Born: 14th January 1963 (as Adjoa Aiboom Helen Andoh)
Episodes Broadcast: 2006-2008

Bristol-born Adjoa Andoh was the daughter of a Ghanaian musician and a British teacher of modern dance. Her parents encouraged her interest in the performing arts from a young age, and Andoh herself aspired to be a punk bassist. But her father prevailed upon her to attend Bristol Polytechnic, where she embarked upon a degree in law. During her time there, Andoh became politically active, which led to her involvement in left-wing fringe theatre. She left her studies to pursue a career in acting, eventually joining the Royal Shakespeare Company. Andoh married lecturer Howard Cunnell; they would have daughters Jessie, Lily and Daisy. Andoh's first television opportunity came in several episodes of EastEnders across 1990 and 1991. Subsequent work during the decade included recurring stints in Health And Efficiency, the revival of The Tomorrow People, Peak Practice and Close Relations.

Andoh's major break came on Casualty; having appeared in a single episode in 1993, she rejoined the cast as a new character in 2000 and remained for three years. She then took guest roles in shows like The Bill and Dalziel And Pascoe before joining Doctor Who for its 2006 season premiere, New Earth. Because she was concealed beneath heavy make-up as the Catkind nurse Sister Jatt, Andoh was able to reappear in the programme a year later as Francine Jones, the world-weary mother of Martha, the new companion to David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Francine was first seen in Smith And Jones, and Andoh returned to the character for six more episodes over the next two years, latterly in the 2008 season finale The Stolen Earth / Journey's End. Meanwhile, she took yet another Doctor Who role for Year Of The Pig, a 2006 Sixth Doctor audio adventure from Big Finish Productions.

After her time as Francine came to an end, Andoh made appearances in the movies Adulthood, from fellow Doctor Who alumnus Noel Clarke, and Invictus, Clint Eastwood's critically-acclaimed Nelson Mandela film starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. On television, Andoh made regular appearances in Missing and MI High. In 2009, she became a lay preacher for the Church of England. During the 2010s, Andoh's credits on the small screen included everything from Law & Order: UK to The Awakening to Cucumber to Liar. A prolific voice artiste, she was also part of the cast of Thunderbirds Are Go. Amongst Andoh's occasional work on the silver screen were Closed Circuit, Fractured, and Adulthood sequel Brotherhood. her career continued into the Twenties, on programmes such as Bridgerton and The Witcher.