Caroline Catz
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Caroline Catz (born Caroline Caplan; 19 October 1970) is an English film, television and theatre actress and narrator. She is best known for her role as Louisa Glasson in ''
Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. The ...
'' since 2004. Her other major roles have included Detective Inspector Kate Ashurst in ''
Murder in Suburbia ''Murder in Suburbia'' is a British television drama series first broadcast on ITV on 13 March 2004. The series focuses on the work of DS Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner) and DI Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz), police detectives assigned to the m ...
'', Detective Inspector Helen Morton in ''
DCI Banks ''DCI Banks'' is a British television crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. Originally broadcast over five series in 2010–2016, the series was based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and ...
'', and PC Cheryl Hutchins in '' The Vice''.


Early life

Caroline Catz was born Caroline Caplan on 19 October 1969 in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
to Bernard and Rosemary Caplan.


Television and cinema

She played opposite Michael Kitchen in a TV movie, ''The Guilty'' in June 1992. In 1994 she took a lead role in the BBC's ''
All Quiet on the Preston Front ''All Quiet on the Preston Front'' is a BBC comedy drama about a group of friends in the fictional Lancashire town of Roker Bridge, and their links to the local Territorial Army infantry platoon. It was created by Tim Firth. Episodes Three ser ...
'', which ran for three series. She followed this with a spell in ''
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 ...
'' as Rosie Fox, during which she met
Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'' and Andy Hunter in '' EastEnders'', in addition to an 8-episode stretch as Dr ...
, who later became her husband. Her part in ''The Bill'' was the first of four long-term roles in which she played police officers; in '' The Vice'' she was a PC, in ''
Murder in Suburbia ''Murder in Suburbia'' is a British television drama series first broadcast on ITV on 13 March 2004. The series focuses on the work of DS Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner) and DI Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz), police detectives assigned to the m ...
'' and ''
DCI Banks ''DCI Banks'' is a British television crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. Originally broadcast over five series in 2010–2016, the series was based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and ...
'' she was a
Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
. From 2004 to 2022 Catz has starred in ITV's ''
Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. The ...
'', where she plays primary school headmistress Louisa Ellingham, (nee Glasson). Catz has continued to appear in one-off roles, including ''
In Denial of Murder ''In Denial of Murder'' is a two-part British television crime drama series, written by Neil McKay and directed by David Richards, that first broadcast on BBC One on 29 February 2004. The series follows investigative journalist Don Hale (Stephen ...
'', in which she played real-life murder victim Wendy Sewell, and in an episode of '' Hotel Babylon''. She also appeared in a two-part episode of '' Single Handed'', entitled ''The Stolen Child'', as Dr Maggie Hunter. Originally shown in Ireland in January 2008, the episode was broadcast by ITV on 9 August 2009. From 2012 until 2016, she played Detective Inspector Helen Morton in ''
DCI Banks ''DCI Banks'' is a British television crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. Originally broadcast over five series in 2010–2016, the series was based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and ...
''. In November 2016, ITV cancelled the programme. In 2014, Catz directed the documentary titled ''A Message to the World...Whatever Happened to Jesse Hector?'' Also in 2014, she narrated the BBC's television documentary ''Ebola – The Search for a Cure''. Catz starred in the 2016
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
sitcom series '' I Want My Wife Back'', playing the role of Bex. In 2017, Catz wrote, directed, and starred in a short documentary, ''Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes,'' (2017) that was screened at the BFI London Film Festival. She expanded it into a feature-length film that debuted in October 2020. In 2018, she was the narrator on '' Britain's Biggest Warship'', a documentary series about the aircraft carrier .


Radio

She co-starred in ''
Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univers ...
'', a radio play broadcast by
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
on 4 February 2009.


Stage

In November 2008 she played Anna, the puppet maker, in the stage production ''On Emotion''. She has previously appeared in the West End in the
Out of Joint Out of Joint is a British and international touring theatre company based in London. It specialises in the commissioning and production of new writing, interspersed with occasional revivals and classic productions. It was founded in 1993 by direct ...
/
Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...
production of Mark Ravenhill's ''
Shopping and Fucking ''Shopping and Fucking'' (sometimes billed as ''Shopping and F**king'') is a 1996 play by English playwright Mark Ravenhill. It was Ravenhill's first full-length play. It received its first public reading at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1 ...
'' in 1997, which earned controversy for its subject matter, while Catz herself appeared topless in one scene. However, she gained notice for her performance by critics, as well as for being the only woman in the production. In 2012 she played Marlene in Caryl Churchill's play ''
Top Girls ''Top Girls'' is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It centres around Marlene, a career-driven woman who is heavily invested in women's success in business. The play examines the roles available to women in old society, and what it means or takes fo ...
'' directed by
Max Stafford-Clark Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark (born 17 March 1941) is a British theatre director. Life and career Stafford-Clark was born in Cambridge, England. the son of David Stafford-Clark, a physician, and Dorothy Crossley (née Old ...
. In 2018, Catz played Susan in ''Curtains'' at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. Other theatre roles include Haunted (West End), ''
The Recruiting Officer ''The Recruiting Officer'' is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where Farquhar himse ...
'' (Chichester Festival Theatre), ''Dogs Barking'' (Bush Theatre) and ''
Six Degrees of Separation Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It is also k ...
'' at the Royal Court Theatre.


Personal life

Catz is married to actor
Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'' and Andy Hunter in '' EastEnders'', in addition to an 8-episode stretch as Dr ...
, who she met on the set of ''
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 ...
''. They have a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2006.


Filmography

;Television ;Film


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Catz, Caroline Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Manchester English stage actresses English television actresses 1969 births