Raquel Cassidy

In Party Animals (2007), Raquel Cassidy lets a question sit before the minister Jo Porter answers it. She gives the hesitation enough weight for us to notice, without making the exchange feel like a demonstration of acting. We enjoyed waiting for her reply, because she had made the thinking before it interesting. The series itself is less satisfying, knowing its Westminster setting but too often forgetting to be funny. Cassidy is a reason to persist with it, though the programme asks more patience of us than she does.

Her regular roles in Teachers (2001–2002) and Lead Balloon (2006–2011) preceded the long association with Phyllis Baxter in Downton Abbey, which began in 2013. Baxter offered the sort of gradual character development that suits an actor who can do useful work with limited dialogue. Cassidy played her across the final three series of Julian Fellowes's programme, with Kevin Doyle's Mr Molesley as her on-screen partner.

Downton Abbey (2019) offers less space, and our enthusiasm for the film is modest. Its careful craftsmanship and welcome comedy make it a decent reunion for devotees, but the crowded script gives familiar characters too little to do. That is a particular difficulty for an actor who often relies on limited dialogue and a gradually developing character. Cassidy's understatement can leave her overshadowed in a large ensemble; quiet acting still needs the writing to give it room. The film remains a better choice for those already attached to the household.

Miss Hardbroom in The Worst Witch (2017–2020) is a useful reminder that Cassidy also gets to play more overt authority. Four series in that role make it a substantial part of her screen work, rather than a footnote to Baxter. We would welcome more parts that let her be outspoken, as her earlier contemporary work did. For a closer look at her timing, try Party Animals, with fair warning that its cast is better company than its writing.