BBC Beyond Paradise’s Margo star has famous daughter – and fans have only just realised

Margo Martins from the popular BBC series Beyond Paradise has quickly become a fan favourite, with Felicity Montagu portraying the indispensable office support for DI Humphrey Goodman at Shipton Abbott’s police station. While her character’s personal life remains largely under wraps, Felicity’s own background is quite remarkable.

She comes from a large family with five siblings and has an impressive lineage; her father, Lieutenant-Colonel John Drogo Montagu, is a descendant of the distinguished Royal Navy officer Admiral George Montagu, reports the Express. The historical connections don’t end there. Admiral George was a direct descendant of James Montagu, who himself traced his roots back to Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester.

Henry Montagu was a judge, politician, and peer infamous for sentencing Sir Walter Raleigh to death. James also served as an MP for Huntingdon in the English House of Commons, where he sat alongside Oliver Cromwell in 1628.

In addition to her illustrious ancestry, Felicity Montagu has a daughter, Olivia, who is also an actress. The mother-daughter duo shared the microphone in the BBC Radio 4 series Guilt Trip, playing characters that mirrored their real-life relationship. Their performance was inspired by a package holiday they took together to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

Reflecting on their bond, Felicity said: “We’ve always had a rough and tumble relationship. Forever catching up with each other because I was grieving when I gave birth and then I got very ill and was in hospital for weeks.”

Discussing the difficult period surrounding the birth of her daughter, Olivia, Felicity shared that it was just three months after the death of her own mother from cancer. Gina Ford, who would later become well-known as a childcare expert, was Olivia’s baby nurse at the time.

“She was whisked away and taken home because I couldn’t breastfeed her. It was an unusual start,” Felicity reflected. She then compared these early hardships with her more privileged upbringing, recalling how her parents supported her acting ambitions despite their concerns.

Felicity has two children, Olivia and Luke, with her former husband, TV and radio producer Alan Nixon, whom she married in 1984. Despite their separation in 2006, she revealed: “We’re still a team,” and added, “My children make me laugh a lot.”