Angela Bruce
Encyclopedia
Angela Bruce is an English
actress, noted for her television
work.
Bruce was born in Leeds
, Yorkshire
and raised in Craghead
, County Durham
. She made her screen debut in the 1973 film Man at the Top
and has played regular or recurring roles in a number of TV series - Angels
(as Sandra Ling), Coronation Street
(as Janice Stubbs) and Press Gang
(as reporter Chrissie Stuart). She is also recognisable to sci-fi fans for her performance as Brigadier Winifred Bambera in the 1989 Doctor Who
serial, Battlefield
, as well as her portrayal of Dayna Mellanby
in the Blake's 7
audio drama The Syndeton Experiment. On the London Stage, she replaced Patricia Quinn making her the second actress to play Magenta in the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Other notable credits include: Red Dwarf
(as "Debb Lister;" a female
counterpart of Dave Lister
's in a parallel universe
), Prime Suspect and Only Fools and Horses
where she played Councillor Murray. She also appeared as lesbian Prison Officer Mandy Goodhue in the popular ITV1
prison drama series, Bad Girls
, the second time she appeared in a British women's prison drama series; having played tough inmate Bobbie in an episode of Within These Walls
in an episode from series 2 called "The Good Life". Another notable role was (fictional
) British Foreign Secretary Ruth Chambers in the BAFTA award-winning BBC One
series, Spooks
. In addition she had a part in one episode of "Waiting For God".
In 2008, she guest starred in the Sapphire and Steel audio dramas Second Sight
and Zero
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, noted for her television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
work.
Bruce was born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and raised in Craghead
Craghead
Craghead is a former mining village in County Durham, England. It is located at the bottom of the valley to the south of Stanley, on the main road between Stanley and Durham, and not far from the village of Edmondsley....
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. She made her screen debut in the 1973 film Man at the Top
Man at the Top (film)
Man at the Top is a 1973 British drama film directed by Mike Vardy and starring Kenneth Haigh, spun off from the television series Man at the Top which itself was inspired by the 1959 film Room at the Top and its sequel Life at the Top.-Cast:...
and has played regular or recurring roles in a number of TV series - Angels
Angels (TV series)
Angels was originally a British television seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses and was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1978. The show's format then switched to a twice weekly soap opera format from 1979 to 1983. The show's title derived from the name of the...
(as Sandra Ling), Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(as Janice Stubbs) and Press Gang
Press Gang
Press Gang is a British children's television comedy-drama consisting of forty-three episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993...
(as reporter Chrissie Stuart). She is also recognisable to sci-fi fans for her performance as Brigadier Winifred Bambera in the 1989 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial, Battlefield
Battlefield (Doctor Who)
Battlefield is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 6 to September 27, 1989. It was the last appearance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who....
, as well as her portrayal of Dayna Mellanby
Dayna Mellanby
Dayna Mellanby is a fictional character in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7, played by Josette Simon.Dayna Mellanby was the daughter of former resistance leader Hal Mellanby, who fled from Earth with his infant daughter to escape security forces after his movement collapsed...
in the Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
audio drama The Syndeton Experiment. On the London Stage, she replaced Patricia Quinn making her the second actress to play Magenta in the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Other notable credits include: Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
(as "Debb Lister;" a female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
counterpart of Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
's in a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
), Prime Suspect and Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
where she played Councillor Murray. She also appeared as lesbian Prison Officer Mandy Goodhue in the popular ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
prison drama series, Bad Girls
Bad Girls (TV series)
Bad Girls is an award-winning British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1999 to 2006. It is produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road...
, the second time she appeared in a British women's prison drama series; having played tough inmate Bobbie in an episode of Within These Walls
Within These Walls
Within These Walls is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison...
in an episode from series 2 called "The Good Life". Another notable role was (fictional
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
) British Foreign Secretary Ruth Chambers in the BAFTA award-winning BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
series, Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
. In addition she had a part in one episode of "Waiting For God".
In 2008, she guest starred in the Sapphire and Steel audio dramas Second Sight
Second Sight (Sapphire and Steel)
Second Sight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the popular British science fiction television series Sapphire & Steel.-Cast:*Steel — Blair McDonough*Sapphire — Anna Skellern*Ruby — Lisa Bowerman*Mary — Patience Tomlinson...
and Zero
Zero (Sapphire and Steel)
Zero is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the popular British science fiction television series Sapphire & Steel.-Cast:*Steel — David Warner*Sapphire — Susannah Harker*Silver — David Collings*Gold — Mark Gatiss*Andrea — Angela Bruce...
.
External links
- Angela Bruce: Local Angel BBC Wear feature article