Siobhan Finneran

Finneran was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, then in Lancashire, to Irish parents. She moved with her family to Saddleworth as a young child, and has lived in the area ever since.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/siobhan-finneran-interview-protection-happy-valley-b2714395.html|title=Happy Valley’s Siobhan Finneran: ‘We’re all a bit of a mess, blundering our way through stuff’|work=The Independent|publisher=The Independent|date=16 March 2025|access-date=16 March 2025}} During childhood Finneran was always drawn to the performing arts and was a fan of the celebrated English comedian Eric Morecambe, recalling that "as a little girl I wanted to be Eric Morecambe. Not to be like him but to actually be him". She completed a theatre studies course.

{{See also|Siobhan Finneran filmography}}

Finneran was cast in her first major role, as Rita in the 1987 film Rita, Sue and Bob Too.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/downtons-siobhan-finneran-new-show-loch-middle-aged-has-worked/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/downtons-siobhan-finneran-new-show-loch-middle-aged-has-worked/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Downton's Siobhan Finneran on new show The Loch and why being middle-aged has worked for, not against her|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|last=Woods|first=Judith|date=11 June 2017|access-date=12 June 2017|quote = Finneran, 51,... }}{{cbignore}} Kate Muir, chief film critic at UK newspaper The Times, described the characters of Rita and Sue—two teenagers who both have a sexual affair with the older, married Bob (George Costigan)—"as raunchy, cheeky, unstoppable schoolgirls played with relish by Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-dhcln3n3g|title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)|last=Muir|first=Kate|work=The Times|date=19 May 2017|access-date=12 June 2017}} At its UK Premiere at the Cinecity Brighton Film Festival, journalists were critical about the film's themes. Finneran, the youngest person there, challenged the critics who had enjoyed Wish You Were Here the previous night. She said it seemed the portrayal of underage sex in the 1950s was OK, "but because this is happening now, in 1987, it gives you the high ground to act like the bloody Vatican".{{Cite book|last=Stripe, Adelle|title=Black teeth and a brilliant smile|isbn=978-0-7088-9895-6|location=London, United Kingdom|oclc=1023843825|date=2 November 2017}}

Between August 1989 and March 1990, Finneran appeared as factory employee Josie Phillips, in the long running ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street.{{cite episode|title=Episode 3038|series=Coronation Street|location=Manchester|credits=Leslie Duxbury (writer), Spencer Campbell (director), Mervyn Watson (producer)|airdate=2 August 1989}}{{cite episode|title=Episode 2958|series=Coronation Street|location=Manchester|credits=Julian Roach (writer), David Richards (director), Mervyn Watson (producer)|airdate=2 March 1990}} The character of Josie is best remembered for her on-off employment, and difficult relationship, with her boss, Mike Baldwin.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/downton-abbey-stars-revealed-as-former-1327472|title=Downton Abbey stars revealed as former soap actors|work=Daily Record|publisher=Trinity Mirror|location=Glasgow|date=17 September 2012|access-date=17 May 2017}}

Finneran continued to appear regularly on UK television, making guest appearances in numerous drama series including Heartbeat (1993, 1994, 2003),{{cite episode|title="Bringing It All Back Home"|series=Heartbeat (UK TV series)|credits= Michael Russell (writer), Bob Mahoney (director), Steve Lanning (producer)|airdate=5 September 1993}}{{cite episode|title="Wild Thing"|series=Heartbeat (UK TV series)|credits= Michael Russell (writer), Ken Horn (director), Martyn Auty (producer)|airdate=4 September 1994}}{{cite episode|title="Foor for Love"|series=Heartbeat (UK TV series)|credits= Susan Wilkins (writer), Paul Walker (director), Gerry Mill (producer)|airdate=5 October 2003}} Peak Practice (1995),{{cite episode|title="Light at the End of the Tunnel"|series=Peak Practice|credits= Tony Etchells (writer), Anthony Garner (director), Michele Buck (producer)|airdate=31 January 1995}} Out of the Blue (1996),{{cite episode|title="Episode #2.6"|series=Out of the Blue|credits= Bill Gallagher (writer), Julian Farino (director), Laura Mackie (producer)|airdate=9 September 1996}} Where The Heart Is (1997),{{cite episode|title="Things Fall Apart"|series=Where the Heart Is|credits= Ashley Pharoah (writer), Herbert Wise (director), Kate Anthony (producer)|airdate=13 April 1997}} Hetty Wainthrop Investigates (1998), Emmerdale as Heather Hutchinson (1998) and The Cops (1999).{{cite episode|title=Childsplay|series=Hetty Wainthrop Investigates|credits=Brian Finch (writer), John Glenister (director), Laura Mackie (producer) |airdate=2 January 1998}}{{cite episode|title="Episode #2.6"|series=The Cops|credits= Jane English (writer), Kenneth Glenann (director), Eric Coulter (producer)|airdate=13 April 1997}} Finneran also established herself in comedic roles including episodes of Josie (a 1991 comedy series starring Josie Lawrence),{{cite episode|title="Episode #1.5"|series=Josie|credits= Arthur Smith (writer), Geoff Posner (director & producer)|airdate=5 September 1993}} Cannon and Ball's Playhouse (1991){{cite episode|title="Growing Concern"|series=Cannon and Ball's Playhouse|credits=Paul Minett & Brian Leveson (writers), Graham Wetherell (director & producer)|airdate=27 August 1991}} and as a regularly appearing cast member in ITV1's production of The Russ Abbot Show (1995–1996).{{cite episode|title="Episode #2.1"|series=The Russ Abbot Show|credits= Russ Abbot |airdate=10 July 1995}} Whilst having performed frequently in comedy, Finneran credits her performance as "a very damaged mother" in Out of the Blue in 1996 in triggering a shift towards more dramatic roles.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/siobhan-finneran-im-happy-valley-3-478932/|title=The Loch star Siobhan Finneran: 'I'm up for Happy Valley 3!|work=What's On TV|last=Clark|first=Caren|date=21 June 2017|access-date=22 June 2017}}

Between 2000 and 2002, Finneran appeared as Julie O'Neill in three series of the BBC One drama series Clocking Off.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/10_october/06/amazing_finneran_biog.shtml|title=Siobhan Finneran is Beverley Clarke|author=BBC Press Office|work=bbc.co.uk|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=6 October 2006|access-date=21 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/siobhan-finneran/cv|title=Siobhan Finneran|last=Parsons|first=Grant|publisher=Curtis Brown|access-date=14 June 2017}} Subsequent roles in the early 21st century include the ITV1 Russell T Davies drama series Bob & Rose (2001), Sparkhouse (2002) – a modern re-telling of Wuthering Heights scripted by Sally Wainwright – and the two-part thriller Passer By (2004) starring James Nesbitt. In 2005, Finneran appeared as the female lead, Alice Holmes, in the original stage production of On the Shore of the Wide World at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2005/on-the-shore-of-the-wide-world-review-at-royal-exchange-manchester/|title=On the Shore of the Wide World review at Royal Exchange Manchester|last=Anglesey|first=Natalie|work=The Stage|date=27 April 2005|access-date=22 June 2017}} Finneran's performance earned her the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/men-theatre-awards---the-results-1094774|title=M.E.N Theatre Awards—The Results|author=Manchester Evening News editorial team|work=Manchester Evening News|date=7 December 2005|access-date=22 June 2017}} In 2006, Finneran was cast as a series regular in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006). Her character, Beverley Clarke, is an established partner in a law firm who is inspired to launch a career in politics by her experience of the titular Ros Pritchard, and ultimately becomes an MP.

In 2007 Finneran appeared as Kelly in the British Independent film Boy A.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/boy-a#tab_panel_2|title=Boy A|work=Time Out|location=London|date=19 October 2007|access-date=20 June 2017}} Also, in 2007, Finneran appeared as part of the original regular cast in the British sitcom Benidorm which details the experiences of holidaymakers and employees at the fictional Solana hotel in Benidorm, Spain. Finneran described her character Janice Garvey as "feisty, foul-mouthed and quite fantastic".{{cite web|last=Finneran|first=Siobhan|date=15 April 2008|title=Interview: Siobhan Finneran|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2008/04/15/siobhan-finneran/|access-date=14 June 2017|work=Hello}} Over the course of the series, Janice struggles to keep her family unit—comprising Janice's mother Madge (Sheila Reid), her husband Mick (Steve Pemberton) and their own children and grandchild—under control. A television correspondent at the Sunday Mirror described the character as a "fiercely protective lioness, humorous, straight-talking, and saucy" inclined to "let-it-all-hang-out" with a wardrobe comprising "skimpy, mutton-dressed-as-lamb outfits".{{cite web|date=26 September 2010|title=Downton Abbey's Siobhan Finneran reveals all|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/downton-abbeys-siobhan-finneran-reveals-1692600|access-date=14 June 2017|work=The Mirror}} Finneran found elements of the shoot embarrassing—including the requirement to be filmed in swimwear— and one scene which involved her character "snogging" a young barman played by an actor in his early twenties. In spite of the outlandish elements of the sitcom, Finneran notes that the cast "tried to find the truth in each character, to make them a real person – not a stereotype." In 2008, Finneran explained that as the series was filmed on location in Benidorm, her parents stepped in to help with childcare back home, with the children visiting during half-term.

Finneran would ultimately remain with the series, through to its 7th series, which aired in 2015. Discussing the enduring appeal of the series in 2013, Finneran stated that the series' fan base had become firmly established by the fourth series and that viewers were attracted to the "banter" and recognisable family dynamics that take viewers "to the extremes". She also felt that the contrasting summer setting and typical winter air date also provided a form of escapism for the UK audience.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-07/benidorm-diary-im-stuck-in-a-hotel-bedroom-with-the-garveys--holiday-nightmare-or-comedy-heaven|title=Benidorm Diary: I'm stuck in a hotel bedroom with the Garveys – holiday nightmare or comedy heaven?|magazine=Radio Times|publisher=IPC Media|last=Mulkern|first=Patrick|date=7 December 2013|access-date=15 June 2017}} After discussing their intent to leave Benidorm during filming of the sixth series (2014), Pemberton and Finneran announced their joint departures ahead of the 7th series (2015).{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/siobhan-finneran-and-steve-pemberton-its-been-heartbreaking-to-leave-benidorm-69933/|title=Siobhan Finneran and Steve Pemberton: "It's been heartbreaking to leave Benidorm!"|work=What's On TV|last=Cannon|first=Nick|date=28 December 2014|access-date=15 June 2017}} Both actors wanted to spend less time filming abroad, and neither wanted to leave on their own. Finneran found filming her last scenes "heartbreaking" noting she was in "a terrible state" upon bidding farewell to co-stars and crew with whom she had forged a close relationship.

Alongside her role in Benidorm, Finneran continued to star in original drama series. In 2008, she portrayed Sister Ruth, a Vatican nun drawn to investigate a priest who performs exorcisms, in five episodes of the supernatural thriller Apparitions.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/10_october/31/apparitions.shtml|title=Apparitions, a new drama series for BBC One – from 9.00pm on Thursday 13 November 2008|author=BBC Press Office|work=bbc.co.uk|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=31 October 2008|access-date=15 June 2017}} In 2009, Finneran appeared as a main cast member in the three part ITV1 thriller Unforgiven as Izzie Ingram, a family lawyer who aids convicted murder Ruth Slater (Suranne Jones) track down her long lost sister.{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/documents/doc/Unforgiven%20Press%20Pack%20email.doc|title=Unforgiven Press Pack|author=ITV Press Office|publisher=ITV|access-date=15 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130173830/http://www.itv.com/documents/doc/Unforgiven%20Press%20Pack%20email.doc|archive-date=30 November 2016|url-status=dead}} George Costigan, who appears in Unforgiven and first worked with Finneran in 1987 cited the mini-series as an illustration of Finneran's versatility, and justification of his appraisal of her as an acting "hero" and personal inspiration, stating that "she has no background in it and she just goes there. It's extraordinary. Those are the actors that electrify you."{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/it-s-rita-sue-and-george-costigan-too-1-6602520|title=It's Rita, Sue and George Costigan, too|author1=Yorkshire Post editorial team |author2=Costigan, George|work=Yorkshire Post|date=11 May 2014|access-date=15 June 2017}} Also in 2009, Finneran appeared in episodes of The Street,{{cite episode|title=Episode #3.3|series=The Street|credits= Esther Wilson & Jimmy McGovern (writers), Terry McDonough (director), Matthew Bird (producer)|airdate=27 July 2009}} and Blue Murder,{{cite episode|title=Having It All|series=Blue Murder|credits=Steve Griffiths (writer), David Drury (director), Mike Dormer (producer)|airdate=7 September 2009}} and the straight-to-DVD soap opera spin-off Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday.{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2009/10/08/corries-kelly-loses-her-luggage-467337/|title=Corrie's Kelly loses her luggage|work=Metro|date=8 October 2009|access-date=15 June 2017}}

{{quote box|align=right|width=33%|"She's worked since she was probably 14 or 15 years old, and has basically sacrificed her entire life to somebody else, for the good of their life and their home—it's no wonder that she would get frustrated or angry about things."

"|—Siobhan Finneran on her Downton Abbey character.}}

In 2010, it was announced that Finneran had been cast in Downton Abbey, a period drama depicting the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/coronation-street/news/a204675/ex-corrie-star-for-itv1-costume-drama/|title=Ex-Corrie star for ITV1 costume drama|work=Digital Spy|last=Millar|first=Paul|date=22 February 2010|access-date=16 June 2017}} Upon its transmission, Downton Abbey received extensive critical acclaim, and strong viewing figures in both the UK and America.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11523191 |title=Downton Abbey show gets second series|work= BBC News|date= 12 October 2010|access-date=16 October 2010}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/tv/downton-abbey/season-1|title=Downton Abbey – Season 1 |website=Metacritic |access-date=2 April 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/itv/downton-abbey-wins-guinness-world-record/5032025.article|title=Downton Abbey Wins Guinness World Record|work=Broadcast Now|publisher=Broadcast|access-date=13 September 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/27/downton-abbey-total-wipeout-tv-review |title=TV review: Downton Abbey and All New Celebrity Total Wipeout|newspaper=The Guardian|date= 27 September 2010|access-date=16 October 2010}}{{cite news|last=Kenneally|first=Tim|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS106622438720120223|title=Ratings: 'Downton Abbey' Season 2 Finale Gives PBS Best Numbers Since 2009|work=Reuters|date=23 February 2012|access-date=28 October 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4925 |title=101 Best Written TV Series List |access-date=14 September 2013}} Finneran's character, lady's maid Sarah O'Brien, serves as an archetypal villain in the series' narrative, whose schemes affect both her employers and her colleagues.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/actress-siobhan-finneran-leaving-downton-abbey-downtons-villain-miss-obrien-wont-return-fourth|title=Actress Siobhan Finneran Leaving 'Downton Abbey'; Downton's Villain Miss O'Brien Won't Return For Fourth Season|work=International Business Times|last=Poladian|first=Charles|date=4 March 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-mar-04-la-et-st-downton-abbey-season-4-cast-changes-20130304-story.html|title='Downton Abbey' loses O'Brien, adds 6 new cast members in Season 4|work=Los Angeles Times|last=Blake|first=Meredith|date=4 March 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}} The role was Finneran's first in a costume drama. To become O'Brien, Finneran was required to wear "frumpy black" servants’ attire, a wig—which Finneran described as having "poodle curls" and "one bit [that is] proper bouffant"—and spend around an hour in make-up each day to look less attractive.{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/368097/Downton-s-miserable-matron-is-off-to-Benidorm|title=Downton's miserable matron is off to Benidorm|work=Daily Express|last=Kerr|first=Paula|date=1 January 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}} Though screenwriter Julian Fellowes did not give her a backstory to work with, Finneran imagined that O'Brien was both traumatised by past experiences and had accumulated anger, frustration and resentment issues from having worked in service all her life.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/obrien-downton-abbey_n_1229329.html|title=Downton Abbey's' O'Brien: Siobhan Finneran Interview About Her Character We Love To Hate|work=Huffington Post|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|date=25 January 2012|access-date=16 June 2017}} In 2012, Finneran stated that she enjoyed the response to the character noting that viewers "love that she's a nasty piece of work" and "love to dislike her".

During her time on the show, the Downton Abbey cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012 (for series 2), and were nominated also in 2013 (for series 3).Rosen, Christopher (27 January 2013). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/sag-awards-winners-2013_n_2563499.html SAG Awards Winners 2013: Screen Actors Guild Honors Best In Film & Television], The Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 January 2013.{{cite web|url = http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-sag-awards-main-2014,0,1730501.story#axzz2qw3RUkSw|title= SAG Awards 2014: 'American Hustle' cast takes top honors|date=18 January 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=20 January 2014}} Finneran announced her departure in March 2013, ahead of the fourth series,{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/01/downton-abbey-maid-sarah-obrien-quits-series-4_n_2789942.html|title='Downton Abbey' Maid Sarah O'Brien Won't Return For Series 4, Actress Siobhan Finneran Confirms|work=Huffington Post|author=Editorial team|date=1 March 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}} explaining that she had been signed for only three series and did not wish to extend her contract, adding: "When I stop loving something, I stop doing it."{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/siobhan-finneran-downton-abbey_n_2836320.html|title=Siobhan Finneran Opens Up About 'Downton Abbey' Departure|work=Huffington Post|author=Editorial team|date=8 March 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}} Later that year, when asked by the Radio Times how her character's abrupt exit would be handled, Finneran retorted: "I'm hoping she's flung off the roof of the Abbey".

In 2013, Finneran starred in the second series of The Syndicate on BBC One, portraying Mandy, a hospital worker and domestic abuse victim who wins the national lottery with her colleagues.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/syndicate2/siobhanfinneran.html|title=BBC One drama returns for a highly anticipated second series|author=BBC Press Office|work=bbc.co.uk|date=5 March 2013|access-date=16 June 2017}} Finneran was attracted to the role because of the suspense of her character's storyline, and the challenge of keeping the abuse scenes as true-to-life as possible. Also in 2013, Finneran portrayed Mrs Swift in The Selfish Giant an independent film inspired by both Oscar Wilde's short story of the same name and screenwriter and director Clio Barnard's personal experiences of the socially fragmented northern English underclass.{{cite web|url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55d442e3e4b0d06bf5f85305/t/55dd8a52e4b0104820f1f1d8/1440582226387/TSG_Pressemateriale_Final1.pdf|title=The Seflish Giant|access-date=17 June 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/movies/the-selfish-giant-directed-by-clio-barnard.html|title=Desperate Years: To Be Young, British and Lacking|work=New York Times|last=Scott|first=A. O.|date=19 December 2013|access-date=17 June 2017}} Finneran's character is a troubled yet loving mother, who she describes as "not quite the full shilling". In spite of the tough subject matter of the film Finneran enjoyed the filming process noting that she felt "safe and secure" in the hands of Barnard, who she felt to be a calmer director than any other she had worked with.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/12/clio-barnard-selfish-giant-interview|title=Clio Barnard: why I'm drawn to outsiders – interview|work=The Guardian|last=O'Hagan|first=Sean|date=12 October 2013|access-date=17 June 2017}} For her portrayal, Finneran was nominated for the 2013 British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/awards/starred-up-leads-british-indie-film-awards-race-1200818654/|title=Scarlett Johansson Takes On Judi Dench at British Indie Film Awards|work=Variety|last=Barraclough|first=Leo|date=11 November 2013|access-date=17 June 2017}} In 2014, Finneran appeared in the French-Language film Un Illustre Inconnu (Nobody from Nowhere).{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/nobody-nowhere-illustre-inconnu-film-750664|title='Nobody from Nowhere' ('Un illustre inconnu'): Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Mintzer|first=Jordan|date=20 November 2014|access-date=20 June 2014}}

Also in 2014, Finneran portrayed recovering heroin addict Clare in BBC One's Happy Valley—a crime drama that centres on the personal and occupational struggles faced by Clare's cohabitant sister, sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire)—to general acclaim. Whilst eulogising the series' feminist credentials Gerald O'Donovan of The Daily Telegraph praised Finneran's "quietly compelling performance" and the character's "gritty wisdom" and stated viewers were unlikely to witness "a more believably crafted female character" that year.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10872260/Happy-Valley-five-key-talking-points.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10872260/Happy-Valley-five-key-talking-points.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Happy Valley: five key talking points|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=O'Donovan|first=Gerald|date=4 June 2014|access-date=19 June 2017}}{{cbignore}} A second series aired in 2016, which gave more focus to Clare's backstory, interpersonal relationships and struggles with alcoholism.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/happyvalley2/siobhan-finneran|title=Interview with Siobhan Finneran|author=Press Office Team|work=bbc.co.uk|date=19 January 2016|access-date=20 June 2017}} Reviewing an episode of the second series, Jack Seale of The Guardian described Finneran as "brilliant" in her depiction of both Clare's "jittery vulnerability" and portrayal of "a snarling addict who has relapsed".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/16/happy-valley-recap-season-2-episode-2-blood-shiraz-all-over-rug|title=Happy Valley recap: series 2, episode 2 – blood and Shiraz all over the rug|work=The Guardian|last=Seale|first=Jack|date=16 February 2016|access-date=19 June 2017}} In spite of the series' subject matter, Finneran claimed that as an inept cook, she found having to peel carrots and act simultaneously the hardest part of filming.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/happy-valley/news/a787924/happy-valleys-siobhan-finneran-reveals-acting-peeling-carrots-was-toughest-part-of-her-role/|title=Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran reveals peeling carrots was the toughest part of her role|work=Digital Spy|last=Gordon|first=Brown|date=23 March 2016|access-date=20 June 2017}}

By the time of Happy Valley{{'}}s second series, Finneran had known Lancashire for over 30 years. Both their on-screen partnership and the depiction of middle-aged women in general in Happy Valley have been lauded as two of the series' most distinctive elements by television journalists and critics.{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-05-19/happy-valleys-sarah-lancashire-and-siobhan-finneran-are-my-favourite-tv-double-act|title=Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire and Siobhan Finneran are my favourite TV double act|work=Radio Times|last=Doran|first=Sarah|date=19 May 2017|access-date=20 June 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/seeing-an-unremarkable-middle-aged-woman-having-sex-on-tv-has-left-me-a-little-shocked-a6927851.html|title=Seeing an unremarkable, middle-aged woman having sex on TV has left me a little shocked|work=The Independent|last=Shepherd|first=Alison|date=12 March 2016|access-date=20 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://flavorwire.com/566988/why-happy-valley-is-tvs-most-brazenly-feminist-show|title=Why 'Happy Valley' Is TV's Most Brazenly Feminist Show|work=Flavorwire|last=Zarum|first=Laura|date=22 March 2016|access-date=20 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/20160327_Why__Happy_Valley__should_be_your_next_Netflix_binge.html|title=Why 'Happy Valley' should be your next Netflix binge |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|last=Gray|first=Ellen|date=25 March 2016|access-date=20 June 2017}} Reflecting on the series' popularity, Finneran stated she felt viewers had taken the show to their hearts because the cast "reflected them" and "looked like real human beings with authentic emotions and flaws". Radio Times reviewer Alison Graham stated in 2016 that Finneran and Lancashire "should share every acting award going".{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-03-08/happy-valley-series-two-is-television-at-its-best|title=Happy Valley series two is television at its best|work=Radio Times|last=Graham|first=Alison|date=8 March 2016|access-date=19 June 2017}} Happy Valley won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series in Both 2015 and 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39563665|title=Bafta TV Awards 2017: All the winners and nominees|author=Press Team|work=BBC News|date=14 May 2017|access-date=20 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32215563|title=Bafta TV Awards 2015: Winners in full|author=Press Team|work=BBC News|date=10 May 2015|access-date=20 June 2017}} Finneran was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2017. Though correctly predicting that she would not win the award, Ben Lawrence of The Daily Telegraph identified her as who he felt to be the deserving winner praising the "subtle, unfurling power" of her depiction.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/bafta-television-awards-2017-will-win-should-win/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/bafta-television-awards-2017-will-win-should-win/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Bafta Television Awards 2017: who will win, who should win |work=The Daily Telegraph|last=Lawrence|first=Ben|date=14 May 2017}}{{cbignore}}

Between December 2014 and February 2015, Finneran appeared in the stage drama 3 Winters at the Royal National Theatre in London.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/04/3-winters-lyttelton-london-review|title=3 Winters review – Croatian family drama pierces the fog of history|last=Michael|first=Billington|work=The Guardian|date=4 December 2014|access-date=22 June 2017}} In Autumn 2015, Finneran played a supporting role in the three part supernatural drama serial Midwinter of the Spirit.{{cite web|url=https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/programmes/programme-planner/midwinter-spirit|title=First look at Anna Maxwell Martin as an exorcist in ITV's Midwinter of the Spirit|work=The Guardian|last=Vine|first=Richard|date=9 September 2015|access-date=20 June 2017|archive-date=9 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909143349/https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/programmes/programme-planner/midwinter-spirit|url-status=dead}}

In 2017, she portrayed real-life Detective Constable Christine Freeman in two-part drama The Moorside, a depiction of the 2008 disappearance of Shannon Matthews told from the perspective of the local community.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/family/realised-karen-matthews-behind-daughter-shannons-disappearance/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/family/realised-karen-matthews-behind-daughter-shannons-disappearance/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=How I realised Karen Matthews was behind her daughter Shannon's disappearance|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=Driscoll|first=Margarette|date=8 February 2017}}{{cbignore}} Upon reading the script, Finneran felt that The Moorside told a necessary story that illuminated truths that had been distorted by media coverage.{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/the-moorside-a-community-split-by-loyalty-and-betrayal-in-the-hunt-for-shannon-matthews-1-8366952|title=The Moorside: A community split by loyalty and betrayal in the hunt for Shannon Matthews|work=The Yorkshire Post|author=Editorial team|date=2 February 2017|access-date=20 June 2017}}

Finneran's next television role in 2017 was as Detective Chief Inspector Lauren Quigley, one of the protagonists in six-part ITV drama The Loch, a crime mystery set on the banks of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Quigley is an ambitious English career detective drafted in to investigate a serial killer and acts as a foil to the other protagonist, working mother and local woman DC Annie Redford (Laura Fraser). Finneran was keen to star in the series after reading the first three scripts and finding both her character and the small community setting intriguing, in addition to the prospect of working with a former Downton Abbey director (Brian Kelly) and Laura Fraser, whose acting she had long admired. Finneran based herself in Glasgow during the filming shoot and enjoyed "the buzz, the architecture, the social life", describing the city as "one of my favourite places to ever work".{{cite web|url=http://www.bradfordzone.co.uk/the-loch-siobhan-finneran-plays-lauren-quigley/|title=The Loch: Siobhan Finneran plays Lauren Quigley|work=bradfordzone.co.uk|author=Editorial team|date=2 June 2017|access-date=20 June 2017|archive-date=7 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907123407/http://www.bradfordzone.co.uk/the-loch-siobhan-finneran-plays-lauren-quigley/|url-status=dead}}

In 2017, she played Nikki Kirkbright in ITV's Cold Feet, and Marilyn in The Other One pilot.

In 2018, Finneran played Becka Savage in the Doctor Who episode "The Witchfinders".{{cite news|last1=Mulkern|first1=Patrick|title=Doctor Who The Witchfinders review: Siobhan Finneran and Alan Cumming shine – but this Jacobean witch-hunt lacks the magic ingredient |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-11-25/doctor-who-the-witchfinders-review-siobhan-finneran-and-alan-cumming-shine-but-this-jacobean-witch-hunt-lacks-the-magic-ingredient/|work=Radio Times|date=25 November 2018}}

In 2019, Finneran played Sally Newell in The Widow episode "Poteza". In the same year, she also played Elaine Pickford in A Confession, a TV dramatisation of a true story about the murder of two young women in England and the unusual events resulting from the capture of their killer.{{Cite news |last=Mangan |first=Lucy |date=2 September 2019 |title=A Confession review – a profoundly sad drama about suffering, strength and justice |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/02/a-confession-review-a-profoundly-sad-drama-about-suffering-strength-and-justice |access-date=18 October 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}

In 2020, Finneran reprised her role as Marilyn in the comedy series The Other One, played Detective Sergeant Johanna Griffin in Netflix original mystery thriller The Stranger,{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/netflix-harlan-coben-the-stranger-siobhan-finneran-hannah-john-kamen-jennifer-saunders-1203155664/|title=Siobhan Finneran, Hannah John-Kamen Join Netflix's 'The Stranger'|last=Clarke|first=Stewart|date=6 March 2019|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=29 February 2020}} and narrated the ITV documentary series Inside Britain's Food Factories.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18649105.hunters-bakers-bolton-star-itvs-inside-britains-food-factories/|title=Hunters the Bakers, Bolton, to star on ITV's Inside Britain's Food Factories|last=Mutch|first=James|date=13 August 2020|website=The Bolton News|language=en|access-date=13 August 2020}}

2020 also saw Finneran playing the unstable mother of the title character in writer and star Sophie Willan's comedy pilot Alma's Not Normal. A full 6-episode series was subsequently picked up and aired in 2021, with a second series due out in September, 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/almas-not-normal-series-2-first-look|title=Alma's Not Normal series 2 first look image and sneak peek clip|last=Media Centre|first=BBC|date=14 June 2024|website=BBC Media Centre|language=en|access-date=3 July 2024}}

In 2023, Finneran reprised her role as Clare in the third and final series of Happy Valley that aired on BBC One & BBC iPlayer in the UK. She also played Beryl in The Reckoning, a mini-series about the life of Jimmy Savile. Towards the end of the year, Finneran starred as Marie-Louise Dell, a prison chaplain, in the second series of Time, alongside Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsey. On the role, Finneran told Radio Times: "I've just felt very privileged and very honoured to be part of this cast, although you can't say you've enjoyed the filming process because the content is really quite dense and brutal. For me, being able to sit and watch the performances has been really quite breath-taking and brilliant."{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/siobhan-finneran-time-hope-newsupdate/|title=Time's Siobhan Finneran calls character a "glimmer of hope" for inmates|website=Radio Times|last=Mensah|first=Katelyn|date=30 October 2023|access-date=31 October 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/yorkshires-sean-bean-and-jodie-whittaker-to-star-in-new-series-of-bbc-prison-drama-time-alongside-happy-valleys-siobhan-finneran-4383046|title=Yorkshire's Sean Bean and Jodie Whittaker to star in new series of BBC prison drama Time alongside Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran|website=The Yorkshire Post|last=Davis|first=Rachael|date=26 October 2023|access-date=31 October 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/time-season-2-cast-bella-ramsey-jodie-whittaker-newsupdate/|title=Bella Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker and Siobhan Finneran join Time season 2|website=Radio Times|last=Cormack|first=Morgan|date=11 April 2023|access-date=31 October 2023}}

In May 2024 Finneran appeared in the first episode of the final series of Inside No. 9.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/may/08/inside-no-9-review-nothing-short-of-miraculous|title=Inside No 9 review – nothing short of miraculous|first=Rachel|last=Aroesti|date=8 May 2024|newspaper=The Guardian}}

She plays the lead role as DI Liz Nyles in the ITV crime drama Protection.{{cite web |last=Craig |first=David |title=Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran leads new thriller with Katherine Kelly |website=Radio Times |date=27 September 2023 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/siobhan-finneran-katherine-kelly-protection-newsupdate/ |access-date=25 January 2025}}

From the late 1990s, Finneran began to consciously cut back her acting work to raise her two children with her husband, the actor Mark Jordon. They married in August 1997. In 2014, Finneran and Jordon divorced.

In 2023, Finneran became patron for Manchester based charity Contact Hostel, an organisation that provides support and accommodation for teenage girls facing homelessness.{{Cite web |title=CELEBRITY PATRON |url=https://www.contacthostel.co.uk/celebrity-patron |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Contact Hostel |language=en-US}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1966 births

Category:20th-century English actresses

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:Actresses from Oldham

Category:English film actresses

Category:English people of Irish descent

Category:English stage actresses

Category:English television actresses

Category:English soap opera actresses