Harriet Thorpe

Harriet Thorpe is an English actress who trained in dance at the Royal Ballet School before enrolling at a London drama school in 1979. She became known for British sitcom roles, playing Carole Parkinson in The Brittas Empire and Fleur, an eccentric colleague, in Absolutely Fabulous. Her other television work includes Casualty, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Hollyoaks and Endeavour, and she has played Elaine Peacock in EastEnders since 2023. Her film credits include Mike Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1991) and Calendar Girls. On stage she has worked at the Royal National Theatre and in the West End, with roles in Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables, Cabaret, Wicked and Mamma Mia!, and her part in Crazy For You at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park earned a nomination at the 2012 Theatregoers' Choice Awards.