# Joanna Bending

Joanna Bending is a British actress. She has appeared in numerous theatre productions, and after starring in a one-woman show, she was nominated for the Best Solo Performer accolade at the 2012 Stage Awards. As well as her extensive theatre credits, she has appeared in various British television series including Doctors, The Bill, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Coronation Street and EastEnders.

## Career

Bending trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, graduating in 1997. After graduation, she began appearing in various stage productions. Her roles have included spending a year at the National Theatre in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, appearing at the Royal Court Theatre in Harold Pinter's Mountain Language and portraying all of the female characters in Intimate Exchanges. Bending also portrayed Emily, an Alzheimer's sufferer, in Hand Over Fist, a one-woman show. For her portrayal of Emily, she was nominated for the Best Solo Performer accolade at the 2012 Stage Awards. Bending starred in a production of Macbeth that toured the United States, since she felt that it was a life experience as well as a good career decision. After returning to London, she starred in a West End theatre production of Kingmaker, a political play that coincided with the 2015 United Kingdom general election.
On television, Bending made her first appearance in 2005 in Angel of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story, a BBC docudrama that detailed serial killer Beverly Allitt's crimes. In 2007, she made her film debut in Tick Tock Lullaby. Later that year, she made her first appearance in the BBC medical soap opera Doctors. She appeared in one episode, before returning a further five times in different roles. Then in 2008, she appeared in an episode of the BBC series Love Soup, as well as appearing in The Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Secrets of the Stars". From 2013 to 2017, Bending appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in the recurring role of Dr. Alex Burham. In September 2023, it was announced by her agency that she would be returning to Doctors, this time in the role of Dr. Michelle Walton. After the conclusion of the series in 2024, she returned to EastEnders, this time in the role of Jackie Fairhurst.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Angel of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story | Sue Phillips | Television film |
| 2005 | Dipper | Mother | Short film |
| 2007 | Tick Tock Lullaby | Fiona | Film |
| 2007 | Doctors | Karen Jacobs | Episode: "Dying for a Drink" |
| 2008 | Love Soup | Dilly | Episode: "Whose God is it Anyway?" |
| 2008 | The Bill | Mrs. Waverley | Episode: "Frontline: End Game" |
| 2008 | Doctors | Heather Alexander | Episode: "The Power of Three" |
| 2008 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Linda | Episode: "Secrets of the Stars" |
| 2010 | Doctors | Melissa Forth | Episode: "Legacy" |
| 2011 | Coronation Street | Martina Gaunt | Guest role |
| 2013, 2015, 2017 | EastEnders | Alex Burham | Recurring role |
| 2014 | Doctors | Antonia Davies | Episode: "The Curse of the Mummy" |
| 2014 | Holby City | Martha Keane | Guest role |
| 2014 | Second Coming | Restaurant Mum | Film |
| 2016 | To the Grave | DC Lamb | Short film |
| 2019 | Doctors | Harriet DeSouza | Episode: "The Sharper the Tongue" |
| 2019 | Casualty | Kate McClair | Guest role |
| 2021 | An Admin Worker at the End of the World | Claudia | Film |
| 2022 | Red Rose | | Episode: "The Gardener" |
| 2024 | Doctors | Michelle Walton | Recurring role |
| 2024 | The Visit | Nurse | Short film |
| 2024 | EastEnders | Jackie Fairhurst | Guest role |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Ceremony | Award | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2012 | The Stage Awards | Best Solo Performer | Hand Over Fist | Nominated | |