Friel made her professional acting debut at age 13 , playing the daughter of Michael Palin 's character in the television miniseries '' G.B.H. '' , which aired in the UK in 1991 and was nominated for several BAFTAs . This led to appearances on '' Coronation Street '' and '' Emmerdale '' . In 1992 , she was cast as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside '' . She played the role for two years , and was involved in some of the series ' most famous plots , including the death of her on-screen father , and a storyline featuring the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss in British television history , which went on to be broadcast around the world ( including 76 countries where homosexuality is illegal ) when it featured as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony . She later said , " For a very long time I was defined by that kiss . And I did n't want to be . I spent years turning down other lesbian roles because it felt like going back to Beth . But it did also make me want to take on parts that showed extreme sides of women " . In 1995 , Friel won a National Television Award in the category of Most Popular Actress for her work on '' Brookside ''
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Anna Friel