Television
In 2012, I landed my first TV acting role as Clarissa Mullery (link opens in new window), forensic scientist in the landmark BBC drama, Silent Witness (link opens in new window). Clarissa is the sarcastic, super smart side-kick to Jack Hodgson (link opens in new window) (David Caves).
The 2017 series celebrated the show’s twentieth anniversary (link to BBC Media Centre article about the show’s twentieth season), so it seems fitting that we finally learnt a little more about Clarissa when her husband Max (Daniel Weyman (link to Daniel’s website opens in new window)), an expert in digital forensics, was brought into the Lyell to help with a case. The series is currently on iPlayer (link to BBC iPlayer opens in new window) and will be released on DVD on 20 February, 2017.
In addition to Silent Witness, I’m regularly repeated on CBeebies Bedtime Stories (link opens in new window) reading five children’s stories, including my personal favourite, The Magic Porridge Pot.
I also pop up now and again on talk shows, news programmes and the odd quiz show so do keep a look out for me on screen in 2017.
Theatre
This year I will be touring a show I created, wrote and perform in called Assisted Suicide: The Musical. With the help of a fantastic cast, this ‘TED talk with show tunes’ explores my views as a disabled woman who is an atheist and pro-choice yet concerned about legalising assisted suicide.
The show premiered to sell out audiences at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 2016 and was ‘Back by Popular Demand’ for one night only in January 2017, where it received a standing ovation. In August we’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, there’s a UK tour planned for Autumn 2017, plus Canada and the USA are beckoning for 2018!
I’ve performed all over the world and have ‘wheeled the boards’ in various plays – further details of all this can be found on my Spotlight (link opens in new window) page.
Activism
I’ve been involved in disability rights and activism for over 25 years. I’ve spoken in Parliament Square about the effects of austerity on disabled people, appeared on Newsnight on various occasions, addressed the Labour conference (link to story in the Daily Mirror opens in new window) (pictured above) and been handcuffed to buses in the campaigns to secure accessible public transport for all.
I support Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) (link opens in new window) and I’m very involved with Not Dead Yet UK (link opens in new window), a group of disabled people and allies who oppose a change in the law relating to medical assisted suicide.
Broadcasting
For seven years, along with Mat Fraser, I was the co-host of the BBC’s disability-focused podcast, Ouch! (link opens in new window) We won a Royal Television Society award, we talked about disability in a frank and often amusing way and – most controversially – we were known for our ironic quiz Vegetable, Vegetable or Vegetable, where as the hosts we had to work out what was ‘wrong’ with the disabled caller on the line.
I’ve contributed to many BBC Radio programmes from Today and The World Tonight to Front Row, Loose Ends and You and Yours. In 2012 I visited all the countries where assisted suicide and / or euthanasia were then legal, the results of which were made into a self-authored two-part BBC World Service documentary, When Assisted Death is Legal(link opens in new window) (pictured above).
Comedy
I began my life as a comedian with the sketch group Nasty Girls, before trying my hand at stand-up thanks to Abnormally Funny People (link opens in new window) (pictured) back in 2005.
Since then I’ve received an amusing ’special’ commendation in one comedy competition, been runner-up in the prestigious Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition and I’ve gigged, MC-ed and performed in the worlds of mainstream comedy and queer cabaret all over the world.
