On stage Tapper has appeared in
Epitaph for George Dillon in the
West End, and
Othello at
Shakespeare's Globe. Following her film debut in
Stage Beauty, Tapper played Gwendolyn in
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), alongside
Joan Plowright, and Diana Shaw in
These Foolish Things (2006), alongside
Anjelica Huston. Her television credits include Mary Collins in ''
A Harlot's Progress'' for
Channel 4, Jane in
Oliver Parker's
The Private Life of Samuel Pepys, Gemma in the first series of the
Sky One drama
Hex, and Jenny Maple in the BBC
miniseries Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky. She also played
Hermia in
ShakespeaRe-Told: ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream'', the 2005
BBC adaptation/modernisation of
Shakespeare's play of the same name. In 2008, Tapper portrayed
Sheila Steafel in the BBC television play
The Curse of Steptoe, and Anya Raczynski in the BBC remake of
Survivors, alongside
Max Beesley,
Paterson Joseph and
Julie Graham. She also played Selina Dawes in the
ITV adaptation of the novel
Affinity, opposite
Anna Madeley as Margaret Prior. It premiered at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and in the UK on 28 December 2008 on ITV. In 2009, she appeared in the ITV fantasy drama series
Demons as blind
vampire-turned-monster hunter
Mina Harker. She played
Effie Gray in the
BBC Two period drama Desperate Romantics. In 2010, she played Hannah in the BBC television pilot
Reunited. In 2013, Tapper appeared as Ellen Love in
Mr Selfridge. In 2017, Tapper played the character of Katy Sutcliffe in the ITV Thriller series,
Liar (TV series). She reprised the role of Katy for series 2 of Liar in 2020. == Personal life ==