Why these Queen’s Nose actors quit the industry after starring in hit 90s show
Anyone who grew up in the 90s in the UK probably has at the very least a vague memory of The Queen’s Nose, a BBC series in which a young girl discovers she can make wishes using a magic 50p coin.
Running for three seasons starting in 1995 before being revived for a further four season run, the BBC TV show holds a beloved place in the UK and is an incredibly nostalgic show.
Unlike other series however where a children’s TV show spawned an iconic TV and Film star, The Queen’s Nose is far closer to fellow iconic show Tracey Beaker in that many of the cast are no longer actors.
Annette Badland, who starred in Ted Lasso as pub landlord Mae, appeared in seven episodes of the BBC show, and Uncle Ginger was played by the biggest actor to appear on the show,Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Peaky Blinders star Donald Sumpter, but outside of this pair there are a few other successful actors in the main cast and the two lead actors of The Queen's Nose have quit acting altogether.
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The series is based on a children’s book of the same name and focuses on a young girl called Harmony who receives the magic coin from her uncle.
The lead of the series ended up being taken on by Harmony’s sister, Melody, in the final two seasons of the show, having appeared in the rest of the show.
Victoria Shalet starred as Harmony, with Heather-Jay Jones appearing in all six seasons as Melody.
Shalet went on to continue working as an actor for decades after leaving the show, appearing on some iconic British series such as Doctors, Midsommer Murders, and Jonathan Creek.
Since then however she has fully retrained and now works as a full-time therapist, posting to Instagram about mental health.
Speaking to Glamour Magazine in 2015, she said: “From the age of six, I was acting, but I got to my early twenties and realised my heart just wasn't in it. Then I had some therapy myself and it really did make me re-evaluate what I wanted from life.
“The crunch came when I was accepted onto a training course that would qualify me to be a therapist. On the same day, I got a call-back from an audition to be a regular in Holby City.
“When I didn't get the part, I saw it as a sign that I had to give up acting altogether to do the three-year course. I had to make a choice and I've never regretted it.
"When I set up in private practice, I remember saying to my boyfriend, 'Who will come and see me? Don't people want a therapist who has had life experience?' I never thought it would take off in the way it has, with so many clients who are a similar age to me. I think there's something about talking to someone who's not in a position of authority, who is a contemporary, but not their friend. That's what I provide. As one of my teachers said, 'Sex and drugs aren't new, but some people want to talk to someone who might have been through it five years ago - not 20.'"
The actor who played Harmony’s sister Melody went through a pretty similar career change, becoming a teacher as an adult after working as a child star on The Queen’s Nose.
Topics: TV and Film, TV, Nostalgia, UK News
Michael Slavin