Julia Watson (born 13 September 1953) is a British actress, known for playing Barbara 'Baz' Wilder in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

medical drama ''

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 ...

''.

Life and career

Watson was born on 13 September 1953 in

Maesteg Maesteg (; ) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translatio ...

and brought up in the

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

area. Talking about her parents in an interview with the ''Casualty'' fansite, holby.tv, she comments that they were fantastic and devoted. She cites this as reason why she feels so torn between career and family. She is married to the writer,

David Harsent David Harsent (born in Devon in 1942) is an English poet who for some time earned his living as a TV scriptwriter and crime novelist. Background During his early career he was part of a circle of poets centred on Ian Hamilton and forming somet ...

; they met at a dinner party and eventually married in a registry office in Fulham. They have a daughter, Hannah, born in 1990 and Watson says of her that she is their "greatest born and blessing." Watson studied Drama and English at

Exeter University The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School o ...

. Her previous jobs included founding a Community Centre in Newcastle and working in Education at the Nottingham Theatre. In addition to her acting roles, she edited anthologies of poetry and readings for weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies.

Filmography

Television

Radio

*''The Comedy of Errors'' *''

Shadow Play Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment which uses flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim (material), ...

'' (31 May 1999 on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

)

Stage

*1980s **''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' – played Jenny Hill in a 1982 production at

Lyttelton Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

**''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Literary realism, Realism in the so-called Vormär ...

'' – played Lady Eugenie in a 1984 production at Olivier Theatre **''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

'' – played Kate Hardcastle in a 1985 production at National Theatre **''An Act of Faith'' – played Helen in a 1985 production at

National Theatre Studio The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

**''John Bull'' – played in a 1987 production at

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

**''Love on the Plastic'' – played in a 1987 production at

Half Moon Theatre The Half Moon Theatre Company was formed in 1972 in a rented synagogue in Alie Street, Whitechapel, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ''Half Moon Passage'' was the name of a nearby alley. The founders, Michael Irving and Maurice Colbour ...

*1990s **''Six Fools'' – played in a 1992 production at

Old Red Lion Theatre The Old Red Lion (ORL), also known as the Old Red Lion Theatre (ORLT) and The Old Red, is a pub and fringe theatre, at Angel, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre was founded in 1979 as the Old Red Lion Theatre Club. The pub was Grad ...

**''

Joking Apart ''Joking Apart'' is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark (Robert Bathurst) and Becky ( Fiona Gillies), who fall in love and marry, before getting separated and f ...

'' – played Anthea in a 1995 production at

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ri ...

*2000s **''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' – played Marmee in a 2006 touring production **''Tosca’s Kiss'' – played Rebecca West in a 2006 production at

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. Th ...

*2010s **''

Amy's View ''Amy's View'' is a play written by British playwright David Hare. It premiered in London at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre on 13 June 1997, directed by Richard Eyre and starring Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup and Samantha Bond ...

'' – played Esme in a 2010 production at

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

**''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' – played Lady Chiltern in a 2010 production at Nottingham Playhouse **''

My Family and Other Animals ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an autobiography, autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and wid ...

'' – played Durrell's mother in a 2011 production at

Theatre Royal, York York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to off ...

**''

Love's Comedy ''Love's Comedy'' () is a comedy by Henrik Ibsen. It was first published on 29 December 1862. As a result of being branded an " immoral" work in the press, the Christiania Theatre would not dare to stage it at first. "The play aroused a storm of ...

'' – played Mrs Halm in a 2012 production at Orange Tree Theatre **'' The Stepmother'' – played Charlotte Gaydon in a 2013 production at Orange Tree Theatre **''The Man Who Pays the Piper'' – played Mrs Fairley in a 2013 production at Orange Tree Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Julia Living people 1953 births Alumni of the University of Exeter People from Maesteg Actresses from Derby 20th-century British actresses 21st-century British actresses Actresses from Bridgend County Borough