Debbie Arnold (born 14 June 1955) is an English actress and producer. She is known for her portrayal of

April Branning April Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Debbie Arnold. April is the eldest daughter of Jim (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham). April is originally introduced as the sister of establ ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' between 1995 and 1996. Arnold has portrayed regular characters in ''

'', ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'', ''

Hollyoaks ''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 (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'' and ''Doctors''.

Career

Television

She began her career on television, in series such as the

comedy ''

The Liver Birds ''The Liver Birds'' is a British sitcom, set in Liverpool, North West England, which aired on BBC1 from April 1969 to December 1978, and again in 1996. The show was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpudlian housewives had me ...

''. When aged 18, she was given a job impersonating

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

on ''Now Who Do You Do?''.Debbie Arnold Bio
", ''Debbiearnold.com''. URL. Retrieved 25 January 2007. She then pursued voice roles, specialising in British and American

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s.Debbie Arnold voice work
, ''Debbiearnold.com''. URL. Retrieved 25 January 2007. In 1978, Arnold was a regular on the ITV gameshow

3-2-1 ''3–2–1'' is a British game show that made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, from 29 July 1978 to 24 December 1988, with Ted Rogers as the host. It was based on a Spanish game show called '' Un, dos, tres... respond ...

. She has had roles in many television series including: ''

Sykes (TV series) ''Sykes'' is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in '' Sykes and a...'' (1960–1965) and '' Sykes and a Big, Big Show'' ...

'', '' Shoestring'', ''

Terry and June ''Terry and June'' is a BBC television sitcom, broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The show was largely a reworking of '' Happy Ever After'', and starred Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple, Terry and J ...

'', ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'', ''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo se ...

'', '' C.A.T.S. Eyes'', ''

Rockliffe's Babies ''Rockliffe'' is a British television police procedural drama series, produced by the BBC, which ran for three series between 9 January 1987 and 14 December 1988. ''Rockliffe'' was devised by Richard O'Keeffe, and produced by Leonard Lewis. The ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'', ''

The Russ Abbot Show ''The Russ Abbot Show'' is a British television sketch comedy series which in 1980 onwards stars Russ Abbot and ran for 17 years on television before moving over to Radio 2 for a further five years. History The series originated as ''The Fre ...

'', '' The Jim Davidson Show'' as well as Jim Davidson's

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Up the Elephant and Round the Castle ''Up the Elephant and Round the Castle'' is a British television sitcom, which aired from 30 November 1983 to 7 November 1985, and was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. Starring comedian Jim Davidson, who played the role of J ...

'', ''

Miss Marple Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...

'', '' All Creatures Great and Small'', '' Birds of a Feather'', ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery fiction, mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician whi ...

'', '' M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team'', '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'' and ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

''. She has also appeared in TV specials such as ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', '' Minder on the Orient Express'' and, in 2009, she won an award for best actress ater starring opposite John Altman in the feature film ''Photoshoot''. Arnold has also played regular characters in several major British soap operas. She played Sylvie Hicks and Carole Evans in the ITV soap opera ''

'', Debbie Wilson in ''

'',

in ''

'', Janice Bolton in ''

''; she also appeared in its spin off, '' Hollyoaks: In the City''.

Theatre

Her theatre credits include ''

The Sleeping Prince ''The Sleeping Prince'' may refer to * ''The Sleeping Prince'' (fairy tale), Greek fairy tale collected by Georgios A. Megas in ''Folktales of Greece'' * ''The Sleeping Prince'' (play), 1953 play by Terence Rattigan *The Sleeping Prince, video gam ...

'' at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in London and the Festival Theatre in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

, playing opposite

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...

, for which she won many awards and accolades. Other West End appearances include ''Hollywood Babylon'', ''

Women Behind Bars ''Women Behind Bars'' is a camp black comedy play by Tom Eyen, parodying the prison exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner Bros. and Republic Pictures during the 1950s. Plot Set in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Villag ...

'', ''Four in a Million'', and ''Last of the Red Hot Lovers'' at the

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

. She has appeared in many

fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...

productions and numerous national and international tours. She occasionally appeared in the touring play ''

Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners ''Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners'' is an anthology-style play compiled and written by '' Carry On...'' writer Norman Hudis and producer Marc Sinden, who is also the director. It was originally devised by Sinden as a female rival to the ...

'' and she toured in the 2010 production of ''

Keeping Up Appearances ''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle-class social climber, Hyacinth Bucket ( Patricia Ro ...

'' as Rose.

Other ventures

Arnold formed her own production company, Debbie Arnold Productions which has produced various radio and TV productions. In 2012, she released a self-help book, called ''The Power of Reinvention''. Arnold is an ambassador for the UK National Bullying Helpline. Arnold is the creator and founder of ''The Wonderbirds Show'', an online chat show.

Personal life

Arnold has been married twice. In 1981, she married the actor

John Challis John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 17 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Boycie, Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom ...

, known for playing

Boycie Herman Terrance Aubrey Boyce (born 31 January 1948), also known as Boycie and Farmer Boyce, is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', played by John Challis. His story is continued in the spin-off series '' The Green ...

in the BBC sitcom ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

''.Debbie Arnold
, ''Corrie.net''. URL. Retrieved 25 January 2007. They divorced in 1985. In 1989, she married the actor

David Janson David Janson (born David Jackson, 30 March 1950) is an English actor and theatre director whose stage debut was in ''Oliver!'' in 1962. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and appeared as the young ...

, known for playing Ken Richardson in ''

Get Some In! ''Get Some In!'' is a British television sitcom about National Service life in the Royal Air Force, broadcast between 1975 and 1978 by Thames Television. Scripts were by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, the team behind sitcoms such as '' The Good ...

'' They have two children together, one of whom is the actress

Ciara Janson Ciara Janson, previously ''Janson Zelmerlöw'' is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Nicole Owen on ''Hollyoaks''. Career Janson performed voice acting work as a child, from the age of 18 months, leading Hobson's Internatio ...

. Arnold was one of three women who, following the allegations made against

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

in October 2017, accused the late director

Michael Winner Michael Robert Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was an English filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...

of demanding they expose their breasts to him – in Arnold's case during an audition at his home, which the actress refused to do.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Debbie 1955 births Living people Actresses from Sunderland English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English television actresses English voice actresses