Ashley Jensen is a Scottish actress and narrator who joined the National Youth Theatre at 14 and went on to study drama at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. She came to prominence as Maggie Jacobs opposite Ricky Gervais in Extras, which earned her two British Comedy Awards, a BAFTA nomination and an Emmy nomination. She then played Christina McKinney in Ugly Betty, and has since taken the title role in Agatha Raisin (2014-2022) and the lead role of DI Ruth Calder in Shetland from 2023. Her other credits include Catastrophe and After Life, and she has voiced characters in animations including Gnomeo & Juliet and Arthur Christmas and narrated eight series of Embarrassing Bodies.

Ashley Jensen
Appears in 3 cozy crime TV shows on Cozy Crime Index.
Born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland · See Scotland then and now on GhostViewer →
About Ashley Jensen
Ashley Jensen TV shows
Agatha Raisin
as Agatha Raisin
Burnt out on office politics, Agatha Raisin retires early to a picturesque village in the Cotswolds and soon finds a second career as an amateur detective investigating mischief, mayhem, and murder in her deceptively quaint town.
Shetland
as DI Ruth Calder
Set amid the dramatic, windswept landscapes of Scotland's remote Shetland Islands, Shetland follows the local police team as they investigate murders within a close-knit island community where everyone knows everyone else's business—and secrets.
Rebus (2000–2007)
as Mhairi Henderson
In Edinburgh, Detective Inspector John Rebus is a maverick who bends the rules to get at the truth, and his methods regularly put him at odds with his superiors.