
The Falling
5.12015
MovieDramaMystery
England, 1969. The fascinating Abbie and the troubled Lydia are great friends. After an unexpected tragedy occurs in the strict girls' school they attend, a mysterious epidemic of fainting breaks out that threatens the mental sanity and beliefs of the tormented people involved, both teachers and students.
Red TopRed Top · 2016
Red Top
5.32016
MovieComedyTV Movie
Comic fantasy telling the story of Rebekah, an innocent and beguiling Northern girl who accidentally becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets caught up in a seventies Watergate-style scandal.
Funny CowFunny Cow · 2018
Funny Cow
6.32018
MovieComedyDrama
A comedian uses her troubled past as material for her stand-up routine, trying to rise up through the comedy circuit by playing Northern England's working men's clubs.

Filmography

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The VillageThe Village · 2013
The Village
7.22013
SeriesDrama
The Village is a BBC television drama created and written by Peter Moffat. Consisting of two six-episode series—the project intended as a 42-hour televised epic—the first series covers 1914 to 1920; the second continued the story into the 1920s. However, it was not commissioned for a third series. An epic drama charting the turbulent times experienced by one English village throughout the 20th century; births, deaths, political events and rebellions are among the events that occur during the time. Bert Middleton lives across the entire 100-year period, and his story from boyhood to old age forms the crux of the story, seen via flashbacks as Bert is interviewed in the present day by a documentarian working on a project about the second eldest man in the United Kingdom and his village.

Grace Middleton

Comedy ConnectionsComedy Connections · 2003
Comedy Connections
6.52003
SeriesDocumentaryComedy
Comedy Connections was a BBC One documentary series produced by BBC Scotland that aired from 2003 to 2008. The show looked at the stories behind the production of some of Britain's comedy television programmes, showing how they tied in with the production of other comedy shows. The show featured interviews with some of the cast and crew of the subject programme, as well as footage from the series. Comedy Connections mostly documented BBC comedies and sitcoms, although two programmes have been from ITV and two from Channel 4. The first series consisted of six episodes, however the rest of the series consist of eight episodes each, the first two series were narrated by Julia Sawalha, however the rest of the series were narrated by Doon Mackichan.
Clocking OffClocking Off · 2000
Clocking Off
7.62000
SeriesDrama
Clocking Off is a British television drama series broadcast on BBC One for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced by Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott. Effectively an anthology programme that followed the lives of a group of workers at a Manchester textile factory, with each episode focusing on the private life of a different character. How much do you know about the person working next to you? From the outside, life at Mackintosh Textiles appears to run smoothly, but in a community with so many secrets to hide, things are far from straightforward. In six powerful, self-contained dramas, everyday life is fractured by tumultuous marriages, snatched passions, disappearing spouses, and gang harassment.

Marie Leach