Carol Leader (born 10 November 1950 in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

) is a former English theatrical and television actress, and senior psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She played Barbara Charlton in '' Young at Heart'' from 1980 to 1981, and Sadie Tomkins in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' from 1988 to 1989, and has also been in ''

Flambards ''Flambards'' is a novel for children or young adults by K. M. Peyton, first published by Oxford University Press in 1967 with illustrations by Victor Ambrus. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) name ...

'', ''Sally Ann'', ''First and Last'' (1989), ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most ...

'' and 1992 TV series ''Kevin and Co''. She has also appeared in UK television series including ''

Late Starter ''Late Starter'' is the fourth solo album by Mike Harrison, best known as a principal lead vocalist of Spooky Tooth. Released in 2006, it is Harrison's first solo album in over thirty years, following the release of '' Rainbow Rider'' in 1975. ...

'', '' Tales of the Unexpected'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' and ''

The Knock ''The Knock'' is a British television crime drama, created by Anita Bronson and broadcast on ITV, which portrayed the activities of customs officers from the London City & South Collection Investigation Unit of HM Customs and Excise. The seri ...

''. She is perhaps best known, however, to those who were young children in the 1970s and 1980s as a presenter of long-running UK children's TV series '' Play School'', and children's TV show ''

Chock-A-Block ''Chock-A-Block'' is a BBC children's television programme, created by Michael Cole (writer), Michael Cole and Nick Wilson. It was first shown in 1981 and repeated through to 1989 and shown as part of the children's programme cycle ''See-Saw (TV ...

'', which she co-presented with fellow former ''Play School'' host Fred Harris. Leader's acting career began at the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

where she studied History and feature in drama productions, including the role of Charlotte Corday in Y.U.D.S. ''Marat-Sade'' production in 1971. Despite a successful stage and television career, Leader eventually quit acting and now works as a

psychoanalytic PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might be ...

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and is a senior member of the Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy and a senior associate of Management Training Company, Maynard Leigh Associates.www.carolleader.co.uk
/ref> She is a registrant of the British Psychoanalytic Council. She also lives in

with fellow former actor Michael Maynard. They have one son.

References

English television actresses English stage actresses People from Colchester English television presenters BBC television presenters 1950 births Living people Alumni of the University of York {{UK-tv-actor-1950s-stub