Sally Thomsett

Sally Thomsett (born 3 April 1950)[1] is an English actress who starred in the film The Railway Children (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom Man About the House (1973–1976). She also appeared in the film Straw Dogs (1971).

Sally Thomsett
Born	Sally A Thomsett (1950-04-03) 3 April 1950 Plumpton, East Sussex, UK
Years active	1964–1978
Spouse(s)	Nigel Newman (1971–1971) (divorced) Claus Hede Nielsen (1980-1985) (separated)
Partner(s)	Paul Agnew (1993–present) (1 child)
Children	1

Early life

Thomsett was born in Plumpton in 1950[2] to Maurice and Dorothy Thomsett (née Joy) and had three older brothers. She grew up in nearby Brighton and attended the Elm Grove Infants and Juniors School.[3] One of her brothers offered her five shillings to successfully audition for The Max Bygraves Summer Show. After that, she appeared in several pantomimes until she left secondary school to attend Phildene Stage School in London.

Career

Out of drama school, Thomsett made several films for the Children’s Film Foundation and appeared in many popular television series, including Theatre 625, Dixon of Dock Green, Nearest and Dearest and Z-Cars. She also starred as Jennifer Villiers in the comedy series The Very Merry Widow from 1967 to 1968 and also its spin-off The Very Merry Widow and How in 1969.

The Railway Children

In 1970, Thomsett was cast as the 11-year-old Phyllis despite being 20 years old at the time, two years older than Jenny Agutter, who played her elder sister, Bobbie. Her contract forbade her from revealing her true age during the making of the film, and she was not allowed to be seen smoking, drinking, driving her car or in the company of her boyfriend during the shoot.[4][5] However, she did have experience playing girls, and the Edwardian smocks disguised her bust. Even the film crew were unaware of her age, and they gave her sweets while treating Agutter as nearly an adult.[6] During an appearance on a BBC children's television programme shortly after, Thomsett was told, "I wouldn't dream of asking a lady her age, but you're obviously quite a bit older than the part you played in the film." She received a nomination for the BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.

Later career

Thomsett went on to appear in The Fenn Street Gang and Softly, Softly: Task Force before starring in the psychological thriller film Straw Dogs opposite Dustin Hoffman and Susan George, as well as Baxter! with Britt Ekland. After appearing in a television commercial advertising Bovril in 1972, Thomsett was spotted by directors Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer, who cast her in the immensely popular ITV sitcom Man About the House as Jo, a role that she played for the show's entirety from 1973 to 1976, including a 1974 spin-off film of the same name. The series revolved around two young attractive women, Jo (Thomsett) and Chrissy (Paula Wilcox), who share a flat with good-looking womaniser Robin (Richard O'Sullivan) while under the watchful eye of the landlord George (Brian Murphy) and his sexually frustrated wife Mildred (Yootha Joyce).

After the show ended in 1976, Thomsett continued to act, appearing in Wodehouse Playhouse in 1978. After appearing in a Crunchie chocolate bars advert in 1979, Thomsett gave up acting for a while in order to travel the world. She returned in the mid-1980s and appeared on stage in a 1987 production of The Cat and the Canary[7] before making regular pantomime appearances. She also appeared in the music video for Doctor in Distress, a charity single made to save Doctor Who from cancellation.[8] Thomsett's career slowed down after the birth of her daughter, although she did appear on stage in 1998 and 1999 in a touring production of The Holly and the Ivy.

Although she now rarely acts, Thomsett appeared in Peter Pan as Mrs. Darling at Doncaster Racecourse during the 2014-2015 Christmas season.[9] She also occasionally appears at fan conventions.

Personal life

In 1971, Thomsett married her boyfriend of five years, Nigel Newman, although the marriage lasted just six months. She was also in a relationship with her Man About the House co-star Richard O'Sullivan. While travelling the world, she met Danish entrepreneur Claus Hede Nielsen in Los Angeles. They wed in 1980 and separated in 1984. Thomsett had a daughter at the age of 46 with her partner Paul Agnew, and she currently resides in London.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964	Seventy Deadly Pills	Gerty
1967	Danny the Dragon	Jean
1970	The Railway Children	Phyllis Waterbury
1971	Straw Dogs	Janice Hedden
1973	Baxter!	Nemo Newman
1974	Man About the House	Jo

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	Dead End Creek	Jane	TV series
1965	Theatre 625	Parsons' girl	"The World of George Orwell: 1984"
1966	David Copperfield	Agnes Wickfield	"Distant Relations"
1966	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Christine	"Don't Go Down to the Bingo Mother, Father's Coming to Tea"
1967	River Rivals	Penny Holmes	TV series
1967	Sanctuary	Maria Gomes	"The Promised Land"
1967–68	The Very Merry Widow	Jennifer Villiers	TV series
1968	What Maisie Knew	Maisie	"Shuttlecock", "Flight", "Pursuit and Capture"
1968	For Amusement Only	Letty	"A Little Milk of Human Kindness"
1969	The Very Merry Widow and How	Jennifer Villiers	"How Far Can You Go?", "How About the Patter of Tiny Feet?"
1969	The Gold Robbers	Sally Hartford	TV miniseries
1969	Nearest and Dearest	Brenda	"The Birds and the Bees"
1969	Dixon of Dock Green	Karen	"Notify If Found"
1969–70	Take Three Girls	Wendy Pond	"Devon Violets", "Roses Round the Door"
1970	Wicked Woman	Natalie	"Madeleine Jury"
1970	Z-Cars	Rita	"Bottoms Up for the Walking Dead: Parts 1 & 2"
1970	Softly Softly: Task Force	Susan	"Lessons"
1970	Play of the Month	Pamela Harrington	"Five Finger Exercise"
1971	Doomwatch	Judy Franklin	"By the Pricking of My Thumbs..."
1971	The Fenn Street Gang	Kathleen	"Horses for the Courses"
1971	Shirley's World	Catronia MacDonald	"The Islanders"
1972	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Linda Nichols	"When the Wheel Turns"
1973	Comedy Playhouse	Miranda Elms	"Marry the Girls"
1973	Oh, Father!	Mary	"Just Impediment"
1973	All Star Comedy Carnival	Jo	TV film
1973–1976	Man About the House	Jo	Main role
1978	Wodehouse Playhouse	Celia Todd	"Tangled Hearts"

References

1. "Sally Thomsett". BFI. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
2. Sally Thomsett on IMDb
3. "Official school website ¦ Elm Grove School ¦ My Brighton and Hove". 22 March 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
4. The 100 Greatest Family Films, Granada Television (2005)
5. Article on the film, The Guardian, 22 March 2010
6. "How we made The Railway Children", The Guardian, G2 p. 19, 7 May 2013
7. "Production of The Cat and the Canary ¦ Theatricalia". Retrieved 4 August 2020.
8. "Who Cares: Doctor in Distress". Radio Times. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
9. "Peter Pan from 2014 starring Sally Thomsett and Pee Wee Price". Retrieved 4 August 2020.