Lesley Staples

Drama Series - 1992, 16 episodes • as Matron

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Drama Series - 1996, 16 episodes • as Mrs Ford

Instead of spending her golden years lying down, the indomitable Hetty Wainthropp found her calling late in life. Combining common sense, her husband, and her pocketbook, this senior sleuth takes on all the cases the police deem too minor.

Drama Series - 1991, 16 episodes • as Mary Hewitt

Introduced by renowned English actor Edward Woodward, In Suspicious Circumstances is an anthology of reenactments depicting real-life murder mysteries, some famous and some obscure, exploring cases with elements of miscarriage of justice, unsolved mysteries, and unusual circumstances, often spanning different historical periods.

Movie - 2003, 2h 15m • as Jenny

Members of a Yorkshire branch of the Women's Institute cause controversy when they pose nude for a charity calendar.

Movie - 2006, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role

Smart, sassy and persistent high school teen Diana Arnold is learning about the role of the Royal Family. That same day, her dad Matt is purchasing some gold coins as an investment. At dinner that night, the two discover they both learned the Queen has her face on currency and coins all over the world. Neither can understand why that is. While studying great heroes in history, Diana is given an assignment to come up with a cause and plan which would make a positive difference in the world. Her cause becomes the removal of the Queen's face from currency around the world. People associated with the Royal Family don't like it one bit, and want it stopped, NOW! One thing leads to another and Diana ends up face to face with the Queen herself. The outcome is a surprise no one expected.

Movie - 2012, 2h 15m • as Mrs. Summers

Tortoise in Love is a feel-good romantic comedy in the tradition of Local Hero, Calendar Girls and The Full Monty. It's about an incredibly slow mover in love and the village that tries to speed him up. The entire film is set in the beautiful English countryside of the Vale of the White Horse in Oxfordshire. The story of the making of Tortoise in Love could almost be a film in itself. Almost the entire village of Kingston Bagpuize in Oxfordshire was involved in the making of the film. Young mums helped with the sales and design and publicity. Retired folk provided the drivers and stewards and props and logistics support. The Women's Institute organised a phenomenal catering effort and all the cast and crew were lodged in village homes for the duration of the shoot.