Father Ted star Pauline McLynn is back on our TV screens with the Sligo woman joining the cast of British soap, Coronation Street.
Pauline plays the role of Maggie, who is the interfering mother of fellow newcomer Ben Driscoll.
The pair will make their debut to the Cobbles, alongside Eva Price (played by Catherine Tydesley), who returns to the street after seven years.
View this post on Instagram
Ben’s two sons and Eva’s daughter, Suzie, will also be joining the cast, with Ben and Eva set to become the landlords of the pub, The Rovers Return, in October.
With an acting portfolio boasting 40 years, Pauline has been involved some of the best of Irish and British TV. Extra.ie take a look at some of her biggest roles….
Despite it being one of her earliest TV appearances, Pauline will always be synonymous as the iconic, tea-pushing housekeeper in Fr Ted, Mrs Doyle.
The now-63-year-old was only in her early thirties when she played the role of Mrs Doyle, with make-up and costume making her look far older than her actual age.
Pauline starred alongside the late Dermot Morgan and Jack Kelly as well as Ardal O’Hanlon. The show ran from 1995 to 1998 with Pauline winning Top TV Comedy Actress in 1996 at the British Comedy Award.
Pauline went on to become Tip Haddem in Jennifer Saunders’ Jam & Jerusalem, which also starred Joanna Lumley and Dawn French.
The show ran for three seasons from 2006 to 2009 and centred around a Women’s Guild, which Tip worked as the receptionist at. Tip
The Irish woman is married to farmer Colin, but the second season sees their relationship going through a rocky patch.
Another beloved show Pauline appeared in is the British version of Shameless, where she took on the role of Libby Croker. Pauline appeared on the show in the seventh and eight series and is the third major love interest to head of the family, Frank Gallagher.
The relationship is quite serious with the pair even moving in together for a time — that is after Libby has been released from prison after she was jailed for inciting a riot.
Speaking about the role in 2010, Pauline admitted it was a different role for her, as she revealed to the Irish Independent that she bared all for the show.
![Television programmes: Shameless. Frank [David Threlfall] and+Libby [Pauline McLynn]. Pic: Channel 4](https://www.classichits.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AY38694476.jpg "From Craggy Island to the Cobbles: Inside the stellar career of Pauline McLynn 3")
Pauline joined the cast of EastEnders in 2014, and played the role of Yvonne Cotton who was the mother of Charlie Cotton (played by Declan Bennett) and the former daughter-in-law of Dot Branning (June Brown).
Speaking at the time, Pauline branded EastEnders her ‘favourite soap’ and branded co-star June a ‘legend’ who she was ‘privileged’ to act alongside.
Yvonne initially arrived to Walford to speak to Dot about her missing grandson and was originally a recurring character though after storylines escalated, she became a permanent character.
Pauline called time on her role in January 2015; however, did come back for one show in May of the same year when she gave evidence against Dot during the murder trial of Nick Cotton.
In 2022, Pauline was reunited on the screen with her Father Ted co-star Ardal O’Hanlon as the pair both appeared on Sky original series, Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything.
Ardal O’Hanlon and Pauline McLynn star alongside Sheridan Smith in the hilarious comedy that follows the titular character of Rosie Molloy as she attempts to give up all that is deemed to be bad for her – smoking, alcohol, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Xanax, Adderall, caffeine and more.
Previously speaking to Extra.ie, Pauline admitted she had no idea her former colleague had auditioned for the show and was ‘shocked’ it had finally happened all those years later.
Other iconic shows Pauline has appeared on include Colin Farrell-starring Ballykissangel as well as Cork comedy The Young Offenders.
In 2022, she appeared as Eileen O’Driscoll in the four-episode series of Holding, which was a TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s book of the same name.
She has also had a role in Doctor Who, not to forget the realm of movie credits she has to her name, such as Johnny English Strikes Again, Deadly Cuts and Gypo — the later which earned her an award at the 2006 Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in the Special Mention: Best Video category.
