Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh, who attended West Heath in the 80s, has firmly established herself in the world of acting. Her roles include playing Zara Carmichael in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She won an award for Best Female Acting Performance at the 2015 RTS Midlands Awards for her portrayal of the GP.

Since 2024, she has also hosted the podcast Chicken Soap for the Soul. In the podcast she talks to other actors who have appeared in ‘soaps’ and those behind the scenes. They discuss the highs, lows, and unexpected twists that make this form of entertainment so popular.

Elisabeth’s latest venture is starring as one of the cast members in a theatre production of The Party Girls which is based on a true and sensational story involving the Mitford sisters written by Amy Rosenthal and directed by Richard Beecham.

She has been cast as Diana Mitford in the play which has been produced by the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, Kent where it also made its world premiere from 1-6 September. It is the first touring production to be produced by the Kent theatre.

It is now touring the UK and, as well as the Marlowe Theatre it has already been performed at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Malvern Festival Theatre.

Future 2025 dates include:

Eastbourne Devonshire Park Theatre – 22-27 September

Oxford Playhouse – 30 September – 4 October

Birmingham Repertory Theatre – 6-11 October

The play captures the wit of Nancy Mitford’s novels and tells a love story across continents, to a backdrop of the rise of extremism and dangerous populist leaders, intent on remaking the world order.

The Party Girls, with its great shifts of history seen through a female lens, resonates in our times. The glamorous Mitford girls cut a glorious swathe through pre-war high society, amidst the glittering world of debutantes and dukes, a world so perfectly evoked in Nancy Mitford’s novels (The Pursuit of Love, and Love in a Cold Climate).

But as Fascism rises and political storm clouds crackle over carefree country houses, the bonds of sisterhood are threatened by new and treacherous desires.

Amy Rosenthal’s compelling, touching and witty new play explores the true story of a family riven by political extremism, seen through the eyes of Jessica (Decca) Mitford as she battles to stay true to her beliefs, whilst moving further and further from the values of her once-beloved sisters.

Elizabeth, playing Diana Mitford, will be performing alongside Kirsty Besterman – Nancy Mitford; Joe Coen – Bob Treuhaft; Emma Noakes – Jessica Mitford; Ell Potter – Unity Mitford; Flora Spencer-Longhurst – Debo Mitford.

* Elizabeth will no doubt have her own memories of treading the boards in the drama hall at West Heath. Sadly, the hall is no more as it was deemed to be unsafe for use by the new school which now occupies the West Heath estate. More details will be featured on the website in the near future, but we would love to hear your own memories of performing or enjoying events in the drama hall and/or if you have any photos of these past activities we would love to see them.  Please send them to us using the WHOGA email address: WHOGA@hotmail.com