The BBC medical soap Doctors is coming to an end after being on British TV for 24 years. The series has produced over 4496 episodes by the time of publication and it has given many writers and actors their first gig on TV. It has played a major part in the film and TV industry in Birmingham.
Due to the series being on for so long, it has had many actors who have appeared on the show. I have even known actors who have appeared in the soap. It has given many actors an early role and some have gone on to have big careers. To celebrate the show, we at Pop Culture Maniacs will highlight 15 of the most successful guest stars.
15. Helen George
Kicking off this list is Helen George. George’s appearance in Doctors was in the Season 12 episode “A Life in the Day,” where she played a student. George has spent the majority of her career on BBC One’s Call the Midwife and has been in every season of the show. There have been 13 seasons overall. She’s one of the most recognisable characters as the outgoing Trixie with her distinctive blond hair.
Outside of Call the Midwife, George has appeared in the fourth Nativity film, had one-off appearances in Red Dwarf and D.I. Ray, and came sixth in the thirteenth season of Strictly Come Dancing.
14. Claudia Jessie
Claudia Jessie made her acting debut in the Season 14 episode, “Host Family” and had a longer stint in Season 16 with 12 episodes. In the sixteenth season, Jessie played a 15-year-old girl who pretended to be older when she entered in to a relationship with an older man.
Jessie has been a regular performer on British TV, having guest appearances in shows like Father Brown and Doctor Who and many leading roles. Jessie took over the lead role in the third season of the BBC police procedural WPC 56, a part of the Bridgerton family in Netflix’s Bridgerton, the ITV/Amazon adaptation of Vanity Fair, and the Dave sitcom Porters. She is an actress who gets work.
13. Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith has been a regular on British TV since the noughties and roles in Doctors came in 2000 and 2004. Smith’s first role was in the first season of the show where she played a suicidal teenager, while in the second role, she played a young woman who pretended to go on a gap year.
Smith’s first major role was in the BBC sitcom Two Pints of Lager and Packet of Crisps. She played Janet in eight seasons and was part of one of the two couples on that show. Two Pints of Lager and Packet of Crisps was a popular show on BBC Three but critically divisive.
Smith has led many comedies and dramas in the UK, having credits in BBC dramatisation The Moorside, Channel 5’s The Teacher, and BBC Three sitcom Grownups. She had a supporting role in the hit show Gavin and Stacey.
Smith has also earned success on the West End. She has led West End productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde, and Funny Girl.
12. Tom Ellis
Welsh actor Tom Ellis who has had great success, and his appearance in Doctors came in a busy 2005. In the same year he was in Midsomer Murders and Waking the Dead. After Doctors Ellis played a doctor in Eastenders, appearing in 29 episodes. His early career is made up of many appearances on British shows.
Ellis earned a major role in Miranda, playing one of the titular character’s best friends and her main love interest. The role that made Ellis a star was Lucifer Morningstar in the comic book series Lucifer. In the show Ellis played the son of God and abdicates his role as the Lord of Hell so he could run a nightclub in Los Angeles. Lucifer ran six seasons, the first two were on Fox and for the rest of its run was on Netflix. Ellis reprised his role in an episode of The Flash.
11. Nicola Coughlan
Galway native Nicola Coughlan appeared in Doctors in the episode “Every End Has a Start” She played an Irish teenager who newly arrived in Letherbridge and was exploited by an older woman.
Coughlan’s career exploded in 2018 when she appeared in two major shows. She played a working girl in the historical drama Harlots. Coughlan’s break-out role was as a part of the ensemble of Derry Girls. Coughlan played the loveable but neurotic Clare who kept getting roped into her friends’ schemes. Clare was a good girl whose parents thought she was a delinquent.
Coughlan’s TV roles have expanded to Bridgerton and Big Mood. Bridgerton became one of Netflix’s biggest shows and Coughlan’s character, Penelope was a focal point of Season Three after being a major supporting character in the first two. Big Mood was a Channel 4 comedy-drama and she was the co-lead with Lydia West as two thirty-somethings struggle navigating through life.
In the film world Coughlan had a blink-and-you-miss-it role in the Barbie movie and was one of the main characters in the Medieval comedy Seize Them! Coughlan is set to guest star in the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas Special.
10. Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage’s appearance in Doctors came in 2001 when he played Dr Tom Steele in two episodes where he was hired as a locum. Armitage quickly a regular on British TV having roles in shows like Cold Feet, Ultimate Force, and North & South.
Armitage’s first regular role was the BBC series Robin Hood, a show made for the Saturday Night Prime Time slot and made to fill the void when Doctor Who was between seasons. Armitage played Guy of Gisborne, the second-in-command to the Sherrif of Nottingham. He was able to follow up his Robin Hood with lead roles in Spooks and Strike Back and these roles helped turn Armitage into a sex symbol in the UK.
Armitage’s biggest film role was as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit Trilogy. He was the exiled king of Erebor and made to be the Aragon stand-in for the prequel trilogy. He was a brooding type that was quick to anger. He won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Battle of the Five Armies and was nominated twice by Empire readers for his performance as Thorin.
After The Hobbit Armitage has appeared in numerous American TV shows. He earned Best Supporting Actor Awards for his six episodes in Hannibal, led the spy drama Berlin Station, and voiced Trevor Belmont in the animated adaptation of Castlevania.
9. Sam Heughan
The Scottish actor Sam Heughan had the longest guest run on Doctors on this list. He appeared in 21 episodes back in 2009 where he played the drug-addicted boyfriend of one of the main characters and died because of his addiction.
Heughan has predominately worked as a TV actor, appearing in a variety of shows like the Scottish soap River City, ITV mystery stable Midsomer Murder, and political drama Party Animals (a show that featured Matt Smith and Andrea Riseborough). His biggest role has been as Jamie Fraser in the hit historical drama Outlander. He is only one of two actors to appear in all seven seasons, the other actor is Caitriona Balfe. The Scottish set show has turned Heughan into a heartthrob and he has acted as a producer on the show. Heughan has used his success on the Starz show to lead and produce the travelogue series Men in Kilts.
Heughan has also appeared in numerous films, like the action-comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me and the Vin Diesel vehicle Bloodshot. Heughan had been considered to be a potential replacement for James Bond and the adaptation of SAS: Red Notice did act as an audition tape. However, at 44 years old the opportunity has probably passed him by.
8. Ruth Negga
Born in Ethiopia and raised in Ireland, Ruth Negga made her Doctors appearance in 2004. It was one of her first roles, the other two roles were in the Irish indie film Capital Letter and the TV series Love is the Drug.
Negga’s talents were recognised early, she earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Newcomer in a Play in 2004 and two nominations at the Irish Film & Television Academy Awards. She was selected as the 2006 Irish Shooting Star for the Berlin Film Festival, a program that recognised up-and-coming actors in 21 European countries.
Negga’s early career was mostly in British and Irish productions. She started getting roles in Hollywood productions in 2013 when she appeared in World War Z. Young mainstream audiences would first come across Negga when she appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where she played the mysterious Raina. Negga moved on to another comic book show when she became a part of the cast of Preacher and even has an executive producer credit on that show.
Negga gained awards recognition back in 2017 after she co-led the romantic drama Loving. Negga earned a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Negga’s performance in the 2021 film Passing earned her numerous awards from various critics associations and at the Independent Spirit Awards and she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress prizes at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.
In 2020 The Irish Times named Negga as one of the 50 greatest Irish actors, a list that included the likes of Michael Fassbender, Liam Neeson, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
7. Jodie Comer
Jodie Comer has proven herself to be one of the best actors of her generation. Like many British actors, Comer started her career appearing in numerous TV shows like Holby City, Waterloo Road, and Casualty. One of these roles was in Doctors where she played a struggling teenage mother.
Comer made her name with her TV work. She earned major supporting roles in My Mad Fat Diary and Doctor Foster, and her performance in Thirteen was when I first noticed her. Comer’s star-making role as the psychopathic assassin Villanelle in Killing Eve. She was the most memorable part of that show.
Her film roles include Free Guy, The Last Duel, and The Bikeriders, letting her work with name directors like Ridley Scott and Mike Nichols. She has held her own when with big-name actors such as Tom Hardy and Austin Butler and has often been one of the best parts of a production.
Comer has already won an Emmy and a Tony, if she wins an Oscar Comer would earn the rare feat of an acting triple crown.
6. Claire Foy
Claire Foy’s appearance in Doctors came very early in her career. In the episode “The Party’s Over” Foy played an Oxford medical student who has concerns for her drug-addicted mother. In the same year “The Party’s Over” was broadcast Foy appeared in the pilot episode of Being Human which became a cult hit and led the BBC adaptation of Little Dorritt.
Foy had a successful career on TV, appearing in the period drama Upstairs Downstairs and TV adaptation of Wolf Hall, and was in films like Wreckers and Vampire Academy. I first came across Foy in the fantasy B-movie Season of the Witch where she played a witch being transported by two knights played by Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. While that film was so-so, Foy did leave an impression because I thought she gave an excellent performance.
Foy’s biggest role was in the high Netflix show The Crown as the young Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown earned Foy a lot of fame and acclaim, leading to her winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Foy put her fame to good use since she has appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films like Breathe, First Man, Women Talking, and All of Us Strangers.
5. Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Doctors gave Phoebe Waller-Bridge her TV debut in 2009 in the episode “Chef’s Secret.” In that episode Waller-Bridge played a restaurant manager who needed to deal with running a restaurant and her head chef’s health problems.
After Doctors Waller-Bridge quickly earned many roles on screen, including in the Sky One sitcom The Café and the second season of Broadchurch. Her breakout role was in her one-woman play Fleabag which premiered at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was adapted into the critically acclaimed TV series of the same name. The stage and screen versions of Fleabag have earned Waller-Bridge numerous awards and nominations.
Waller-Bridge has become a big-name actress and writer after Fleabag. She has appeared in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, has written and produced Killing Eve, and acted as a co-writer on No Time to Die.
4. Lashana Lynch
Lashana Lynch’s appeared in a two-part episode back in 2016. This appearance came towards the end of the jobber phase of Lynch’s career. Beforehand Lynch had one-off roles in shows like Silent Witness, Atlantis, and Death in Paradise and indie films like Powder Room and Brotherhood.
After appearing in Doctors Lynch earned more regular roles. One of them was the ABC period drama Still Star-Crossed which acted as a sequel to Romeo and Juliet, and the first season of the action series Bulletproof. Lynch’s breakout role was in Captain Marvel where she played Maria Rambeau, an ally of the titular character, and has appeared in the MCU two more times in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels.
Lynch’s biggest role was in the 25th Bond film, No Time to Die. She played Nomi, a Double-0 agent who took the 007 codename after James Bond retired. Lynch showed off her action abilities and cheeky wit as a character has briefly riled up YouTube reactionaries. Lynch also showed her tough girl persona in the historical epic The Woman King as a member of the Agojie, whilst her softer side was presented in Matilda the Musical.
Lynch is set to lead a television remake of The Day of the Jackal alongside another alumnus from Doctors.
3. Emilia Clarke
Doctors gave Emilia Clarke her first TV role when she appeared in the episode “Empty Nest.” In that episode, Clarke played a university student who had a troubling relationship with her father. When Clarke attended the 2020 Edinburgh TV Festival she recounted an embarrassing incident where she only had one take, told she couldn’t mess up and a crew member farted.
Clarke was propelled to stardom when she played Daenerys Targaryen in Games of Thrones. In a series filled with big-name characters and memorable characters, Daenerys was one of the most memorable and popular. Whilst on the show Clarke had major roles in Dom Hemingway, Me Before You, and Last Christmas and appeared in the Terminator and Star Wars franchises. Post Game of Thrones she got to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when she was in Secret Invasion.
As well as acting, Clarke has become a health campaigner and her charity work was recognised with an MBE in 2024
2. Nicholas Hoult
Before becoming a star, Nicholas Hoult was a child actor and early in his career he appeared in Doctors. Hoult started his career doing the rounds on British TV and having one-off appearances in Causality, The Bill, and Silent Witness. Hoult’s role in Doctors came out a year before his lead performance in About a Boy.
Hoult’s character has constantly been on the up. He was one of the leads in Skins, and his class contained Dev Patel, Hannah Murray, and Daniel Kaluuya. He has gone on to be a franchise performer, playing Beast in the X-Men series, one of Immortan Joe’s War Boys in Mad Max: Fury Road, and set to play Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman movie.
Hoult has a fair share of critically acclaimed projects to his name. These include The Favourite, The Great, and The Menu. Hoult has shown he has great range throughout his career.
1. Eddie Redmayne
Topping this list has to be the award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. Doctors gave Redmayne one of his first TV roles. In the episode “Crescendo” Redmayne played a schoolboy who didn’t want to join the RAF despite the pressure that he needed to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Redmayne has gone on to have an incredibly successful career on the stage and screen. His performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything earned Redmayne many awards including an Academy Award and a BAFTA. His other roles that earned him award nominations were in The Danish Girl and The Good Nurse. He has also won a Tony Award for his performance in John Logan’s Red, and two Laurence Olivier Awards for Red and Cabaret.
Redmayne’s most famous role outside his awards performances was leading the Fantastic Beasts series as Newt Scamander. Redmayne’s Oscar win opened a lot of doors, with many leading roles from being the lead character in an Aardman film to being a part of an Aaron Sorkin ensemble.
