EastEnders

Coulson's big television break came in 1993, when she became a household name after being cast in the part of Carol, the feisty matriarch of the Jackson family, in the successful BBC serial drama EastEnders. She remained in the role for four years, but a desire to try her hand at other roles prompted her to quit the role in 1997. She returned to the show for six months in 1999 and won the 2000 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance. Despite saying in 2008 she would never return to EastEnders, it was announced on 25 October 2009 Coulson would reprise her role as Carol Jackson in EastEnders in 2010 with her on-screen family Natalie Cassidy, who played Sonia Fowler, Dean Gaffney, who played Robbie Jackson, and the character of Billie Jackson played by Devon Anderson. The Jackson family have now reunited with Patsy Palmer, who rejoined the soap in 2008 in her role of Bianca Jackson.^[2] Coulson made her onscreen comeback in February 2010 before leaving once again in October 2015.

Other roles

Her TV debut was in A Bear Behind, a 1989 children's series in which she and a puppet bear called Boz adventured around the country in their horse-drawn caravan and lived on a houseboat.

Following EastEnders, Coulson went on to star in Out of Hours alongside John McArdle, but, after the medical drama failed to get commissioned for a second series, she rejoined EastEnders for a three-month stint to help facilitate the exit of Patsy Palmer, who played her on-screen daughter Bianca Jackson. During this spell, Coulson received the best dramatic performance at the British Soap Awards.

Coulson went on to have roles in Clocking Off, Judge John Deed, Paradise Heights, Manchild, The Stretford Wives, Dalziel and Pascoe, Murder Investigation Team, The Last Detective, Urban Gothic and Where the Heart Is among others.

She later starred in the 2004 TV film She's Gone opposite Ray Winstone and the 2005 TV film The Stepfather opposite Philip Glenister.

In 2006, Coulson played Ann Peterson in the Jimmy McGovern drama The Street. Each episode focused on the stories of the people living in a particular house in the street. Coulson's on-screen husband Brian, a school teacher, was played by Neil Dudgeon.

In 2007, Coulson starred in an episode of BBC New Tricks series 4 episode 4 "Nine Lives". Her character name was Caroline Baker.

She played the role of Hester Reed in the BBC police drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: The Chinese Walls (2006), and she also appeared in the series four episode of Doctor Who entitled "Midnight", in June 2008.

She has since appeared in the ITV drama series The Level and The Bay.