Natalie Roles
Natalie Roles | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 September 1968 |
| Occupation | Actress |
Natalie Joanne Roles (born 8 September 1968) is a British actress, known for playing DS Debbie McAllister in the British police drama The Bill.
Early life
Roles is from Hertfordshire. Her mother is Maltese and her father is British.[1] Along with her sister, Roles attended the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts in Sussex.[2]
Career
She started her TV career as a dancer in 1988 on the musical film It Couldn't Happen Here, starring Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys. In 1993, she made a guest appearance as school secretary Janet Clark in the Press Gang episode "Head and Heart". In 1995, she appeared in an episode of sitcom Men Behaving Badly as one of Tony's three girlfriends. She also appeared in the espionage thriller film Night Watch alongside Pierce Brosnan,[2] and the 1996 British drama film Indian Summer (also known as Alive & Kicking).[3]
In 2000, Roles had a lead role in the BBC series Take a Girl Like You,[2] before she was cast as DS Debbie McAllister in the ITV drama The Bill.[4] She had previously appeared in the serial in guest roles.[2] Her character was introduced alongside several other cast changes in the aftermath of the DS Don Beech scandal storyline. In her four years on The Bill, Roles was involved in some of the biggest storylines, including a starring role in the plot that led to the eventual departure of Supt Tom Chandler.
She has also appeared in the Minder episode "Opportunity Knocks and Bruises" as Amanda, a nurse and Ray Daley's latest girlfriend.[1] In 1999, she played a nurse in The New Professionals, and appeared in Highlander: The Raven.[1] Roles guested in the ITV medical drama The Golden Hour in 2005.
In 2022, Roles was interviewed by former The Bill co-star Suzanne Maddock for a three-part edition of The Bill Podcast, discussing her time on the series and career as a whole.[5] Roles has subsequently taken over from Oliver Crocker as the presenter of The Bill Podcast, interviewing her co-stars Beth Cordingly, Raji James, Jane Wall, Pal Aron and Brian Bovell, and former executive producer Paul Marquess.[6]
In 2023, Roles was cast as Abigail Wesley in the fiction podcast Letter from Helvetica, written by and co-starring Andrew Mackintosh, the pair having first worked together on two episodes of The Bill. A second series followed in 2024.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | It Couldn't Happen Here | Dancer | Musical film |
| 1991 | The Upper Hand | Model | TV series, 1 episode: "Older Than Springtime" |
| Screen One | (uncredited) | TV series, 1 episode: "Alive and Kicking", | |
| 1993 | Press Gang | Janet | TV series, 1 episode: "Head and Heart" |
| Minder | Amanda | TV series, 1 episode: "Opportunity Knocks and Bruises" | |
| 1993 | The Bill | Mandy Cartwright | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1995 | Woof! | Marion | TV series, 1 episode: "Birthday" |
| Detonator II: Night Watch | Jennifer | American TV movie | |
| Men Behaving Badly | Imogen | TV series, 1 episode: "Three Girlfriends" | |
| Space Precinct | Officer Chloe Vincent | TV series, 1 episode: "Predator and Prey" | |
| 1996 | Alive and Kicking | Catherine | Film |
| 1997 | The Bill | Sara Everitt | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999 | CI5: The New Professionals | Nurse | TV series, 1 episode: "Miss Hit" |
| Cold Feet | Callie | TV series, 1 episode: "Episode #2.3" | |
| Highlander: The Raven | Janet Ross | TV series, 1 episode: "Dead on Arrival" | |
| 2000 | Take a Girl Like You | Joan | TV series, 2 episodes: "Part 2" and "Part 3" |
| 2000–2004 | The Bill | DS Debbie McAllister | TV series, 189 episodes |
| 2005 | The Golden Hour | Nikki | TV mini-series, 1 episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| Doctors | Paula Westlake | TV series, 1 episode: "Under the Weather" | |
| Holby City | Suzanne Lake | TV series, 1 episode: "War and Peace" | |
| 2006 | The Gil Mayo Mysteries | Sarah Ludlow | TV mini-series, 1 episode: "A Sunset Touch" |
| 2023–2024 | Letter from Helvetica | Abigail Wesley | Fictional podcast, 12 episodes |
| 2024 | Murder by Appointment | Joan Langford | Short film |
| Jackson's Cat | Rosie | Short film | |
| Still Got It | Ash | Web series, pilot | |
| The Gerry Anderson Podcast | Self / Chloe Vincent | Web series, 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | Letter from Helvetica: Christmas Specials | Abigail Wesley | Fictional podcast, 2 episodes |
| Do Us Part | Lisa | Short film | |
| I Love This Job: The Making of Space Precinct | Self / Chloe Vincent | Documentary |
References
- ^ a b c Allen, Felicity (4 December 2002). "Roles reversal". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via Gale.
- ^ a b c d Gibb, Bill (16 December 2000). "Being nasty is best fun for Natalie". The Weekly News. Retrieved 21 February 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Indian Summer". Variety. 9 September 1996. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Foster, J. J. (3 October 2019). "The Cast Of The Bill, And Why They Have Stayed Out Of The Spotlight". Pens & Patron. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "The Bill Podcast 81 - Natalie Roles (D.S. Debbie McAllister) Part 1".
- ^ "The Bill Podcast | creating Exclusive Podcasts, Reactions and Commentaries".
- ^ "Letter from Helvetica | Podcast". letterfromhelvetica.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.