Hayley Squires is a persuasive, direct actor whose humour matters as much as her naturalism. We rate her work, while wishing an industry inclined to cast working-class women in difficulty would give her more leading parts.
Fi1m perspective
Hayley Squires brings humour into performances that might otherwise be defined by hardship. Her directness is particularly useful in social drama, where an actor can too easily be asked to demonstrate a problem for our benefit. We value the naturalism she brings to those parts. The qualification is about casting: working-class women should be allowed more to do than struggle convincingly.
Her breakthrough as Katie in Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake (2016) established her in precisely that territory. Adult Material (2020), with Squires leading as Jolene Dollar, offered the greater responsibility of carrying a television drama. She is compelling with that responsibility, and the move into a major television lead matters to our view of her. It gives her directness and humour more time to count.
In Legends (2026), she works within an ensemble that keeps a complicated undercover thriller worth following. Neil Forsyth’s six-part series casts her as Kate, alongside Tom Burke’s Guy, Steve Coogan’s Don and Aml Ameen’s Bailey. Burke does most to make the uncertainty interesting, but Squires belongs to a cast whose strength helps the series cope with its crowded story. We cared about the people attempting the job because the performances kept them distinct amid so much information.
That does not remove the series’ problems. Crowded plotting and an excess of solemnity make it harder work than it needs to be, and our recommendation comes with that caveat. Kate is valuable here as part of the group, without being the chief reason to watch. It is useful ensemble work, and there is no need to make a larger claim for it.
Her supporting parts as Babs in Peter Strickland’s In Fabric (2018) and Penelope in Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid (2023) also belong in this account. The horror-comedy of In Fabric is a useful reminder that social realism need not be her permanent assignment. The casting complaint should not obscure the different kinds of work she has already taken on. For Squires with room to lead, start with Adult Material.
Biography
Hayley Squires is an English actress and playwright. She trained at Rose Bruford College and graduated in 2010.
She is known for her role as Katie in the film I, Daniel Blake (2016), for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Other film credits include In Fabric (2018), The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), In the Earth (2021) and Beau Is Afraid (2023). On television she has appeared in Call the Midwife (2012), Inside No. 9 (2014 and 2024), Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (2017), Adult Material (2020), The Essex Serpent (2022) and Great Expectations (2023). She plays Sally Price-Jones in the second series of The Night Manager (2026) and Kate in Legends (2026).
Squires wrote the play Vera Vera Vera, produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 2012. She received a further BAFTA nomination for Best Actress for Adult Material.
