Poppy Ridgway’s first industry experience came through a third-year work placement on BA (Hons) Costume Interpretation with Design at The Northern School of Art, on the BBC comedy Hospital People. A second placement with someone she met there led to her first full-time role as a Costume Trainee straight after graduating.
She worked as a trainee on The Dumping Ground and Endeavour before moving into costume standby and crowd supervision, and now works as a Principal Costume Standby. Her credits include Unforgotten, The Acolyte, Gladiator II (directed by fellow Northern School of Art alumnus Sir Ridley Scott), and Project Hail Mary.
“I haven’t once used my CV to get the next job; it all happens by recommendations and good reputations,” she says of working in the industry.