Barbara Joy Flynn (born 5 August 1948) is an English actress. She first came to prominence playing Freda Ashton in the ITV drama series A Family at War (1970–1972). She went on to play the milk woman in the BBC comedy Open All Hours (1976–1985), Jill Swinburne in The Beiderbecke Trilogy (1985–1988), Dr. Rose Marie in the BBC series A Very Peculiar Practice (1986–1988), Judith Fitzgerald in the ITV drama Cracker (1993–1995), and Mrs. Jamieson in Cranford (2007–2009). In 2021, she appeared in Doctor Who: Flux as Tecteun, a founder of Time Lord society and The Doctor's adopted mother. Starting in 2023, she acted in Beyond Paradise, playing the mother of the detective's girlfriend. This included some episodes in 2024 where she was reunited with Peter Davison, her A Very Peculiar Practice co-star. In her own words, she tends to play "feisty, strong women"

Filmography

• 2026Open All Hours: Inside Out
• Secrets of the Royals: Births, Marriages and Deaths — Narrator
• Beyond Paradise — Anne Lloyd
• 20221978: The Winter of Discontent — Narrator
• 2022Diana: The Curse of the Spencers — Narrator
• Kate & Koji — Councillor Lavinia Bone
• Killing Eve — Julia
• The Durrells — Aunt Hermione
• 1864 — Queen Victoria
• Pat & Cabbage — Pat
• 2013The Christmas Candle — Lady Camdon
• 2013The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance — Narrator (Voice)
• 2012Cheerful Weather for the Wedding — Aunt Bella
• Death in Paradise — Patti Grenson
• 2011Just Henry — Mrs Beaumont
• The Borgias — Isabella
• 2010Burlesque Fairytales — Mrs. Argyle
• My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding — Narrator (voice)
• Moving On — Carol
• The Queen — The Queen
• 2008The Marchioness Disaster — Eileen Dallaglio
• 2007Christmas at the Riviera — Rita
• Cranford — Mrs Jamieson
• Guarding The Queen — Narrator
• 2006Cracker: Nine Eleven — Judith Fitzgerald
• 2006Miss Potter — Helen Potter
• The Line of Beauty — Sally Tipper
• Doctor Who — Awsok
• Elizabeth I — Mary Queen of Scots
• Malice Aforethought — Julia Bickleigh
• 2005The 7/7 Bombers: A Psychological Investigation — Voice
• The Queen's Castle — Narrator (Voice)
• He Knew He Was Right — Mrs French
• Sea of Souls — Lt Col Petra Summers
• 2003George Orwell: A Life In Pictures — Narrator
• 2003Hornblower: Duty — Mrs. Mason
• 2003Hornblower: Loyalty — Mrs. Mason
• 2003Rosalind Franklin: DNA's Dark Lady — Narrator
• 2002Night Flight — Moira
• The Forsyte Saga — Emily Forsyte
• The Inspector Lynley Mysteries — Maureen Finnegan
• 2001Lorna Doone — Sarah Ridd
• Murder in Mind — Grace Fisher
• Perfect — Imogen
• Lorna Doone — Sarah Ridd
• 1999The Escort — Kim's Mother
• Wives and Daughters — Miss Browning
• 1999You're Dead... — Prof. Corner
• 1998Dear Nobody — Chris' Mother
• Hornblower — Mrs Mason
• 1998King Lear — Goneril
• 1997The Vanishing Man — Me Jeffries
• The Vanishing Man — Dr Jeffries
• Dalziel and Pascoe — TV Documentary Narrator
• Silent Witness — Carol Fisher
• Chandler & Co — Dee Tate
• Cracker — Judith Fitzgerald
• Maigret
• Joshua Jones
• Performance — Goneril
• Agatha Christie's Poirot — Mrs Allerton
• 1989Benefactors
• 1989Bosses From Hell
• The Justice Game — Eleanor Goodchild
• The Beiderbecke Connection — Jill Swinburne
• Inspector Morse — Monica Height
• The Beiderbecke Tapes — Jill Swinburne
• A Very Peculiar Practice — Dr Rose Marie
• 1986Day To Remember — Judy
• 1986Season's Greetings — Belinda
• The Beiderbecke Affair — Jill Swinburne
• 1982A Mother Like Him — Jill
• 1982Britannia Hospital — Private Nurse
• The Barchester Chronicles — Mary Bold
• The New Adventures of Lucky Jim — Joanna Lassiter
• 1981No Visible Scar — Margaret Hanson
• The Bagthorpe Saga — Sue
• 1980Standing in for Henry — Heather
• 1977Love on a Gunboat — Monica Potter
• Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle — Pauline Sutton
• Open All Hours — The Milk Woman
• 1975The Flight Fund — Angie
• Playhouse — Heather
• Centre Play — Angie
• A Family at War — Freda MacKenzie, Freda Ashton
• Play for Today — Monica Potter, Jill, Margaret Hanson

Appearances as themselves (4)

• Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies — Herself - Narrator
• Celebrity Antiques Road Trip — Self - Participant
• 2009A Lion Called Christian — Self - Narrator(voice)
• 1999The Man Who Would Be Kubrick — Self - Narrator