Philippa "Pippa" Haywood is a renowned English actress, hailing from Hatfield, Hertfordshire. She received her formal training at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Haywood's extensive television career has seen her take on a wide range of roles. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Helen Brittas in the BBC One comedy series The Brittas Empire, which aired from 1991 to 1997. Additionally, she has appeared in the BBC Two comedy Fear, Stress & Anger, and the Channel 4 comedy Green Wing, for which she won the "best comedy female performance" award at the 2005 Rose d'Or television festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.
In addition to her comedic roles, Haywood has also demonstrated her dramatic range in a variety of productions. Some of her notable dramatic roles include Jenny Thorne in the 1988 ITV drama serial The One Game, and Mrs. Upjohn in the 2008 Agatha Christie's Poirot episode "Cat Among the Pigeons". She also appeared as a guest star in the last episode of the first series of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries in 2002.
In recent years, Haywood has continued to work in television, with notable roles in the BBC One drama Prisoners' Wives, and the ITV drama series Scott & Bailey. She has also appeared in the BBC TV adaptation of E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia, as Susan Wyse, and took over the role of Helen Golightly in the long-running BBC Radio 4 comedy Clare in the Community in 2015.
In addition to her television work, Haywood has also had a successful career in film and theatre. Her recent stage credits include House & Garden, Private Lives, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Winter's Tale, Requiem, and Landscape with Weapon at the National Theatre. She has also appeared in the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs production of Wanderlust, and starred alongside Hugh Dennis in Midsomer Murders on December 18th, 2016.
