Lydia West

Lydia West
Born
Lydia Dorothy West

(1993-06-24) 24 June 1993 (age 33)
Islington, London, England
EducationIdentity School of Acting
OccupationActress
Years active2019–present

Lydia Dorothy West (born 24 June 1993) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC One series Years and Years and the Channel 4 series It's a Sin, the latter of which earned her a BAFTA nomination.

Early life

West is from London. Her maternal grandparents are Irish, and her father is from Montserrat. Her mother is a nurse and her father works in charity. She has an older sister and an older brother.

West trained in ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary dance as a teenager, but quit after a foot injury. After graduating from university with a degree in business, she worked as a personal assistant and trained part-time at Identity School of Acting (IDSA).

Career

After graduation from IDSA, West was cast as Bethany Bisme-Lyons in Russell T Davies' 2019 BBC One and HBO series Years and Years. She starred in the 2021 Channel 4 series It's a Sin, also by Davies. She played Jill Baxter, who is loosely based on one of Davies' friends (Jill Nalder). Davies called her character "the heart of the story", a view echoed by Jack King of I-D who described the character as the "de facto matriarch". Her performance was described as a "standout" one by i.

In 2022, West appeared as Monique Thompson in the Apple TV+ series Suspicion and Reilly Clayton in Mike Myers' Netflix comedy The Pentaverate. She has roles in the films Love Again and Coffee Wars, as well as the series Inside Man and Gray.

In 2024, West co-starred alongside Nicola Coughlan in the Channel 4 and Tubi series Big Mood, a "vivacious and rebellious portrayal of female friendship when infiltrated by the complexities of a serious mental illness." In September 2025, Channel 4 announced that West had been made an executive producer for Big Mood's second season.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2021 People You May Know Rachel Short film
2023 Love Again Lisa Scott
Coffee Wars Bridget

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Years and Years Bethany Bisme-Lyons 6 episodes
2020 Dracula Lucy Westenra Episode 3: "The Dark Compass"
2021 It's a Sin Jill Baxter 5 episodes
2022 Suspicion Monique Thompson 4 episodes
The Pentaverate Reilly Clayton 6 episodes
Inside Man Beth Davenport 4 episodes
2023 Gray Sara Beckham 8 episodes
2024–present Big Mood Eddie 12 episodes
2025 He Had It Coming Elise Lead role & exec. producer; 8 episodes

Audio

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Doctor Who: The Sorcerer of Albion Vivien Big Finish: Donna Noble: Kidnapped!
The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale Audible

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2021 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Best Actress It's a Sin Won
2022 BPG Awards Best Actress Nominated
Breakthrough Award Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Best Actress Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ Shared.

References

  1. ↑ Hattersley, Giles (11 January 2021). "Meet The Exuberant Young Stars Of Russell T Davies's New '80s-Set Drama, 'It's A Sin'". British Vogue. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Lydia West (19 April 2020). "My middle name is Dorothy and I got to play her in the Wizard of Oz for audible..." Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021 – via Instagram.
  3. ↑ "Olly Alexander on 'It's A Sin': "There's not been a British Aids drama on this scale ever"". NME. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "S11 Ep 8: Lydia West". Table Manners with Jessie Ware (Podcast). 2 March 2021. Event occurs at 14:00. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Blair, Olivia (22 January 2021). "Lydia West On 'It's A Sin', Michaela Coel Knowing Her Name And The 'Sex And The City' Reboot". Elle. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Ross Grant (24 May 2019). "PREVIEW: Finding YOUR OWN Way Into Acting - With 'Years And Years' Actress Lydia West!". Act on This (Podcast). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  7. ↑ Mukbtar, Amel (May 2020). "Vogue Darling: Lydia West". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Mclaren, Bonnie (21 January 2020). "Meet Lydia West, One Of It's A Sin's Breakout Stars". Grazia. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Russell, Scarlett (31 January 2021). "It's a Sin star Lydia West on the hit Channel 4 drama: 'It's a celebration of life'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Llewellyn Smith, Julia (14 February 2021). "The ones to watch: meet the next generation of megastars". You. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Knight, Lewis (25 January 2021). "It's A Sin's Lydia West talks with real-life Jill about AIDS activism in 1980s". mirror. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "10 Home Upgrades From The 'Queer Eye' Collection At Walmart". Bustle. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Carr, Flora (12 January 2021). "It's A Sin star Lydia West says her character is based on "inspiring" real-life person". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Lobb, Adrian (22 January 2021). "Seven reasons why It's A Sin is the most important drama of 2021". The Big Issue. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  15. ↑ King, Jack (21 January 2021). "Why art teaches us more about AIDS than school ever will". I-D. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  16. ↑ Myers, Justin (14 January 2021). "Russell T Davies' It's a Sin is a stark reminder that everything, yet nothing, has changed". i. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Ramsden, Sam (19 January 2021). "Here's Why You Recognise It's A Sin's Jill". Bustle. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. ↑ Grater, Tom (7 April 2022). "'It's A Sin's Lydia West Joins Patricia Clarkson In Espionage Series 'Gray' For AGC Studios". Deadline. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  19. ↑ Cormack, Morgan. "Big Mood | Release date, trailer and latest news for Channel 4 comedy | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Channel 4 announces start of production and additional casting for series two of hit comedy Big Mood starring Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  21. ↑ Slatter, Sean (18 February 2025). "Stan announces 14 new commissions including 'Whale Shark Jack' and series 'He Had It Coming', 'Watching You'". If.com. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  22. ↑ "Lydia West - Contributions". Big Finish. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  23. ↑ "The Wizard of Oz". Bafflegab. 19 April 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  24. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (22 June 2021). "Monte-Carlo TV Festival Winners: 'Uncle Frank' & 'It's A Sin' Dominate Fiction Field". Deadline. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  25. ↑ Douglas, Torin (12 March 2022). "BPG Awards 2022: Television And Streaming Nominations". Broadcasting Press Guild.
  26. ↑ Ritman, Alex (30 March 2022). "BAFTA TV Awards: Russell T. Davies' 'It's a Sin' Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2022.