In Spotlight: Charlie Murphy’s best TV shows - her top 5 roles you need to watch, from Happy Valley to Peaky Blinders

With roles in some of the biggest UK TV shows in recent years, Charlie Murphy is up there with Nicola Coughlan, Sharon Horgan and Saoirse Ronan as one of Ireland's top actresses on our screens right now.

The 35-year-old actress was born in Enniscorthy in County Wexford, and later attended the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, from 2006 to 2008. 

She now lives in London with her British director boyfriend, Sam Yates.

Charlie Murphy’s breakout role was in Irish crime drama Love/Hate, but appearances in Happy Valley, Peaky Blinders, Halo and The Capture brought her a lot of attention.

She’s also got an impressive CV when it comes to theatre roles, and has performed in London's West End as well as in New York and in her native Ireland.

Next up, she stars alongside Richard Armitage in Netflix’s steamy thriller, Obsession.

Here, we reveal more about Charlie Murphy’s top 5 TV shows - and where you might recognise her from. Read on to discover more about Charlie Murphy's best TV roles.

Charlie Murphy’s best TV shows:

• Obsession - Anna Barton (2023)

• Happy Valley - Ann Gallagher (2014-2023)

• Peaky Blinders - Jessie Eden (2017-2019)

• Halo - Makee (2022)

• Love/Hate - Siobhán Delaney (2010-2014)

1. Obsession - Anna Barton (2023)

Charlie Murphy stars alongside Richard Armitage (The Hobbit film trilogy, The Stranger) in Netflix's new steamy thriller, Obsession.

She plays Anna Barton, the object of Armitage's character William's attention, or obsession. She also happens to be engaged to his son Jay (Rish Shah).

The four-part limited series is based on the 1991 Josephine Hart novel Damages, and follows the pair as their forbidden desire spirals out of control.

Charlie said that her response to the Obsession scripts was "100 percent yes", praising the changes from the book, which shifted the story towards a female perspective.

And she revealed that she "wasn't even nervous" filming the show's racy sex scenes with Armitage, as the pair worked closely with an intimacy coach on set.

"It was like the first night of a play where you’re just completely ready," she said.

Obsession premieres Thursday 13 April on Netflix.

Who’s in the Obsession cast?

2. Happy Valley - Ann Gallagher (2014-2023)

BBC police drama Happy Valley came to a close after three seasons in early 2023, and Charlie Murphy has played a key role in the show since its inception nearly a decade ago.

She starred as Ann Gallagher since the first season in 2014, when she was introduced as the daughter of billionaire businessman Nevison Gallagher (George Costigan).

Without spoiling it for the few who haven't yet watched the series, Ann is involved in a major storyline, where she comes face-to-face with killer rapist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), before she joins the police to serve alongside Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire).

In the latest series of Happy Valley, Ann is seen struggling to come to terms with what happened to her as she works towards becoming a police detective.

In a recent interview on ITV's This Morning, Charlie likened returning to film the series after a seven-year absence to "opening a time capsule".

Charlie won an Irish Film and Television Award (IFTA) for her role in Happy Valley. The show itself has won multiple BAFTA Television Awards.

Happy Valley seasons 1-3 are on BBC iPlayer.

3. Peaky Blinders - Jessie Eden (2017-2019)

Charlie Murphy's character Jessie Eden was introduced in season 4 of Peaky Blinders, and she stayed in the BBC gangster drama through its fifth season in 2019.

Jessie Eden is based on a real-life British trade union leader and communist activist who led a strike of female factory workers in Birmingham in 1931.

In the show, she's introduced as a character who works in a factory owned by Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), and speaks with him about equal pay for the women employed.

She becomes something of a love interest for Tommy, but it's later revealed that Tommy is just using her for information.

In an interview with Radio Times,  Charlies expressed her admiration for her character. "I just think she was an incredible woman, and she's a bit of a spy. There's so much. I mean, you could make a TV series about her for sure," she said.

Charlie won an IFTA Award in 2018 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Jessie Eden in Peaky Blinders.

Peaky Blinders season 1-6 are on BBC iPlayer.

TV shows like Peaky Blinders to watch next

4. Halo - Makee (2022)

Charlie Murphy played Makee, who was a human spy for The Covenant, throughout the first season of Halo, a TV series based on the sci-fi gaming franchise.

The Paramount+ action series explores the war between the United Nations Space Command and an ancient alien race known as The Covenant. 

Charlie's character had been set up especially for the TV series, and in an interview with Comic Book, Charlie confessed that she came to the show as an “outsider”. 

She said: “It was a strange but really fun process. I was definitely an outsider. All the Spartans were training together, and I suppose my prep was the Sangheili language. 

"So that's where my homework started, and that was my starting point, and my touchstone, and I suppose my access into her as I kind of navigated her."

It’s been confirmed that Makee will be returning for the show’s second season.

Stream Halo on Paramount+ via Prime Video.

5. Love/Hate - Siobhán Delaney (2010-2014)

One of Charlie Murphy's first major TV roles was as Siobhán Delaney in the renowned Irish crime drama, Love/Hate.

The show aired between 2010 and 2014 on RTÉ One, Ireland's main TV channel, and depicted fictional characters in Dublin's criminal underworld.

Charlie's character, Siobhan Delaney, is the girlfriend of gang member Tommy Daly (Killian Scott) and the mother of their child, Leyton.

Looking back at her time on the show, Charlie said: “It was such a launchpad for all of us for sure. 

"It was magic timing, it felt really serendipitous. I feel very lucky still to have been part of that moment in time.”

She won Best TV Actress at the 2013 Irish Film and Television Awards, and Best Actress in a Lead Role at the 2015 Irish Film and Television Awards, for the role.

Stream Love/Hate on ITVX Premium and BritBox.

Best of the rest: Charlie Murphy’s TV shows

• The Capture - Simone Turner (2022)

• Deadline - Natalie (2022)

• To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters - Anne Brontë (2016)

• Rebellion - Elizabeth Butler (2016)

• The Last Kingdom - Queen Iseult (2015)

• The Village - Martha (2013-2014)