ITV’s popular 1990s detective series Wycliffe captivated audiences with its adaptation of W. J. Burley’s novels, centering on Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. Airing from 1993 to 1998 after a successful pilot, the show featured Jack Shepherd in the lead role alongside Jimmy Yuill and Helen Masters. Lynn Farleigh joined in the third season as Helen Wycliffe, the detective’s wife.
Beyond her on-screen role, Lynn Farleigh married three prominent British actors. She also shares two children with former partner Keith Turner.
Michael Jayston: First Marriage and Shared Stage Work
Lynn Farleigh’s first marriage was to actor Michael Jayston in 1965. Known for his role as James, Raquel’s father, in Only Fools and Horses, Jayston shared the stage with Farleigh in the 1967 production of The Homecoming. He later appeared in the 1973 film adaptation, though Farleigh did not reprise her part.
Jayston’s career highlights include Craze, Highlander III: The Final Dimension, Tales of the Unexpected, Foyle’s War, and Emmerdale. In 1986, he portrayed the villainous Valeyard in Doctor Who opposite Colin Baker. The couple divorced in 1970 after five years. Jayston later married Heather Sneddon and then Ann Smithson in 1979, fathering five children. He passed away on February 5, 2024, at age 88.
David Yip: Bond Film Appearance and Trailblazing Role
Farleigh’s second marriage, in 1989, was to David Yip, who broke barriers as the first Chinese lead in British TV with The Chinese Detective. The union ended in divorce. Yip gained wider recognition in Roger Moore’s final James Bond outing, A View to a Kill, playing CIA agent Chuck Lee, killed by May Day.
Other notable roles for Yip include Ping Pong, Brookside, Fortitude, and Wolf King.
John Woodvine: Long-Term Union and Family Life
Lynn Farleigh married actor John Woodvine in 1996. The couple had two children together and stayed united until Woodvine’s death on October 6, 2025, at age 96. Prior to Farleigh, Woodvine had two daughters with actress Hazel Wright, including Mary Woodvine, seen in Casualty, Poldark, and Doc Martin.
Woodvine’s credits feature An American Werewolf in London, Danny, the Champion of the World, and The Crown, where he portrayed the Archbishop of York.
