Elizabeth Estensen

Elizabeth Estensen is an English actress, mainly on television. Her last name is clearly Scandinavian in origin, but English emphasis rules suggest it should be pronounced Ess-Ten-Sen.

She rose to prominence in the 1970s, playing Bert's girlfriend in the Willy Russell musical John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Bert at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool transferring to the West End in 1974. She then appeared on television as Carol Boswell in five series of The Liver Birds, from 1975 to 1979. The Liver Birds which was recently run on the Paramount Comedy Channel in the UK.

She took the lead role of T-Bag in the children's television series Wonders in Letterland (1985) and appeared in six sequel series and two Christmas specials until 1989. T-Bag was thereafter played by Georgina Hale.

Elizabeth didn’t leave Children’s Television behind as she starred on a number of other programmes including Mike & Angelo, Delta Wave and Happy Families as Miss Clara Creep!

Estensen played Pam Middleton in Coronation Street between 1996 and 1998. Since 1999 she has played a regular role as Diane Sugden in the soap opera Emmerdale.

Away from the television Elizabeth has become an accomplished theatre actress. Her credits include the lead role in ‘Shirley Valentine’ (Duke of Yorks), Alice in ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert’ (Everyman Theatre), Duchess of York in ‘Richard III’ (Northern Broadsides), Mistress Ford in ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’, Dolly in ‘Cardiff East’ (Royal National Theatre), Josie in ‘Caravan’ (The Bush Theatre) and Beryl in ‘Hushabye Mountain’ (Hampstead Theatre) to name but a few.