When Pauline Quirke met Linda Robson

After meeting as kids at drama school, their shared journey led them to star in Birds of a Feather, the long-running sitcom in which they play sisters whose husbands are jailed for armed robbery.

Although on the surface it sounded like an unlikely topic for a comedy series, Linda and Pauline made the plot believable, turning siblings Tracey and Sharon into rounded characters and attracting around 24 million viewers at its peak.

Following the sad news that Pauline, 65, is now stepping down from her professional duties following a dementia diagnosis, there has been renewed interest in the show, which ran for 15 years, spanning 12 series and 129 episodes.

Rumours of a rift between the stars have been strongly denied by Linda, after allegations appeared in the tabloid press that they were no longer on speaking terms.

Did Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson grow up together?

Born in March 1958 in Islington, London, to Robert and Rita Robson, Linda attended Ecclesbourne Primary School, where drama teacher Anna Scher inspired her childhood love of acting.

Pauline, born in July 1959 in Hackney, London, has rarely spoken of her parents. Coming from a working class background, her biography describes how she grew up with mother Hetty, who “struggled to scrape together ten pence” so Pauline could go to drama classes.

When the Anna Scher Theatre School opened in 1968, it led to Pauline and Linda’s first meeting, as they were among the founding class of students, at nine and ten years old respectively. With serious ambitions to pursue an acting career, they became good friends and were soon winning roles from an early age.

They first appeared together in a 1970 sci-fi film produced by the Children’s Film Foundation. Junket 89 is about a boy who uses an “instant transportation machine” to whisk himself away to a South Sea island. Linda and Pauline played his friends, Daisy and Molly.

Career progression

After leaving school, both actresses enjoyed growing success and also appeared in other shows together.

In 1976, aged 17, Pauline hosted her own chat, music and sketch show on Thames Television, Pauline’s Quirkes, aimed at teenagers. Linda joined the cast as a guest. In her youth, Linda starred in various series including drama The Crezz in 1976, the sitcom L for Lester in 1982 and gritty drama Harry’s Game the same year.

Pauline and Linda appeared on TV together again in comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon, set in London’s East End after World War II. The series was one of the big hits of the decade, running from 1982 to 1985.

Pauline became a film and television star, appearing in the horror series Beasts in 1976, followed by a regular role in hospital drama Angels in 66 episodes between 1976 and 1983. She was a familiar face on our TV screens in series such as The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist, The Duchess of Duke Street and The Story of the Treasure Seekers.

Birds of a Feather

While both actresses were already household names by the mid-1980s, in Birds of a Feather, Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson took on their most famous characters, Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs, starring alongside Lesley Joseph as their neighbour Dorien in the BBC1 sitcom. Initially, it ran from October 1989 to December 1998, before being resurrected on ITV for a new series in January 2014 and continuing until December 2020.

The plot centred on the sisters offering each other moral and practical support while their husbands served jail terms, with their friend Dorien being renowned for her taste in expensive clothes and younger men. The opening credits mirrored the stars’ own life story, as they showed their real childhood and teenage photographs together.

Reflecting on the show in an interview with The Daily Mail in January 2025, Linda said they hadn’t expected it to take off like it did. She and Pauline had caught the number 76 bus to the studios, feeling “petrified” because they didn’t know what to expect. Then, another actor at the studios, on seeing the viewers’ response, said, “I think you’ve got a hit on your hands here!”

Linda added, “They don’t make comedy like that any more,” as she recalled the millions of viewers who tuned in every week to chuckle at Sharon and Tracey’s antics. The show was equally successful when it was resurrected by ITV, appealing to existing and new generations of fans.

Are Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson still friends?

Rumours of a rift between the stars had been rumbling on during the series’ reboot, with the tabloids claiming there had been “real and tense issues” on the set. There were allegations that Linda was jealous of Pauline because she had secured more serious roles outside Birds of a Feather. Some reports also alleged that Pauline had asked for a higher salary than her co-stars due to having received a BAFTA nomination in 1997.

When Pauline didn’t appear in the 2020 Christmas special, with her character’s absence explained by saying she had gone on a cruise, this fuelled the fire and the press speculated a major rift had occurred. However, Linda was quick to deny the rumours, calling them “a load of old codswallop”, with Pauline claiming she had left the show because she wanted to spend more time with her family. With her dementia diagnosis having been made in 2021, four years before she went public, it has been suggested failing health may have played a part in her decision.

Personal lives

Linda, now 66, has been a panellist on the TV lunchtime chat show, Loose Women, for long periods since 2003 and she has also forged a career in reality television in recent years, appearing in shows such as Celebs on the Farm and Celebrity Coach Trip. In 2023, she revealed how her late mother, Rita, who died in 2012, had battled dementia and the impact it had on the whole family.

The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts was launched in 2007 in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, to help other young people to follow their dreams. The star was awarded an MBE in 2022 by Prince William at Windsor Castle for services to young people, entertainment and charity. After announcing Pauline’s dementia diagnosis, her husband, Steve Sheen, described the actress as being “inspirational” with “talent, vision and dedication”.