The legacy of the Birds of a Feather cast: A heartbreaking look at Pauline Quirke’s struggle with dementia

“Birds Of A Feather” has become a beloved sitcom, running for an impressive 12 series spanning 30 years. The cast’s lives off-screen were as fascinating as their on-screen personas.

The show’s stars were easily recognizable to fans, and its theme tune was just as unforgettable as the characters themselves. The leading ladies, Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke, played sisters who united due to their husbands being in jail.

The storyline revolves around two Cockney sisters, Tracey Stubbs and Sharon Theodopolopodous, who are left to navigate life on their own when their spouses are imprisoned for armed robbery. Initially not very close, they eventually come together and form a strong bond to face the challenges ahead.

Down and out Sharon [Pauline] moves from her Edmonton council flat to live with her sister Tracey [Linda] in her upmarket Chigwell home, which becomes the backdrop to the classic nineties sitcom.

The two women befriend their flirty neighbour Dorien Green [Lesley Joseph], who viewers discover is unhappily married and continually having affairs with younger men with disastrous results.

The much loved programme originally ran from 1989 until 1998, before it was revived in 2014 for a further three series. The last episode of the show was a Christmas special aired in 2020 – but without one of the key characters.

Pauline’s character Tracey did not appear in the final episode when the show came to an emotional end, with Linda later citing that she was focusing on her drama school when the long-term friends were hit by feud speculation.

The actress’ husband has since confirmed that Pauline has been diagnosed with dementia and has retired from acting to spend time with her family.

Following the news of Pauline’s retirement and dementia diagnosis, MailOnline takes a look at the colourful lives of the cast and their tragic and triumphant legacies.

Alun Lewis

While Alun is known best for playing Tracey’s ill-fated husband Darryl, there are some facts about him that may come as a surprise to viewers.

The actor has a very famous daughter and has called not one but two A-lister actors he has called his ‘son-in-law’ after they tied the knot with her. 

Alun appeared as a recurring character during the nineties run of series before later being replaced by Douglas McFerran.

Darryl’s repeated brushes with the law put strain on his marriage to Tracey, with the series beginning with him being sent to prison for armed robbery.

The character, which had been taken over by Douglas at the time, met a sticky end when he was killed off during a robbery which went wrong.

Alun is equally well known for his part in Emmerdale as Vic Windsor, but he took a step back from the spotlight after the two major roles.

Outside of acting, Alun was a member of rock trio, The Woolpackers, with his soap co-stars Steve Halliwell and Billy Hartman. 

What may come as a shock is Alun’s daughter Amelia Warner’s relationship history and the two actors he has welcomed into his family.

Amelia has followed in her father’s musical footsteps and pursued a career as a musician, under the stage name Slow Moving Millie.

She started an acting career as a member of the Royal Court’s youth theatre group, and in 2000 she featured in a BBC adaptation of Lorna Doone. 

However, she moved into music and hit the UK charts in 2011 with a cover of The Smiths’ Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want – reaching number 31. 

By 2015, Amelia was self-releasing original music with her first EP called Arms.  

As for her love life, Amelia was married to Colin Farrell for a brief period of time.

Her two worlds collided in the next years when she started producing music for films.

In 2018, Amelia won Breakthrough Composer of the Year at the International Film Music Critics Association Awards for for her debut mainstream score, on the film Mary Shelley.

Amelia had a whirlwind ‘marriage’ to Colin back in 2001. Just four months after they met, they married on the island of Tahiti, although it was never legalised.

As a symbol of his love, Colin had Amelia’s name tattooed onto his ring finger, but they split just four months later.

She said afterwards of the wedding: ‘It was just a thing we did on holiday.

‘We went shark feeding and then we did that. We booked them both on the activities desk at the hotel – it really wasn’t this secret wedding that no one was invited to.

‘It was lovely, it was silly, it was sweet but by no means was it a serious thing and I think my mum thought it was quite funny.’ 

Although their wedding was a joke, the couple were also engaged to be married for real and Amelia was devastated when they split.

She told The Sun: ‘Maybe if we had lasted longer as a couple, we would have legalised it.

‘I still look back at that time with him with such fondness, I adored Colin, and I always will — but we’re just good friends now.’

Following their ‘divorce’ she met Fifty Shades actor Jamie Dornan, with whom she shares three children with after they first began dating in 2010.

During an appearance on Face to Face, Jamie previously gushed over Amelia and said: ‘I had this weird thing where I always felt that if I met her that we would just get on. It was just a strange thing. Something about her eyes. I just thought that we would work.’

Revealing how they met on the The Late Late Show with James Corden, he explained: ‘She’d been an actor so I knew who she was, and we were doing karaoke and a friend of ours said, ‘Listen, Amelia Warner’s at a house party up by Los Feliz and she’s single.’ I literally dropped the mic and was like, you know, ran for the hills.’

In January 2024, Jamie broke down during a Desert Island Discs appearance, as he revealed the thing he would need to get him through would be the thought of his wife.

Jamie appeared on Lauren Laverne’s BBC Radio 4 show – where he said the song he would fight through the waves to retrieve would be Forever by The Beach Boys.

In an touching tribute, Jamie admitted the song would be top of the list as it reminds him of his wife, musician Amelia, who he shares three daughters with.

At the end of the interview, Lauren asked: ‘Which one track of the eight you have shared with us today would you rush to save from the waves?’

‘Forever by the Beach Boys,’ Jamie replied, before his voice cracked and he got choked up, adding: ‘The one thing I would really need to get me through is the thought of my wife and everything that she has given me and our family.’

The couple married in 2013, before going on to welcome three daughters: Dulcie, who was born in the same year, Elva, who arrived in 2016, and Alberta, who the couple welcomed in 2019.

Peter Polycarpou

Peter played Pauline’s husband Chris for five series, but he has a very interesting life away from the small screen – including a foray into politics.

On the show, Peter was caught up in one of Darryl’s hairbrained schemes and is sent back to prison despite being innocent after trying to start afresh.

Following his time on Birds Of A Feather, Peter appeared in several hit series including BBC show Hustle and thriller Cleanskin with Sean Bean. 

Since his time on the show, Peter has appeared in a number of hit series, including BBC’s Hustle and thriller Cleanskin alongside Sean Bean.

When it comes to the big screen, English-Cypriot Peter starred in Evita alongside Madonna, as well as Oklahoma! an De-Lovely.

Most of Peter’s acting career has taken place on the stage, including a 2019 appearance as Sancho in Man of La Mancha for English National Opera alongside Kelsey Grammar and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

Peter has also enjoyed a foray into politics when he became a green party politician and stood for local election in Muswell Hill.

He campaigned for the return of the elgin marbles to their native home in Greece. 

They were removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early 1800’s and are currently on display at the British Museum.

Peter said: ‘Imagine that 200 years ago parts of Stonehenge were taken secretly to France and then turned up in the Louvre as part of an exhibition. 

‘The British public would be would be outraged. Well that’s what happened to the Parthenon in Athens with the removal of the Parthenon Marbles by Lord Elgin and his gang.’

Away from his career, Peter has played cricket for the world-famous Lord’s Taverners as a wicketkeeper. 

Matt Willis

While Matt is best known as one third of the pop-punk band Busted, many will forget he also played Linda’s on-screen son Gareth Stubbs in the 2014 revival of the show.

He said at the time of joining the show, Matt said: ‘I’m so excited to be joining Birds of a Feather playing the role of Garthy! I used to watch the show growing up so this is just a dream job. I can’t believe I’ll be working with Sharon, Tracey and Dorien.’

Before joining the show, Matt shot to stardom alongside his bandmates Charlie Simpson and James Bourne in Busted.

The band have been on and off over the years, first splitting in 2005 when Matt explored a solo career and released his debut album.

Busted announced in 2015 that they were returning with a 13-date tour and released their third studio album, Night Driver – followed by Night Driver in 2019.

Later that year the band announced a hiatus to focus on solo projects.  

His next return to music saw him reunite with one of his ex-Busted bandmates (James Bourne) and with McFly to form the group, McBusted.

He won I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2006.

Alongside his wife, Emma Willis, Matt recently hosted the UK version of Netflix’s Love is Blind. 

The couple married in 2008 and the couple share three children called; Isabelle, 15, Ace, 12, and Trixie, eight.

Matt has spoken openly about his drug addiction battle, which saw him spend three weeks at London’s Priory Hospital in 2005 age 21. He was admitted again in 2003 to deal with his drug abuse issues. 

In June 2008, aged 25, Willis entered a rehab centre in after a marriage ultimatum from his wife Emma.

Linda Robson

Linda has gone on to enjoy an illustrious career in television during her time away from the sitcom however her life has been touched by tragedy in many ways.

The actress, 65, has been affected by the murder of a family friend, opening up about her son’s self harm, crippling debt and splitting from her husband.

After Birds Of A Feather came to an end, Linda struggled with thousands of pounds of debt after getting used to the life the show afforded her.

The TV personality admitted she would lay awake at night worrying about her finances and told in a 2017 interview that she almost suffered a breakdown.

Telling how she would avoid letters from the bank, she said: ‘I ran up a lot of debts when Birds of a Feather had ended but I was used to having a good income and buying things.’

Linda’s now ex-husband Mark Dunford helped her to pay off some of the debts after she opened up to him about her money struggles.

The couple were married for 33 years but they announced their split in November 2023, saying: ‘We had some good years, but enough is enough.’

Linda is now publicly single and has managed to overcome her debts, previously revealing how her children control her finances.

She has previously spoken about how her son Louis self-harmed and battled depression after the murder of his best friend Ben Kinsella.

She recalled how she and Mark were ‘really worried’ about their then teenage son, after they found out that he was ‘marking his arm’ and refused to leave his bedroom.

Louis had held a dying Ben, just 16, in his arms after he was stabbed 11 times outside a north London bar in 2008.

Speaking on Loose Women, Linda revealed how Louis eventually went away on a retreat to receive treatment for his mental health, and now is coping well with the loss.

The Loose Women panel were discussing their own experiences with self-harm after the news that one in four 14-year-old teenage girls self-harms.

Linda revealed that a teenage Louis first struggled with self-harm after Ben – the brother of EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella – was killed 10 years ago.

Away from the hit BBC programme, Linda has regularly appeared on daytime panel show Loose Women where she discusses world issues from a female perspective alongside a panel of other recognisable female faces.

Linda returned as Tracey for the show’s 2014 three series revival where she rejoined her co-star Pauline to play the iconic sibling duo.

Linda has also had small screen parts in The Likely Lads, The Tomorrow People, Going Out, L For Lester and The Bill.

Pauline Quirke

Pauline had already enjoyed a taste of fame before taking on her most recognisable role in Birds Of A Feather.

The actress has also appeared in The Tomorrow People, Play For Today, The Story Of The Treasure Seekers and Angel.

More recently she has starred in series including ITV crime drama Broadchurch and British-American comedy-drama miniseries, You, Me And The Apocalypse. 

While Pauline appeared in the majority of the show’s episodes, she failed to appeared in the Christmas Special episode of the show in 2020.

Pauline did not appear and her lines in the popular title song were removed, along with the pictures of Tracey and Sharon together.

The decisions sparked speculation that the two main stars of the show had fallen out, which was later shut down by Linda.

After fans questioned what had come of their fifty year friendship, Linda addressed the rumours about their relationship in an interview.

She told The Mirror: ‘People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn’t see her during lockdown but I’ve seen her since. 

‘She just doesn’t want to act anymore. She’s had enough – it’s long hours. She’s concentrating on her drama academies. She’s very hands on, going to classes and all that.’

Pauline’s drama academy was caught up in the shocking murder of three little girls in Southport because the murderer – Axel Rudakubana – attended Pauline’s school,  Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts.

Rudakubana pleaded guilty on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court to 16 offences, including three counts of murder after killing Bebe King, six, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.

But before this, Rudakubana grew up as a budding child star actor – attending a branch of a drama school founded by Pauline before featuring in a BBC Children In Need video.

The teenager who this week admitted killing three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class was previously a pupil at the Southport branch of the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts.

The PQA was set up by the Birds Of A Feather actress in 2007 and now has a network of about 250 academies as well as more than 15,000 students across Britain.

Rudakubana was pictured in 2017 receiving his drama branch’s ‘performer of the week’ award, in an image shared on Facebook.

At the same time, Rudakubana was also part of a local youth drama group through which he performed on a West End show at central London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.

The drama group also created ‘their own movie’ which was reportedly shown at a Vue cinema where the children were walked down a red carpet.

And in 2018, as exclusively revealed by MailOnline, he was filmed emerging from the Tardis in Doctor Who actor David Tennant’s trademark trenchcoat and tie – before urging the nation to help children by getting involved in fundraising.

That came in a BBC Children in Need clip after he was billed as a ‘superstar’ by a talent agency run by a former Premier League footballer’s wife.

In another tragic update, it was revealed this week that Pauline has been living with dementia for four years after learning of her diagnosis aged 61.

Her husband Steve Sheen announced in a statement on Monday that the the Birds Of A Feather star, 65, is set to ‘step away from all commercial and professional duties’.

According to Steve, the award-winning actress succumbed to the degenerative disease in 2021.

In a statement revealing Pauline’s diagnosis for the first time, Steve said: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I announce my wife Pauline’s decision to step back from all professional and commercial duties due to her diagnosis of Dementia in 2021.

‘Pauline has been an inspiration through her work in the film and TV industry, her charity endeavours and as the founder of the very successful Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA).

‘Her talent, dedication, and vision have touched countless lives and will continue to do so through the legacy of her work and through PQA where her vision and guidance has facilitated many young peoples’ progression and interest in the Arts and enhanced their self-confidence.’

Lesley Joseph

One of Lesley’s most memorable roles was as Dorien Green on the show.

The part, which came more than 20 years after her first TV role, involved her playing flirty neighbour Dorien who indulged in affairs with younger men.

Over her long-running career, Lesley has appeared in series which have included Minder, Ruth Rendall Mysteries, Night And Day and The Secret Of Eel Island.

Her stage roles have included UK productions Thoroughly Modern Millie, Calendar Girls, Annie and Young Frankenstein.

In 2016, Lesley was announced as one of the contestants on Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Anton du Beke.

The dancing couple left the series in week five.

Lesley has largely kept her personal life out of the spotlight but has previously opened up about the loss of her mother. 

She told the Mirror in 2016: ‘Losing a mother when you are very young, that is incredibly difficult because they don’t grow old with you. But if you lose them when they are older, you’ve had them all your life.

‘I had a very close relationship with my mother. She was one of 12, and she was the last of them to die. I talk to her every day, in my head.

‘I don’t think you ever lose that – she had a thirst for life Hopefully, touch wood, I’ve got her genes.’

Nickolas Grace

Nickolas played Dorien’s husband Marcus, who she was repeatedly unfaithful to during their marriage, until series seven.

His character was written out of the show when in a turn of events he left Dorien to begin a new life with his mistress and their children. 

Before his appearance on the show, Nickolas had already appeared in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood and Brideshead Revisited.

After the show, he went on to play a recurring role in My Family and Albert Einstein in Doctor Who episode Death is the Only Answer.

He also recorded for a number of Doctor Who audiobooks.