Product Code Database
Example Keywords: winter -winter $87
barcode-scavenger
   » » Wiki: Josie Lawrence
Tag Wiki 'Josie Lawrence'.
Tag

Josie Lawrence
Search for series episode
 ( ) 

 C O N T E N T S 
Rank: 100%
Bluestar Bluestar Bluestar Bluestar Blackstar
  1. Wiki
  2. Comments
  3. Media

Josie Lawrence (born Wendy Lawrence; 6 June 1959) is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and as in .

Early life
Lawrence was born Wendy Lawrence on 6 June 1959 in in the Black Country, West Midlands. Her parents were Bert Lawrence and Kathleen Lawrence, née Griffin, who were married in 1948. She has twin siblings, John and Janet, who are ten years her senior (1949). They were brought up in nearby , where their father worked for and their mother as a . Lawrence wanted to be an actress at the early age of 5 and at 16 joined the Barlow Players in Oldbury.

She studied at Dartington College of Arts from 1978 to 1981, receiving a Bachelor of Arts honours degree.

Career
Stage
Her first acting role was as a young boy in a production of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists at the Half Moon Theatre (in 2016 she became a patron of the theatre). During the 1980s, she was also involved in a play called Passionaria at the Newcastle Playhouse, starring and Kate McKenzie, and they later formed the jazz group Denise Black and the Kray Sisters. The Northern Echo 16 June 2005

Her work in comedy began as a result of starring in a play called Songs For Stray Cats and hearing the audience invited to supply lines and ideas for improvisers appearing in after-show cabaret.

She starred as the title character in the 1993 Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith production of the musical Moll Flanders. "It's possible, too, that the excellent Josie Lawrence, who has no problem convincing you of Moll's allure when young, should be helped to show more signs of age when our heroine has supposedly lost her beauty and turned to thieving. In these episodes, the social comment would stick harder coming from someone who looked superannuated rather than like an anachronistic advertisement for HRT."

From 1994 to 1996, Lawrence played Katharine in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Taming of the Shrew in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London, for which she received a Dame award for Best Actress. She also appeared in and The Cherry Orchard and starred as in an all-female production of Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe, having played Beatrice previously at Manchester's Royal Exchange. She made her West End theatre debut in 2001 taking over the lead role of Anna in the stage musical The King and I, replacing . "Lawrence treads West End boards", BBC News, 11 May 2001. Retrieved 11 February 2014 In 2005, she appeared with , and in the cult West End production of Wood's .

In 2008, Lawrence took the lead role in 's Hapgood at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and later at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in which she was a secret spymaster given the task of exposing a traitor who is leaking vital information to the Russians. Express & Star 5 January 2008 In the same year, she co-directed The Time Step, a comedy about fantasies and talent contests, with at the Edinburgh Festival. The Times Online 23 June 2008.

Lawrence appeared as Madame Ranevskaya in a new version of 's The Cherry Orchard, translated by , at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in autumn 2010.

Film and television
Lawrence came to public attention as a regular performer on the Channel 4 comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? at its launch in 1988. Lawrence's speciality on the show was her ability to improvise songs on the spot. She was the first female performer to appear on the show, featuring in both the original pilot episode and the first broadcast episode. Lawrence was featured on Whose Line until its ninth series in 1997 and 1998, which was the last of the UK series to actually be filmed in the UK. She also performed in two episodes of the American edition of the show in 1999.

In 1991, she had her own short-lived comedy series , also on Channel 4. The next year she starred in Enchanted April, a British remake of the 1935 film based on Elizabeth von Arnim's novel. Her other television work includes the comedy series Not with a Bang and Downwardly Mobile, and she is remembered for her performances as Maggie Costello in the cricketing comedy drama Outside Edge alongside , , and , for which she was awarded the Spectacle Wearer of the Year award in 1993. She went on to perform in Sealed with a Loving Kiss and Lunch in the Park as part of the series on 16 February 1996 and 21 October 1997. She appeared in the 1999 made-for-television film The Flint Street Nativity as both Debbie Bennett and Debbie's mother. In 2000, she played Camilla in A Many Splintered Thing. Between 1999 and 2001, she was the voice of "Duck" in the children's television show Dog and Duck. (Press Release)

In 2006, she starred alongside in The Complete Guide to Parenting as Phoebe Huntley. She has also appeared in the drama series Robin Hood and as Mrs Jiniwin in the 2007 ITV adaptation of The Old Curiosity Shop. She appeared in an episode of the 2007 E4 teen comedy/drama Skins, playing Liz Jenkins, estranged mother of , a role which she reprised in the second series.

Lawrence was in from March 2009 to February 2010. She played , an old flame of . Josie Lawrence joins EastEnders She was featured with in a celebrity special of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? that aired on 31 January 2009. She has appeared as a guest on the panel show games QI and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

In 2010, Lawrence appeared in series 25, episode 3 of Casualty named "The Chaos Theory". Lawrence played Mrs Janet Haines, BBC One – Casualty, Series 25, Chaos Theory, accessed 10 May 2012 head teacher of a school where sixteen children were admitted to the emergency department having taken LSD. Also in 2010, she played the part of Sandra, Tony's agent, in the 2010 British feature film version of ' best selling book Round Ireland with a Fridge that was released in September 2010 and was released on DVD in November 2010.

In 2012, she appeared in Doctors alongside who has also appeared in EastEnders. Lawrence played Cathy Dayman, and Jameson played Shirley Carter. "Doctors: Series 14 – A Suburban Affair" BBC website, accessed 10 May 2012 Also in 2012, she appeared on one episode of the US improv series, Trust Us With Your Life, similar to Whose Line is it Anyway?, but never made it to air.

Lawrence provided the voice of "The Brain" in the 2015 BBC Two quiz show Beat The Brain.

In 2016, she played Barbara, a synthetic marriage counsellor in series 2 of the Channel 4 television series Humans.

In 2018, she played the lover of a married man portrayed by former "Whose Line" castmate in the feature film Finding Your Feet.

In 2019, she played Agnes Nutter in the Amazon Prime series Good Omens.

In 2020, she appeared in the BBC television series episode 3.5 "Thy Fury Spent" as Dr Helen Middleton.

Radio
Lawrence starred in three series of the improvised comedy series The Masterson Inheritance from 1993 to 1995 on BBC Radio 4 alongside , , , and Jim Sweeney. Each episode comprised a different time period, and the plots were improvised based on suggestions from the studio audience. One unaired episode was produced and narrated by Lawrence, but it was released on the internet by Jim Sweeney on his official site.

The BBC Radio 4 series The Lawrence Sweeney Mix aired from 27 February to 20 March 2007 and was described as "Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney create improvised sketches from audience suggestions". BBC Lawrence Sweeney Mix Page Series 2 began airing on 29 January 2008. Jim Sweeney's official site

She has starred in three other BBC Radio 4 comedy series: the science fiction comedy Married in 1996 and the dark comedy series Vent in 2006 as well as appearing in a Galton and Simpson Radio Playhouse 50th Anniversary recording of Clicquot et Fils alongside Richard Griffiths and that originally aired on 29 December 1998.

She played the role of 'Amanda' in the comedy series Reluctant Persuaders on BBC Radio 4.

Lawrence made her debut appearance in the long-running BBC Radio 4 show Just a Minute on 7 January 2008 and returned again in the following series.

In December 2014, Lawrence played the role of Agnes Nutter in an adaptation of and 's book for BBC Radio 4. In 2019, she reprised the role for the Amazon/BBC television production of the book.

Audio books
Lawrence has lent her voice to several , the majority of which were books for children. She has recorded several of the books in ' series, namely, Bossy, Giggles, Trouble, Tiny, Sunshine, Naughty, Somersault and Neat and four of Jacqueline Wilson's books, Secrets, The Illustrated Mum, Bad Girls and The Bed and Breakfast Star. She has also recorded books from , 's Spot the Dog and 's Dilly the Dinosaur, as well as 's Mercedes Ice and and 's Room on the Broom as well as the 2005 Muffin The Mule story books for a grand CD release. For adults, Lawrence has recorded of Rosie Thomas's Sun at Midnight, 's and Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn.

Video games
She appeared on the 1992-1993 series of , playing Mad Dog McCree winning her challenge.

Charity
In 2003, Lawrence spent eight months walking across China, Cuba, Peru and Tanzania for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and helped to raise over £550,000. She had to wear a knee brace throughout the trek because of damage to her anterior cruciate ligament.

In 2005, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Sunfield, a school for children with autism and complex learning needs, of which she is a patron. Sunfield School Patrons On 21 April 2008, she hosted a VIP-night performance of Hapgood at The Birmingham Rep in aid of Sunfield and raised a further £3,500 for the charity. Halesowen News, 28 April 2008 – 'Rep VIP night pulls in £3.5k' In 2009, Lawrence raised £25,000 for Sunfield by appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with . Stourbridge News article on Josie Lawrence

Lawrence and participated in the final leg of the celebrity Around the World in 80 Days challenge to raise money for Children in Need 2009. They travelled from Memphis to Wilmington, North Carolina and then to London over 15 days.

Honours and personal life
Lawrence is single. In an interview with Jim Sweeney, she said of being asked why she is unmarried, "It's always the same: 'You're 41 and not married and no kids.' God, I'm so bored with it." She resides in Hackney, London. She has two cats, a long-haired ginger (Aynuk) and a black-and-white (Ayli), named after the characters Aynuk and Ayli, who feature prominently in jokes about Black Country dialect. BBC – Black Country Jokes As a guest on QI she named David Attenborough her "God".

In 1994, Lawrence was awarded an honorary doctorate by Dartington College of Arts, and she has since been awarded two more, an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Wolverhampton in 2004 Josie Lawrence honoured by Uni and in 2006 a doctorate by for "services to the entertainment industry."

named one of their road gritting trucks "Frozie Lawrence" Https://www.facebook.com/sandwellcouncil/photos/a.165528153494848/3682714328442862/?type=3< /ref>

Filmography
1979A Christmas Carol at Ford's TheatreMrs. Dilber/Fred's Younger Sister/Shopper No. 2TV movie
1985Summer SeasonRachelTV series (1 episode: "Rachel and the Roarettes")
1986The American WayGuerillette
1987Comedy Wavelength TV series (1 episode: "Episode #1.5")
1988CampaignLinda PrenticeTV series (4 episodes)
Presenter – Get The JokeTV series (21 episodes)
1989Agatha Christie's PoirotErnestine GrantTV series (1 episode: "The Third Floor Flat")
Ruby LawrenceTV movie
Alas Smith and Jones TV series (1 episode: "The Untreated Version")
1990Not with a BangJanet WilkinsTV series (7 episodes)
The Green ManLucyTV series (3 episodes)
Jackson Pace: The Great YearsRyveeta TuskTV series (6 episodes)
1991Enchanted AprilLottie Wilkins
1992A Word in Your EraCleopatraTV series (1 episode: "Episode #1.7")
1993The Comic Strip Presents...SusieTV series (1 episode: "Queen of the Wild Frontier")
1994The World of Peter Rabbit and FriendsPigwigTV series (1 episode: "The Tale of Pigling Bland")
Downwardly MobileSophieTV series (7 episodes)
Outside EdgeMaggie CostelloTV series (22 episodes: 1994–1996)
Nominated — Best TV Comedy Actress
1995Absolutely FabulousCable TV PresenterTV series (1 episode: "The End")
TV series (2 episodes: 1995–1996)
Spot's Magical ChristmasSally/HelenDirect-to-video special
1996Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...Primrose/Sarah TiptreeTV series (2 episodes: 1996–1997)
The Adventures of Dawdle the DonkeyDawdleTV series (20 episodes: 1996–1997)
1997The Sin EaterKateTV Short
Spot and His Grandparents Go to the CarnivalSally/HelenDirect-to-video special
1998Star Hill PoniesVarious CharactersTV series
Bill's New FrockBill's MumShort
ShemerldaTV series (2 episodes)
Oi! Get Off Our TrainMum/ CraneVoice
1999Dog and DuckDuckVoice
The Flint Street NativityDebbie Bennett/MaryTV movie
2000GogwanaVoiceTV Short
Married 2 MalcolmNatalie
A Many Splintered ThingCamillaTV series (6 episodes)
Julia FleshmanTV series (8 episodes: 2000–2002)
2003Liese KohlTV series (1 episode: "Achtung, Baby")
Where the Heart IsRita ShepherdTV series (1 episode: "A Time to Dance")
2004Avril CoulterTV series (1 episode: "Out of Control")
2005Down to EarthShirley PottsTV series (1 episode: "Trouble 'n' Strife")
2006Agatha Christie's MarpleHannah BeresfordTV series (1 episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs")
Acorn Antiques the Musical: Triplet TraumaBonnieVideo Short
Acorn Antiques the Musical: Mrs Overall's ReturnBonnieVideo Short
Donna/BonnieVideo
The Complete Guide to ParentingPhoebe HuntleyTV series (5 episodes)
2007The Last DetectiveGillian LanghamTV series (1 episode: "The Man from Montevideo")
Robin HoodMatildaTV series (1 episode: "Ducking and Diving")
The Old Curiosity ShopMrs. JiniwinTV movie
SkinsLiz JenkinsTV series (3 episodes: 2007–2008)
2009MinderDelilah DaleyTV series (1 episode: "Till Debt Do Us Part")
Manda BestTV series (49 episodes: 2009–2010)
2010Round Ireland with a FridgeSandra
CasualtyJanet HainesTV series (1 episode: "Chaos Theory")
Handle with CareKarenShort
The Fridge InterviewsThe Lady FridgeShort
MamReenieShort
DoctorsCathy Dayman/Katrina Kidd/Susie VineTV series (3 episodes: 2010–2014)
2013Common GroundFionaTV series (1 episode: "Rupert")
No PrisonersLouiseShort
Wizards vs AliensMadeline RavenTV series (2 episodes: "The Curse of Crowe", parts 1 & 2)
2014BonoboAnita
DeniseTV series (1 episode: "The Curse of the Bronze Lamp")
Looking for ViEvelyn Hawthorne/Vi CardleShort
2015The KennedysMiss ParsonsTV series (1 episode: "Valentine")
2016HumansBarbaraTV series (2 episodes)
StellaValTV series (1 episode: "Christmas Special")
2018Finding Your FeetPamela
2019Good OmensAgnes NutterTV series
2020Dr. Helen MiddletonTV series (1 episode: "Thy Fury Spent")
2023Prof. Lorna McIntoshTV series (1 episode: "Claws Out")
2024Father BrownChristine KipleyTV series (1 episode: "The Dead of Night")

Appearances
1988Friday Night LiveHerself/VariousTV series
Whose Line Is It Anyway?HerselfTV series (53 episodes: 1988–1997)
1989Hysteria 2!TV special
Agatha Christie's PoirotMrs GrantTV series (1 episode: "The Third Floor Flat")
The South Bank ShowRachelTV series documentary (1 episode: "Ben Elton")
A Night of Comic Relief 2HerselfTV special
1991Aspel & CompanyTV series (1 episode: "Episode #8.12")
JosieHerself/VariousTV series (6 episodes)
NarratorTV series documentary (1 episode: "Boob in Toyland")
1993HerselfTV series (1 episode: "Episode #2.22")
ArenaT (voice)TV series (1 episode: "Radio Night")
1994Paul Merton's Palladium StoryGame Show Contestant Mrs. SimpsonTV mini-series documentary (1 episode: "Act Two: The Television Years")
An Audience with Ken DoddHerselfTV special
1996Happy Birthday ShirleyTV movie (uncredited)
1999Never Mind the BuzzcocksTV series (1 episode: "Episode #5.8")
American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?TV series (2 episodes)
2001The Lesley Garrett ShowTV series (1 episode: "Notes from the Heart")
2002A Week in the West EndTV series (1 episode: "Episode #1.5")
2003KellyTV series (1 episode: "21 March 2003")
Today with Des and MelTV series (1 episode: "4 December 2003")
TV series (2 episodes: 2003–2004)
2004QITV series (1 episode: "Bats")
2005The Wright StuffGuest Panelist/HerselfTV series (2 episodes: 2005–2012)
2008The Big QuestionsHerselfTV series (1 episode: "Episode #1.16")
2009Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?TV series (1 episode: "31 January 2009")
The Paul O'Grady ShowTV series (1 episode: "13 March 2009")
Around the World in 80 DaysTV mini-series (2 episodes)
2010The Sweeney: The Life and Work of Jim Sweeneydocumentary
The Story Behind the Fridgevideo documentary short
201124 Hour Panel PeopleTV mini-series (1 episode: "Episode #1.5")
2012Just a MinuteRadio series (1 episode: "Episode #1.5")
Would I Lie to You?TV series (1 episode: "Episode #6.7")
TV series (1 episode: "Prom 48: Weber, Mahler & Tchaikovsky")

External links

: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Page 1 of 1
1
Page 1 of 1
1

Account

Social:
Pages:  ..   .. 
Items:  .. 
Click to view the UPC Scavenger App on google play.

Navigation

General: Atom Feed Atom Feed  .. 
Help:  ..   .. 
Category:  ..   .. 
Media:  ..   .. 
Posts:  ..   ..   .. 

Statistics

Page:  .. 
Summary:  .. 
1 Tags
10/10 Page Rank
5 Page Refs
1s Time