Most fans know Tessa Peake-Jones as Raquel Turner, a role she joined in 1988 according to Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine), yet her career has moved well past that sitcom. Her ITV role in Grantchester and the London stage production Invisible Me, which opened on according to StageLync (theatre news site), are backed by dated sources, while her personal life is not.
Born: (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) · Birthplace: Hammersmith, London · Training: Central School of Speech and Drama · Breakout role: Raquel Turner in Only Fools and Horses (joined 1988) · Doctor Who role: Marta in The Time of the Doctor
Quick snapshot
- Raquel Turner joined Only Fools and Horses in 1988 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)) (RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster))
- The show’s final special aired in 2003 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)) (RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster))
- Her Grantchester role began in 2014 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)) (RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster))
- John Sullivan, the show’s writer, died in 2011 (RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster))
- Published ages differ, with 67, 68 and 69 all appearing (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- The number of children is not stated in the reviewed sources (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- Current relationship status is not confirmed; the reviewed reporting covers a past partnership (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- The Grantchester character is recorded as Mrs Chapman in some sources and Mrs Maguire in others (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- : joins Only Fools and Horses as Raquel Turner (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine))
- : Grantchester season nine premieres on ITV (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- : Invisible Me opens at Southwark Playhouse Borough (StageLync (theatre news site))
- Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is scheduled for on U&GOLD (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
- A second part is scheduled for (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper))
- She is reportedly set to appear in the Channel 5 crime series The Last Resort in 2027 (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper)) (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
Six core facts, one pattern: the birth details rest on a single encyclopedia entry, so they deserve the first re-check.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tessa Peake-Jones |
| Born | 9 May 1957 (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) |
| Birthplace | Hammersmith, London (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) |
| Training | Central School of Speech and Drama (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) |
| Breakout role | Raquel Turner, Only Fools and Horses, joined 1988 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)) |
| Doctor Who role | Marta, The Time of the Doctor (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)) |
What is Tessa Peake-Jones best known for?
How the Raquel Turner role began in 1988
- Peake-Jones joined Only Fools and Horses in 1988 as Raquel Turner, Del Boy’s girlfriend (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- The part was written as a one-off for a 75-minute Christmas special, according to Peake-Jones’s account in Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine).
- The character was extended into a series after public response, the same interview reports.
Her Only Fools and Horses role within her wider career
- The public still shouts ‘It’s Raquel’ at her, according to Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine).
- She says she is recognised more for Raquel than for her longer Grantchester run (Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine)).
Peake-Jones is recognised more for a 1988 sitcom role than for a longer run in Grantchester (Saga Magazine), so any profile that leads with Raquel is following public memory, not the length of her career.
The implication: her best-known credit is a sitcom that ended in 2003, so readers should anchor her career to that run rather than to newer roles.
Where was Tessa Peake-Jones born and trained?
Birth date and birthplace in Hammersmith, London
- Born , according to Wikipedia (open encyclopedia).
- Her birthplace is Hammersmith, London, per the same entry.
- The birth date rests on one supporting entry, so it stays provisional until a second named source confirms it.
Training at the Central School of Speech and Drama
- She studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)).
- The reviewed sources give no dates for her training years.
The catch: the early-life record depends on one encyclopedia entry, so the birthplace and school carry the same provisional weight as the birth date.
What is Tessa Peake-Jones doing now?
Current stage work in Invisible Me
- Invisible Me is a new comedy-drama by Bren Gosling about three sixty-somethings navigating later-life love and isolation (StageLync (theatre news site)).
- Peake-Jones plays Lynn, a hotel cleaner, a detail carried by a single source in the reviewed coverage (StageLync (theatre news site)).
- The run is set for Southwark Playhouse Borough from 8 April to 2 May 2026, according to Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine).
Recent public comments on comedy
- April 2026 coverage carries her views on the state of modern comedy (i News (UK news site)).
- Her remarks on the play itself describe it as a reminder of kindness, which appears in her interview with Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine).
The implication: her verified present-tense work is one stage run, while the 2027 Channel 5 role is still a reported plan.
Is Tessa Peake-Jones in a relationship?
What public sources do and do not confirm
- The Daily Mirror reports a relationship with actor Douglas Hodge that lasted nearly three decades (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper)).
- The same report says they separated in autumn 2012 and announced the split in February 2013.
- The reviewed inputs do not confirm her current relationship status.
Why personal-status claims need dated sourcing
- Competing results often carry personal-life claims without clear provenance, so this article leaves those claims out.
- Only claims from named, dated sources are stated here; everything else stays open.
A split dated to 2012 and 2013 answers the past question cleanly, but it says nothing about 2026, so any headline naming a current partner is outrunning the evidence.
The trade-off: the dated split settles the past, while the present question stays open until a dated source says otherwise.
How many children does Tessa Peake-Jones have?
What reporting confirms about her family
- Peake-Jones is reportedly writing a book about her mother, who had bipolar disorder (i News (UK news site)).
- The reviewed inputs do not state the number of children she has.
Unverified family claims to exclude
- Any number of children stays excluded until an official or established publication confirms it.
- Claims that appear in only one interview are left out of this article.
The only family detail with a named source concerns her mother and a book project, not a household status, so readers should not treat it as a statement about children.
The implication: the one family detail on record concerns a parent, so the children question remains unanswered.
Timeline signal
- : born, per Wikipedia (open encyclopedia).
- : joins Only Fools and Horses as Raquel Turner (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- : the show’s final special aired (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- : Marta appears in The Time of the Doctor, per Wikipedia (open encyclopedia).
- : Grantchester role begins (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- : Grantchester season nine premieres on ITV (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper)).
- : Invisible Me opens (StageLync (theatre news site)).
- : the Invisible Me run closes (i News (UK news site)).
- : The Lost Archive part one is scheduled on U&GOLD (The Independent (UK national newspaper)).
The implication: the dated record from 1988 to 2014 rests on stronger sourcing than the 2026 entries, which describe scheduled events rather than completed ones.
What is confirmed and what is not
Confirmed facts
- Joined Only Fools and Horses as Raquel Turner in 1988 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- The show’s final special aired in 2003 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- The Grantchester role began in 2014 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
- Grantchester season nine premiered on ITV on Wednesday 8 January 2025 (Daily Mirror (UK national newspaper)).
What’s unclear
- Current relationship status, since the reporting covers only a past partnership.
- The number of children.
- Her age, with published figures of 67, 68 and 69 (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)).
- The Grantchester character name, recorded as Mrs Chapman or Mrs Maguire (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia)).
- Lynn’s role details in Invisible Me, which rest on a single source (StageLync (theatre news site)).
Why this matters: the open column is longer than the confirmed one, which is the honest shape for a profile built mostly on Tier 2 and Tier 3 reporting.
In her own words
On a possible reboot, her position is unambiguous.
It’s best left alone. John Sullivan was the genius behind the show.
Tessa Peake-Jones, Daily Express (UK national newspaper)
Her co-star Gwyneth Strong described the audience response to a storyline.
I got so many letters, it was really moving.
Gwyneth Strong, on the show’s miscarriage storyline, The Standard (London newspaper)
On her current stage work, she frames the play in terms of its mood.
It’s an incredibly kind play. You listen to the news and every day feels worse, so we all need a bit of kindness.
Tessa Peake-Jones, Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)
The pattern: the quoted voices split between the show’s legacy and her current stage work, so the quotes add context rather than new news.
What’s next
Peake-Jones has said a reboot would be a mistake without John Sullivan, yet she took part in the archival documentary marking the show’s 45th anniversary (The Standard (London newspaper)). That split is the story to follow, since the documentary is scheduled for 20 October 2026 (The Independent (UK national newspaper)), while she says her Grantchester work is recognised less often because of costume and wig (Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine)). For fans and researchers building a profile, the choice is clear: cite the dated 1988, 2003 and 2014 entries and keep age, children and relationship status open until an official or established publication settles them, or repeat unsourced claims and invite correction.
Related reading
The implication: readers who want to compare how British actors’ careers are documented can start with these two profiles, which cover similar evergreen career material.
dailyperspective.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, hellomagazine.com, belfastlive.co.uk, express.co.uk
Frequently asked questions
How old is Tessa Peake-Jones?
Published ages differ, with 67, 68 and 69 all appearing. Wikipedia (open encyclopedia) gives a birth date of 9 May 1957, so her age depends on the date you check.
What role did Tessa Peake-Jones play in Doctor Who?
She played Marta in the episode The Time of the Doctor, which Wikipedia (open encyclopedia) dates to 2013.
What has Tessa Peake-Jones said about modern comedy?
Her comments on the state of modern comedy appeared in April 2026 coverage reported by i News (UK news site).
Which stage productions has Tessa Peake-Jones appeared in?
The reviewed sources name one current production, Invisible Me, which is set for Southwark Playhouse Borough from 8 April to 2 April 2026 (Saga Magazine (UK consumer magazine)).
Which role first brought Tessa Peake-Jones wide notice?
Her role as Raquel Turner in Only Fools and Horses, which she joined in 1988 (Yours Magazine (UK lifestyle magazine)).
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Edward Davies Bennett is Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Publisher at Insight Britain, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and the corrections process.