About the Character: Helen Alderson is a Yorkshire Dales farmer’s daughter who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. Capable and fiercely independent, a lover of animals and the great outdoors, she captures the attention of James early on.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Shenton made her U.S. television debut in the family drama Switched at Birth, playing student teacher Lily Summers. More recently, she portrayed window saleswoman Jo Scott in the British comedy series White Gold.

Surprising Fact: Shenton’s father lost his hearing when she was young, leading her to become active within the deaf community. She won an Academy Award in 2018 for the short film, The Silent Child, which she starred in, and wrote and produced with her husband Chris Overton.

Related Content: Read our Season 2 interview with Shenton about changes afoot for her character. Another Season 2 feature shares some surprising facts about the award-winning actress herself. Shenton and Nicholas Ralph both answer questions about their characters’ romantic journey in a Season 2 exclusive interview. And in this MASTERPIECE Studio podcast episode from Season 2, Shenton reveals what Helen wants from a life with James and where there’s room for compromise.