Julia Charlotte L. Davis is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. A nine-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won Best Comedy Writing for Hunderby in 2013 and the 2018 British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy for Sally4Ever. She has also received two RTS Awards and three British Comedy Awards. In addition to acting in her own works, she has appeared in a variety of other British television comedies, most notably portraying Dawn Sutcliffe in Gavin & Stacey (2007–2009, 2019, 2024). Her film roles include Love Actually (2003), Cemetery Junction (2010), Four Lions (2010), and Phantom Thread (2017). Julia Davis was born in Guildford, Surrey on August 25, 1966 Her mother was a secretary, and her father a civil servant. She grew up in Guildford, Surrey, before moving at the age of 14 to Bath in Somerset. She was raised in the Church of England. After studying for a degree in English and drama at the College of Ripon and York St John, she returned to Bath working "dead-end jobs", starting a comedy double-act The Sisters of Percy with her friend Jane Roth at a local theatre group. It grew into an improv troupe with Welsh radio DJ Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones. Davis decided to become a comedian after a long illness. She secured her first comedy commission, Five Squeezy Pieces, from BBC Radio 4 in 1998. The series was an all-female sketch comedy show, with Meera Syal, Arabella Weir, Maria McErlane, and Claire Calman. She first appeared on television in 1998 in the BBC sketch show Comedy Nation. During their radio sketch series Five Squeezy Pieces, Arabella Weir introduced Davis to Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan who cast her as a regular cast member in the television sketch show Big Train (1998). Her career gained a further boost in 1998 after she sent a tape of various characters to Steve Coogan, who invited her to write for and participate in his shows during his 1998 national tour. Chris Morris, director of the Big Train pilot, cast her for his 1997–1999 radio series Blue Jam, its successor March–April 2000 TV show Jam, and Brass Eye. Davis went on to appear in many comedy television shows including I'm Alan Partridge, I Am Not an Animal, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Ideal and Nathan Barley. In 2004 and 2005, Davis wrote and starred in two series of the BBC Three dark comedy Nighty Night. The show is centred on her character of peroxide "blonde" sociopathic beauty therapist Jill Tyrell. In 2015, Davis and Marc Wootton created and starred in BBC Radio 4 comedy series Couples, about couples in therapy. It was reported in 2015 that Davis had been commissioned for a new series, Robin's Test, which was later renamed Camping. In 2016, Davis wrote, directed and starred as shallow nymphomaniac "Fay" in Camping on Sky Atlantic. This was her directorial debut. At the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards, Camping was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy. In 2017, Davis was featured in the Paul Thomas Anderson film Phantom Thread as Lady Baltimore.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 25, 1966 (60)
- Guildford, Surrey, England, UK
- Actor and writer
- 34 on MovieCove · 70 credits in all
What are Julia Davis' films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 1 · Earnest 9
Light 8 · Serious 4 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4
Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 3
A split, not a type: Steady 8 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5
A split, not a type: Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 4
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Allyas Ruth in AD/BC: A Rock Opera (2004)
- Shadowas Fanny Cradock in Fear of Fanny (2006)
- Shapeshifteras Popova in Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010)
- Tricksteras Dorothy in Hunderby (2012)
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Julia Davis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Julia Davis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
70 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Toxic Avenger(2023)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Fairy Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Person of Interest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Run Rabbit Run(2023)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
My Massive Cock(2022)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Nude Tuesday(2022)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
A Very British Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Sing 2(2021)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Outlaws(2021)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Clearing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Gavin & Stacey: A Special Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Fighting with My Family(2019)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Shivering Truth(2018)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Sally4Ever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Camping (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Stath Lets Flats(2018)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
Phantom Thread(2017)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Brakes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Electric Dreams(2017)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
Camping (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Morning Has Broken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Understudy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Inside No. 9(2014)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Psychobitches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
It's Kevin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Uncle Wormsley's Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Hunderby(2012)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Bad Sugar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Playhouse Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Black Mirror(2011)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Arthur Christmas(2011)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Chekhov Comedy Shorts(2010)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Come on Eileen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Four Lions(2010)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Cemetery Junction(2010)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Lizzie and Sarah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
10 Minute Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special 2008 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Gavin & Stacey(2007)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Persuasion(2007)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all filmsFor the Love of God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Born Equal(2006)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Fear of Fanny(2006)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Confetti(2006)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Nathan Barley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Ideal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
AD/BC: A Rock Opera(2004)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
I Am Not an Animal(2004)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Shaun of the Dead(2004)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Alan Clark Diaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Nighty Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Love Actually(2003)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Appointment with Dr. Terrible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Hello, Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
The Parole Officer(2001)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Human Remains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Jam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Steve Coogan: The Man Who Thinks He's It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
People Like Us(1999)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all showsComing Soon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Coming Soon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Big Train (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
I'm Alan Partridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Pretend with Pibble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 70 titles, 69 of them dated from 1997 to 2025; peak year 2018.
Film career
Peak 2018 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1998Screen debut· Big Train
- 2001First film· The Parole Officer
- 2017Career best· Phantom Thread
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
a BAFTA Award from 7 major nominations, 2005–2019.
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Scripted Comedy
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Writer: Comedy
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Writer: Comedy
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Situation Comedy
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Comedy Performance
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Julia Davis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up17
- 50th to 74th9
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
16 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Crowd Pleaser16
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed9
Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Julia Davis' work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and frightening / intense lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Julia Davis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Julia Davis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Henry Normal shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Steve CooganShared titles: Steve Coogan: The Inside Story (2009), AD/BC: A Rock Opera (2004), I Am Not an Animal (2004), Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)See all 4 shared titles with Steve Coogan
Actors
- Johnny VegasShared titles: Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Sex Lives of the Potato Men (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Johnny Vegas
- Julian BarrattShared titles: Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), AD/BC: A Rock Opera (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Julian Barratt
- Mackenzie CrookShared titles: Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Sex Lives of the Potato Men (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Mackenzie Crook
- Mathew HorneShared titles: Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Gavin & Stacey (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Mathew Horne
Composers and cinematographers
- Francis De GrooteShared titles: Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Francis De Groote
- Willie DowlingShared titles: I Am Not an Animal (2004), Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Willie Dowling
Producers
- Henry NormalShared titles: Hunderby (2012), Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Steve Coogan: The Inside Story (2009), AD/BC: A Rock Opera (2004), I Am Not an Animal (2004), Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)See all 6 shared titles with Henry Normal
- Ted DowdShared titles: Hunderby (2012), Chekhov Comedy Shorts (2010), Steve Coogan: The Inside Story (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Ted Dowd
- Alison MacPhailShared titles: AD/BC: A Rock Opera (2004), Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Alison MacPhail
