Maxine Peake looks amazing in throwback to early career

Publish date: 2024-05-26

The actress looks fabulous in throwback snaps

Maxine Peake has been a familiar sight for many British drama lovers recently having starred in two major TV series within the same month: ITV's heartwrenching series and the BBC's latest thriller . 

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In recent years, Maxine has been known for her roles in hard-hitting dramas such as and , but the actress has starred in a wide range of films, TV shows and theatre productions over the years. Take a look back at some of her earlier roles...

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Back in 1998, Maxine appeared in Victoria Wood's BBC sitcom , playing youngest worker in the canteen, Twinkle. 

A star-studded beginning to her career, Maxine played the role alongside Victoria Wood herself, as well as Anne Reid, Celia Imrie and Julie Walters. 

In an interview on in 2016, Maxine revealed that it was Victoria Wood who encouraged her to get fit. She subsequently lost four stone after the first series of and had to wear a fat suit for a storyline in the second. 

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After the sitcom finished in 2000, Maxine went on to star in various films and TV shows, including Channel 4 series Shameless, which won Best Drama at the 2005 BAFTA TV awards.

Maxine starred alongside Victoria Wood in sitcom Dinnerladies from 1998-2000

Viewers will also remember Maxine starring as barrister Martha Costello in the BBC's legal drama , as well as playing Grace Middleton in the BBC's period drama , alongside John Simm. 

More recently, Maxine has starred in various drama series including , a powerful dramatisation of the events surrounding the Rochdale child sex abuse ring, which won Best Mini-Series at the BAFTA TV awards. She's also appeared in episodes of, and . 

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In the past few weeks, Maxine Peake has received high praise from viewers and critics alike following her role in the ITV series , which tells the story of Anne Williams' fight for justice following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. The creator of the series said Maxine "gave the performance of a lifetime" in the hard-hitting drama. 

Maxine performing in the theatre in 2012

Maxine is currently starring in the BBC's workplace thriller , which is partly inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and #MeToo movement.

continues on Tuesday 18 January at 9pm, with the whole series available to stream on BBC iPlayer

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