Diane F. Botcher (born 2 June 1959) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in several British television sitcoms and dramas, including the

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

comedy drama '' Stella'',

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 ...

comedies '' Little Britain'' and '' Tittybangbang'' and the ITV period drama ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

''. In 2018, she joined '' Casualty'' as Jan Jenning.

Early life

Botcher was born on 2 June 1959 in Taibach,

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, one of the two children of parents Bernard and Glenys Botcher. She read English and drama at

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...

, and after graduating, trained at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

drama school in London, then obtained an Equity card in the 1980s.

Career

Throughout her long career on stage and screen, Botcher has been receiving warm reviews. In a performance of the musical ''Blood Brothers'' with the

Sherman Theatre The Sherman Theatre () is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University). Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Thea ...

Company in 1986, Botcher's performance as the "warm-hearted mum" was singled out by a reviewer as one of the good points in a production which needed "beefing up". Of ''Black Milk'' (2003), a reviewer wrote, "In a strong cast, Di Botcher is a beacon." Her performance in the 2017/18 revival of '' Follies'' was universally appreciated - "magical"; a "stunner of a set piece"; "wonderful". In 2018, she began appearing in the

medical drama '' Casualty'' as Jan Jennings. Later that year, she also began portraying the role of Nana Margie in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

series '' In My Skin''. 2022 BBC Radio 4 The Archers as Caitlin Thomas.

Filmography

Film

Television

Selected stage performances

References

External links

* 21st-century Welsh actresses Living people Alumni of the University of Warwick Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art People from Port Talbot Welsh television actresses Welsh film actresses 1959 births Long stubs with short prose {{Wales-bio-stub