Jo Coffey
Jo Coffey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joanna Coffey 1 August 1976 Solihull, West Midlands, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2007–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.
Life and career
[edit]Joanna Coffey was born in August 1976 in Solihull, West Midlands.[1][2] She began her career in stand-up comedy and has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe several times since 2007.[1] Her shows include My Dad's Caravan Is Rubbish and Not 25.[1][3] Coffey has dwarfism and describes herself as "the comedy circuit's fourth shortest comic".[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7][8]
In 2023, Coffey was cast in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road as Wendy Whitwell.[9][10] Her character has served as the personal assistant of headteachers Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin), Steve Savage (Jason Manford) and Stella Drake (Lindsey Coulson) respectively.[11][12] The same year, she appeared in an episode of the comedy series Extraordinary as Denise, a chemist.[13] 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.[14][15][16] In 2024, Coffey appeared in an episode of the spy thriller series Alex Rider as churchwarden Lisa Torrence.[8]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | EastEnders | Elspeth | Guest role | [5] |
| 2022 | Jokes Only A...Can Tell | Herself | Episode: "Disabled People" | [6] |
| 2022 | Avoidance | Deena | Guest role | [7] |
| 2022 | The Witcher: Blood Origin | Dwarf | Episode: "Of Ballads, Brawlers and Bloodied Blades" | [8] |
| 2023–present | Waterloo Road | Wendy Whitwell | Main role | [17] |
| 2023 | Extraordinary | Denise the Chemist | Episode: "Dead End Job" | [13] |
| 2023 | Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza | Herself | Guest | [14] |
| 2023 | Celebrity Mastermind | Denise the Chemist | Episode: "Dead End Job" | [13] |
| 2024 | Alex Rider | Lisa Torrence | Episode: "Shot" | [8] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Jo Coffey | Ingenious Fools". Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "Jo Coffey – Finding the Funny". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Jo Coffey: Not 25". Fest Magazine. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b "Channel 4 launches new digital comedy series 'Jokes Only A... Can Tell'". Channel 4. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ a b Guide, British Comedy. "Avoidance: Series 1, Episode 5". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Jo Coffey". Plex.tv. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "Waterloo Road 2024 cast: Meet the old and new characters in BBC drama | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Waterloo Road season 14 release date and latest news | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Jo Coffey, comedian news : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "BBC One - Celebrity Mastermind, 2023/24, Episode 5". BBC. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "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.