Tanya Reynolds

Tanya Louise Reynolds[1] (born 4 November 1991[citation needed]) is an English actress. She landed her first major role as a series regular on the Sky 1 comedy-drama Delicious (2016–2019). Reynolds portrayed Lily Iglehart on the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2023), where she was a part of the main cast in the first three seasons. Other credits include Outlander (2017), Death in Paradise (2017), Emma (2020), Dodger (2022), The Baby (2022), I Hate You (2022), and The Decameron (2024).

In 2024, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for her performance in the play A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.

Reynolds was born and raised in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.[2] Her father was a builder and her mother was a sign writer.[3] She is of half English and half Italian descent.[4] Her first experience in acting was at the age of four in the school nativity.[3] Reynolds attended Royal Holloway, University of London and the Oxford School of Drama,[5] after winning a fully-funded scholarship which enabled her to afford the drama school fees.[3][6] Reynolds graduated in 2015.[6]

Reynolds first appeared on screen in several short films, including Civilised People by UK comedy duo In Cahoots, which was shown at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2015,[7][8] The Jealous Boyfriend,[8] also by In Cahoots, and Introducing Lucy. In 2016, Reynolds landed her first TV appearance in Delicious, where she played Teresa Benelli for 12 episodes.[2]

2017 saw Reynolds furthering her TV career, with parts in Outlander, playing Lady Isobel Dunsany,[9] and in the BBC thriller series Rellik, as 20 year old Sally.[10] The same year she starred as Pearl Marston in the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise in the episode: Murder from Above shown in January 2018.[2]

In 2018, Reynolds was a leading actor in the feature film Fanny Lye Deliver'd,[11] among a cast that included Charles Dance and Maxine Peake. She also played a leading role as Teresa in the Sky One comedy Delicious, alongside a cast which included Iain Glen and Dawn French.[12]

In 2019, she starred as Lily Iglehart in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education.[2] Initially a recurring role for series 1, but she was promoted to a main character role for two further seasons.[8][13] However, she did not return to the series for its fourth and final season.[14]

In 2020, Reynolds played Mrs. Elton in a film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Bill Nighy.[15] The same year, she was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the television and film industry of Great Britain and Ireland.[16]

In 2021, Reynolds played Queen Victoria in the NBCUniversal series Dodger, alongside Christopher Eccleston as Fagin and David Threlfall as Chief of Police.[17]

In 2024, Reynolds reprised the role of Mei in the West End transfer of A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.[18] For her performance, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[19]

In 2024, she appeared as Porcupine in the film Harold and the Purple Crayon.[20]

On 28 January 2026, Reynolds was revealed to have a role in the fourth season of Ted Lasso as a new assistant coach for a women's football team.[21] The season is set to premiere in summer 2026.

• Tanya Reynolds at IMDb