Tessa Peake-Jones (born 9 May 1957) is an English actress having appeared in ''

The Danedyke Mystery ''The Danedyke Mystery'' is a 1979 British mystery television series which originally aired on ITV in 1979.Docherty & McGown p.132 A former police detective turned Anglican priest investigates strange goings on in the village of Danedyke St Mary ...

'' (1979), ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'' (1980), '' When We Are Married'' (1987), '' Up the Garden Path'' (1990–1993), '' So Haunt Me'' (1992–1994), ' (1996–1998), ' (1997), '' Summer in the Suburbs'' (2000), ''

Poppy Shakespeare ''Poppy Shakespeare'' is a 2006 novel about mental illness by Clare Allan. It tells the story of day patients at a mental health hospital. The central characters are Poppy Shakespeare, a new patient, and "N", a long-term patient. Poppy arrives a ...

'' (2008), '' Doctors'' (2009–2011), '' Unforgotten'' (2015). However, she was best known for her role as Raquel in the BBC sitcom ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...

'', between 1988 and 2003, and as Mrs. Maguire in ''

Grantchester Grantchester is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge. Name The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Grantesete'' and ''Graunts ...

'' (2014-2022).

Early life and education

Peake-Jones was born on May 9, 1957, in London, to her mother: Mary, and raised in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

and educated at Kenmore Park Junior School, Harrow and Downer Grammar School, (now known as

Canons High School Canons High School (CHS) is an academy school situated in Edgware, Middlesex in the eastern part of the London Borough of Harrow. It also has an attached sixth form centre which forms part of the Harrow Sixth Form Collegiate. The school was form ...

), leaving in 1973. before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Television

Peake-Jones is best known for playing

Raquel Turner Rachel "Raquel" Turner (formerly Slater; born 4 June 1957See ) is a fictional character from the BBC television sit-com ''Only Fools and Horses'', in which she is Del Boy's long-term partner. She is portrayed by Tessa Peake-Jones. Character ...

, the long-time partner of the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter (played by

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...

) in the television comedy ''

'' from 1988–1993, 1996 and 2001–2003. She had a co-starring role in the 1999 TV series ''Births, Marriages, and Deaths''. Her other television appearances include ''

The Demon Headmaster ''The Demon Headmaster'' is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah. The title character is a strange being with the powers of ...

'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'', '' Casualty'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'', ''

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 o ...

'', '' Up the Garden Path'' and '' So Haunt Me''. She appeared in the BBC adaptation of Iris Murdoch's ''The Bell'' (1982). She also played the role of the bookish sister Mary Bennet in the BBC serial adaptation of ''

'' (1980). In March 2008 she appeared as a member of staff in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

psychiatric hospital drama ''

''. In both 2009 and 2011, Peake-Jones played

Sue Bond Sue Bond (born 9 May 1945) is a British actress, cabaret singer and comedian, best remembered for her appearances on '' The Benny Hill Show'' in the early 1970s. She appeared with Benny Hill for three years between 1970 and 1973, making her o ...

in the BBC daytime soap opera, '' Doctors''. In 2013 she appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' Christmas episode "

The Time of the Doctor "The Time of the Doctor" is an episode of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', written by Steven Moffat and directed by Jamie Payne, and was broadcast as the ninth ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special on 25 December 2013 ...

", playing a character called Marta. Since 2014 she has appeared in ''

'' as Mrs Sylvia Maguire, the vicar's religious and cantankerous housekeeper. In 2019, Peake-Jones appeared on the ITV show ''All Star Musicals'', singing " Mamma Mia" from ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

'' the musical;

Personal life

Peake-Jones' former partner and father to her 2 children was actor Douglas Hodge, they separated in February 2013 after 27 years together. They have two children, Charlie and Molly-Rose.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Exploring Grantchester character of Mrs. Maguire played by Tessa Peake-Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peake-Jones, Tessa 1957 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama British comedy actresses English television actresses English film actresses Living people People from Hammersmith People educated at Canons High School