Jo Coffey

Last updated

Jo Coffey
Born
Joanna Coffey

(1976-08-01) 1 August 1976 (age 49)
Solihull, West Midlands, England
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actress
  • writer
Years active2007–present
Television Waterloo Road

Jo (Joanna) Coffey (born August 1976) is an English comedian, actress and writer. After beginning her career in stand-up comedy and performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she has since gone on to appear in various television shows including EastEnders , Avoidance , The Witcher: Blood Origin and Extraordinary . Since 2023, she has portrayed the role of Wendy Whitwell in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road . [1]

Contents

Life and career

Joanna Coffey was born in August 1976 in Solihull, West Midlands. [2] [3] She began her career in stand-up comedy and has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe several times since 2007. [2] Her shows include My Dad's Caravan Is Rubbish and Not 25. [2] [4] Coffey has dwarfism and describes herself as "the comedy circuit's fourth shortest comic". [5] Coffey subsequently embarked on a career as an actress and appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Elspeth, a probationary officer overseeing Lucas Johnson in January 2021. [6] In 2022, she took part in the Channel 4 comedy programme Jokes Only A...Can Tell in an episode featuring jokes told by disabled comedians. [7] She also appeared in the BBC comedy series Avoidance as Deena, as well as portraying a dwarf in an episode of the Netflix fantasy series The Witcher: Blood Origin . [8] [9]

In 2023, Coffey was cast in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road as Wendy Whitwell. [10] [11] Her character has served as the personal assistant of headteachers Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin), Steve Savage (Jason Manford) and Stella Drake (Lindsey Coulson) respectively. [12] [13] The same year, she appeared in an episode of the comedy series Extraordinary as Denise, a chemist. [14] She also appeared on Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza , and was a contestant on an episode of Celebrity Mastermind in which she answered questions on the Dallas character J. R. Ewing. [15] [16] [17] In 2024, Coffey appeared in an episode of the spy thriller series Alex Rider as churchwarden Lisa Torrence. [9]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2021 EastEnders ElspethGuest role [6]
2022Jokes Only A...Can TellHerselfEpisode: "Disabled People" [7]
2022 Avoidance DeenaGuest role [8]
2022 The Witcher: Blood Origin DwarfEpisode: "Of Ballads, Brawlers and Bloodied Blades" [9]
2023–present Waterloo Road Wendy Whitwell Main role [18]
2023 Extraordinary Denise the ChemistEpisode: "Dead End Job" [14]
2023 Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza HerselfGuest [15]
2023 Celebrity Mastermind Denise the ChemistEpisode: "Dead End Job" [14]
2024 Alex Rider Lisa TorrenceEpisode: "Shot" [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Jo Coffey - Backyard Comedy Club". 1 February 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jo Coffey | Ingenious Fools" . Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "Jo Coffey – Finding the Funny". Apple Podcasts . Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  4. ↑ "Jo Coffey, comedian tour dates : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "Jo Coffey: Not 25". Fest Magazine. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Who did Jo Coffey play in EastEnders and where is she now?". Heart . Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Channel 4 launches new digital comedy series 'Jokes Only A... Can Tell'". Channel 4 . Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 Guide, British Comedy. "Avoidance: Series 1, Episode 5". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Jo Coffey". Plex.tv. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  10. ↑ "Waterloo Road 2024 cast: Meet the old and new characters in BBC drama | Radio Times". Radio Times . Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Waterloo Road's cast of staff, parents and students reveal all about the new series". BBC . Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  12. ↑ "Waterloo Road season 14 release date and latest news | Radio Times". Radio Times . Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  13. ↑ "Waterloo Road season 15 release date, news and updates | Radio Times". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 Guide, British Comedy. "Extraordinary: Series 1, Episode 3 - Dead End Jobs". British Comedy Guide . Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  15. 1 2 Creamer, Jon (20 June 2024). "Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza returns for a third". Televisual. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  16. ↑ "Jo Coffey, comedian news : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  17. ↑ "BBC One - Celebrity Mastermind, 2023/24, Episode 5". BBC . Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  18. ↑ "Waterloo Road teases first-look images as series is confirmed to return to the BBC in January". BBC . Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
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