Velile Tshabalala | |
|---|---|
 Velile Tshabalala at the Doctor Who 50th anniversary celebration on 22 November 2013 | |
| Born | Whitechapel, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Velile Tshabalala is an English actress, known for portraying Kareesha Lopez [ broken anchor ] in Kerching! and Rosita in the 2008 Doctor Who special "The Next Doctor".
Born in Whitechapel, London, Tshabalala was raised in Ilford. [1] She is of Zimbabwean descent. [2] Her father is a mechanical engineer and her mother is a health visitor. [2] She has one sister and two brothers. [3] She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, [1] where she attended weekend classes from the age of 14. [2] For higher education, she attended sixth form and completed her A-levels.
Tshabalala made her professional debut at the age of 18, in the CBBC sitcom Kerching! . [4] She played waitress Kareesha Lopez, who did very little work and was a stereotypical teenage girl. She played several roles in all three series of the BBC Three sketch comedy Tittybangbang . She appeared as a prostitute in the 2004 short film Streets. In January 2008, she played a librarian in the ChuckleVision episode "Jumping Jackpot". She played Rosita in that year's Doctor Who Christmas special "The Next Doctor". [5] She made her pantomime debut in the 2008 production of Dick Whittington's Cat at the Compass Theatre in Ickenham. [6] In 2011, Tshabalala very briefly appeared in the penultimate episode of series three of the E4 series Misfits as the gangs' newest probation worker, Laura. However, she only lasted for a matter of seconds after arriving at the community centre, ultimately being killed after being bitten by a zombie. In July 2014, she completed filming on the feature film The Journey. [7] In November 2021, it was announced that Tshabalala had been cast in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Viv, the mother of established character DeMarcus Westwood (Tomi Ade). [8] In February 2022, she starred as Gloria in Running with Lions at the Lyric Theatre, London. [9] In 2024, Tshabalala began appearing as recurring character Stella Clayton in Eastenders. [10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2006 | Kerching! | Kareesha Lopez [ broken anchor ] | |
| 2004 | Streets | Prostitute | Film |
| 2006 | Tittybangbang | Various characters | |
| 2008 | ChuckleVision | Librarian | Episode: "Jumping Jackpot" |
| 2008 | Katy Brand's Big Ass Show | Various characters | |
| 2008 | Doctor Who | Rosita | Episode: "The Next Doctor" |
| 2009 | The Legend of Dick and Dom | Cheryl | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Misfits | Laura | 1 episode |
| 2012 | The Secret of Crickley Hall | Teacher | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Call the Midwife | Monique Hyde | 1 episode |
| 2016–2017 | Class Dismissed | Various | 12 episodes |
| 2021 | Hollyoaks | Viv | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Death in Paradise | Barbara Carter | Episode: "An Unpleasant Homecoming" |
| 2023 | Casualty | Caroline Pickard | Episode: "The Straw" |
| 2024 | EastEnders | Stella Clayton | 8 episodes |
Jamelia Niela Davis is a British singer, actress and television personality. She has released three studio albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in the UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top-ten singles. In addition, Jamelia has won four MOBO Awards, a Q Award and has received nine BRIT Award nominations.
Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has 37 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.
Gemma Louise Atkinson is an English influencer, radio presenter, and former actress and glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks and in three spin-off series, Hollyoaks: After Hours (2004), Hollyoaks: Let Loose (2005) and Hollyoaks: In the City (2006), Tamzin Bayle in Casualty and Carly Hope in Emmerdale (2015–2017). She currently presents the drive time slot across the Hits Radio Network. In November 2021, it was announced that Atkinson is set to reprise her role as Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks.
Tendayi Jembere is a British actor of Zimbabwean origin who is best known for his part in the 2003 television show Kerching!, where he played the character of Seymour, the best friend of lead character Taj Lewis.
Anna Maxwell Martin, sometimes credited as Anna Maxwell-Martin, is a British actress. She won two British Academy Television Awards, for her portrayals of Esther Summerson in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (2005) and N in the Channel 4 adaptation of Poppy Shakespeare (2008). She is also known for her roles as DCS Patricia Carmichael in BBC One crime drama Line of Duty (2019–2021) and Kelly Major in Code 404 (2020–2022). From 2016-2022, Martin starred in the BBC comedy Motherland, for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance.
Helen Margaret Lederer is a British comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s. Among her television credits are the BBC2 sketch series Naked Video and BBC One's Absolutely Fabulous, in which she played the role of Catriona.
Lucy-Jo Hudson is an English actress, known for her roles as Katy Harris in Coronation Street, Rosie Trevanion in Wild at Heart and Donna-Marie Quinn in Hollyoaks. Her role as Rhiannon Davis in Doctors earned her the British Soap Award for Villain of the Year in 2017.
Gemma Bissix is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in EastEnders and Clare Devine in Hollyoaks ; she was awarded with two British Soap Awards for the latter role. Away from soap opera, Bissix has appeared in various television programmes and she competed in the 2009 series of Dancing on Ice. She has appeared in various pantomimes. Bissix returned to Hollyoaks in 2013.
Hannah Tointon is an English actress. She is best known for playing Katy Fox in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and Tara Brown in sitcom The Inbetweeners.
Carley Stenson is an English actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and Harriet Shelton in the BBC soap opera Doctors. For her role as Steph, she received numerous nominations at the British Soap Awards.
Natalie Jane Anderson is an English actress, singer and television presenter. She is known for her roles as Stella Davenport in the medical drama The Royal from 2005 to 2008 and Alicia Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2010 to 2015. She also played the role of Nessarose in the London production Wicked from May 2009 to March 2010. In 2015, she began appearing on the ITV talk shows This Morning and Loose Women on a recurring basis; Anderson also portrayed the role of Lexi Calder in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2021 to 2022. In 2021 she played the role of Maryanne Borden in Liam Neeson action thriller Memory. In 2023 Anderson took guest roles in Happy Valley and Boiling Point and appeared on stage at Hull Truck Theatre as Kayla in Anna Jordan’s two hander play Pop Music. In 2024 Anderson played Claire Walker in the Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben’s thriller “Fool Me Once”.
Mercedes McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jennifer Metcalfe. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 19 June 2006 as the first character to be introduced to the series by series producer, Bryan Kirkwood. In 2008 Metcalfe feared that the character was to be axed but was later reassured by the series producer that she would not be. Metcalfe later stated her intention to stay with the series. Mercedes is part of the McQueen family and is the longest serving McQueen on the series. On 26 August 2014, it was revealed that Metcalfe had decided to quit the soap. On 20 November 2014, Mercedes was presumably stabbed to death, with her body discarded. However, Metcalfe returned to screens on 17 February 2015 in a surprise, unannounced twist which saw Mercedes revealed as alive and well, living in Nice, France. It was announced that Mercedes would make a full-time return to the show in May 2015, after brief appearances on 18 February, 9 March, and 6 April. Metcalfe announced her pregnancy in 2017 and revealed that she would be taking a year's break from the show. Mercedes was last seen on screen leaving with Goldie McQueen on 4 July 2017, although she briefly appeared on 7 September 2017 in a fake flashback scene involving her and Amy Barnes surmised by James Nightingale. Mercedes returned on 9 July 2018, and then made several other appearances before returning permanently on 13 August.
Stephanie Louise Waring is an English actress, known for her roles in the Australian soap opera Crash Palace (2001–2002), the BBC1 drama series Nice Guy Eddie (2001–2002), and Channel 4's Hollyoaks (1996–2024), where she appeared for almost three decades as Cindy Cunningham. Her other television work includes guest appearances on Merseybeat, Holby City, Doctors, and Coronation Street, as well as competing in the tenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2018.
Rita Joanne Simons is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on-screen character's sister Ronnie Mitchell. For her performance on the show Simons received many accolades, including the 2008 National Television Award for "Most Popular Newcomer".
Nicole Barber-Lane is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Myra McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.
"The Next Doctor" is a special episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, broadcast on 25 December 2008 as the fourth Doctor Who Christmas special of the revived series. During its original airing, the episode had an audience of 13.1 million viewers and was the second-most-watched programme of Christmas Day 2008. It was the final Doctor Who episode to be filmed in standard definition.
Hollyoaks began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1995. The show targeted teenagers and initially dramatised the lives of seven teenagers living in Hollyoaks, a fictional suburb in the city of Chester in Cheshire, England.
Marian McLoughlin is a British actress, known for her role as Marina Bonnaire in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She also played the role of Brenda Jacks in the BBC series Home Time in 2009 and Julia in Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me in 2011. In 2021, she appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Sue Morgan.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
