Amanda Barrie, born Shirley Anne Broadbent on 14 September 1935 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, became one of Britain’s most recognisable actresses, her career spanning stage, film, and television across more than six decades. Educated at St Anne’s College in Lytham St Annes, she later trained at the Arts Educational Schools in London and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, marking the beginning of a life devoted to performance.
She first appeared in pantomime as a child and went on to work as a dancer and chorus girl in the West End, performing at the Windsor Club at sixteen alongside Danny La Rue and Barbara Windsor. It was during this period that she adopted the professional name Amanda Barrie before making her West End debut in Babes in the Wood (1961). Throughout the 1960s she appeared in major stage productions including Cabaret, Private Lives, Hobson’s Choice and Aladdin. Her screen debut came with Operation Bullshine (1959), followed by appearances in What a Whopper and Doctor in Distress. She gained national attention through her roles in the Carry On films, first as a cab driver in Carry On Cabby (1963) and then in the title role of Carry On Cleo (1964).
Amanda Barrie and Sid James on the set of Carry on Cleo at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire. 4th August 1964.
In 1965 she appeared alongside singer Billy Fury in I’ve Gotta Horse, filmed partly in Blackpool, and also performed in the local stage comedy A Publish Mischief. Her professional collaboration with Fury developed into a brief romance, during which he proposed marriage, though Barrie declined.
Amanda Barrie, pictured ahead of her performance in the comedy A Publish Mischief in Blackpool. The play headed to London in May 1965. Co – stars George Cole. Picture taken 27th April 1965.
Two years later she married the actor and theatre director Robin Hunter. The couple separated in the mid-1980s but never divorced, remaining close until Hunter’s death in 2004. They had no children. In her autobiography It’s Not a Rehearsal, Barrie spoke publicly about her bisexuality, and in 2014 she married her long-term partner, the writer Hilary Bonner. The couple maintain homes in London and in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset.
Barrie’s career flourished on both stage and screen during the 1970s. She co-presented the children’s television programme Hickory House with former Coronation Street actor Alan Rothwell between 1973 and 1977, and appeared in the Walt Disney film One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975). Subsequent roles included guest appearances in the BBC comedy Are You Being Served? (1979) and a leading part in the sitcom L for Lester (1982) alongside Brian Murphy.
Coronation Street – Christmas Photocall. Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin), Amanda Barrie (Alma Baldwin) and William Roache (Ken Barlow). 19th December 1991.
Her most enduring success came with ITV’s Coronation Street, where she first appeared in small roles before being cast permanently in 1988 as Alma Sedgewick, later Baldwin. Over the next two decades she became one of the programme’s best-loved characters, remaining until 2001 when her on-screen death from cervical cancer drew widespread public attention. After leaving the series, Barrie continued acting, including roles in the BBC’s Doctors and ITV’s Bad Girls, where she played Bev Tull opposite Stephanie Beacham’s Phyl Oswyn—the duo known to fans as “The Costa Cons.”
Her versatility extended to reality and entertainment television, with appearances on Hell’s Kitchen, pantomime editions of The Weakest Link, and a series of pantomime performances across the country. She played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (2005) and repeatedly appeared as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, including a celebrated run at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre in 2008–09, followed by further performances in Rhyl, Bournemouth, Worthing and Lowestoft. Later television work included guest roles in Holby City (2012), a return to Coronation Street in 2014 for the documentary Gail & Me: 40 Years on Coronation Street, and a recurring role as Psychic Sue in the ITV sitcom Benidorm between 2015 and 2017. She also starred in Tea for Two (2015) alongside John Challis and appeared in Together (2018) with Sylvia Syms and Peter Bowles.
In January 2018 she participated in Celebrity Big Brother, and in 2019 joined Celebrity 5 Go Barging, exploring the canals of Staffordshire and Warwickshire by narrowboat. Amanda Barrie’s career reflects the evolution of British popular entertainment—from post-war theatre and film to contemporary television. Proud of her Lancashire roots and admired for her wit, warmth, and resilience, she remains one of Britain’s most enduring and beloved performers.
Amanda Barrie, pictured ahead of her performance in the comedy A Publish Mischief in Blackpool. The play headed to London in May 1965. Co – stars George Cole. Picture taken 27th April 1965.
