Carol Hawkins: Where Is the Please Sir! Star Now

Few British sitcom faces of the 1970s are as warmly remembered as Carol Hawkins’s Sharon in Please Sir!, yet her path after the cameras stopped is less known. Thirty-seven years after she first bounded onto BBC screens, she quietly stepped away in 2005.

Born: 31 January 1949 ·
Birthplace: Barnet, Hertfordshire, England ·
Occupation: Actress ·
Years active: 1969–2005 ·
Known for: Sharon in Please Sir! ·
Retired: 2005

Seven key biographical details, one pattern: a career that reached its peak in the 1970s and then wound down over three decades.

What is Carol Hawkins doing now?

According to her official website, Hawkins “more or less retired” in 2005. She sold up in the UK and moved to Spain with her dog Tommy, whom she adopted from Battersea Dogs Home. The site states that she developed her “healing and mediumistic abilities” and has long been interested in the spiritual side of life. She has not given any interviews or made public appearances since.

Where does Carol Hawkins live now?

• She moved to Spain after retirement (Official Website).
• The exact location is not specified in any reliable source.
• Her husband Martyn Padbury died in 2013, according to Carry On Blogging! (fan site).

The implication: her post‑acting life has been deliberately quiet, with no indication she will ever return to public performance.

Did Carol Hawkins have any children?

No public record exists of Carol Hawkins having children. Her official website does not mention offspring, and Wikipedia lists no children in its entry. The same absence appears in IMDb.

Who is Carol Hawkins married to?

• She met Martyn Padbury in 1979 (Official Website).
• The official website refers to him as “my late husband”, indicating he died before the site was written.
• No other marriage or long-term partner is recorded.

The pattern: the actress has prioritised privacy over disclosure, confirming only what she has chosen to share on her own website.

Who was the original Sharon in Please Sir?

Hawkins originated the role of Sharon Eversleigh in the BBC sitcom Please Sir! (1968–1972). According to Wikipedia, she was the first actress to play the character: a bubbly schoolgirl in the chaotic Fenn Street Comprehensive. The role made her a household name in the UK. When the series was adapted into a film in 1971, the part went to Penny Spencer, but Hawkins remained the television face of Sharon.

What happened to Sharon in Please Sir?

• Sharon was a recurring character across the series; after Hawkins left, the character was written out.
• The show ended in 1972 after four series and a spin-off, The Fenn Street Gang.

What this means: Hawkins’s contribution to the character is distinct and remains the one most associated with the original series.

What movies and TV shows has Carol Hawkins appeared in?

Her filmography, compiled by IMDb, spans three decades. The major entries include The Body Stealers (1969), Carry On Again Christmas (1970), Carry On Abroad (1972), Carry On Behind (1975), and the Carry On Laughing TV series (1975). On television she appeared in The Lovers (1973), Man About the House (1974), The Bill (1992), and her final credit, Doctors (2004, episode “Getting On”).

Did Carol Hawkins appear in The Bill?

• Yes, IMDb lists a guest role in 1992.
• No further details about the character are recorded.

Was Carol Hawkins in Carry On Abroad?

• Yes, she played Marge in the 1972 film (IMDb).
• She also appeared in Carry On Behind (1975) as Sandra and in the TV special Carry On Again Christmas (1970).

The catch: despite the variety of credits, none of her later roles matched the cultural footprint of her work in the 1970s.

What is Carol Hawkins’ net worth?

No authoritative public estimate exists. Given her early retirement and limited public appearances, her financial situation is not documented. Any figures circulating online are speculative and unverified. The official website and Wikipedia offer no clues about her wealth.

The implication: without income from new roles or public engagements, her net worth likely reflects the residual earnings of a modestly successful British comedy actress who retired young.

Carol Hawkins: Career timeline

Seven milestones trace a typical arc of a British TV comedy actress of the era.

• 31 January 1949: Born in Barnet, Hertfordshire (Official Website).
• 1969: Film debut in The Body Stealers (IMDb).
• 1968–1972: Played Sharon in Please Sir! on BBC (Wikipedia).
• 1972: Appeared in Carry On Abroad (IMDb).
• 1973–1974: Roles in The Lovers and Man About the House (IMDb).
• 1992: Guest appearance in The Bill (IMDb).
• 2005: Retired from acting (Official Website).

The pattern: after a burst of activity in the 1970s, her professional engagements tapered off, ending with a single guest role in 2004.

What we know — and what we don’t

Based on the available sources, here are the facts that are confirmed and those that remain uncertain.

The takeaway: the known facts are few but solid; the unknowns outnumber them, reflecting the actress’s deliberate privacy.

In her own words

While Hawkins has avoided the press since retiring, her official website contains several first-person statements that offer a rare glimpse into her thinking.

“I more or less retired in 2005.”

Carol Hawkins, via her official website

She also said she “moved to Spain with my dog Tommy from Battersea Dogs Home,” and that she “developed my healing and mediumistic abilities and have long been interested in the spiritual side of life.”

Why her story matters

Carol Hawkins’s career mirrors the brief, bright arc of many British comedy performers of the 1970s — a swift rise, a decade of steady work, then a quiet exit. Her decision to leave acting entirely, rather than chase cameo roles, stands apart in an industry that often struggles to let go. For fans of classic British sitcoms, the lesson is clear: Hawkins chose a different kind of happy ending, far from the cameras, with a dog and a life in the sun.

Fans of the show may also be interested in Penny Spencer, who played Sharon Eversleigh, another Please Sir! alum who later appeared in UFO.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line: the FAQs reveal a woman who has effectively disappeared from professional view, leaving only her early credits and a brief personal statement as public markers.

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