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Alison Newman (born 25 January 1968) is an English actress best known for her role in the hitITV1 television seriesFootballers' Wives asHazel Bailey, and as DCISamantha Keeble in theBBC soap operaEastEnders.

Alison Newman was born inBournemouth,Hampshire, to David and Jenny Newman.^[1] She has one sister called Sarah. Both her parents were schoolteachers who encouraged her to take up acting as a hobby but discouraged her from attending stage school when she was younger, a decision she subsequently agreed was probably sensible. Instead, she joined theNational Youth Theatre when she was sixteen.^[2] Her father died in October 2002, while she was filming the second series ofFootballers' Wives. The producers allowed her to take time off from filming some of her last scenes in the series finale so she could be with her family.^[3]

Despite studying drama at theUniversity of Manchester Alison Newman did not work as an actress for almost ten years after graduating. She says that she hated the experience of being at drama school and lost her confidence.^[3] During this time, she worked in a variety of professions, including publishing, catering, barwork and spent a number of years working in the music industry.^[2]

She returned to acting when she was almost 30 after being offered a part in a play written byAnthony Neilson, with whom she had previously worked as an assistant director.^[2] This was followed by a role playing a psychotic serial killer inTouching Evil III (1999) withRobson Green (who she would later appear with inRocketMan), and the filmButterfly Collectors (1999), alongsidePete Postlethwaite.

In 2002, Newman was cast in the role of ruthless lesbian football agent, and later club chair, Hazel Bailey inFootballers Wives. Newman was allegedly awarded the role on the strength of a two-episode guest appearance in the seriesBad Girls, in which she played Renee Williams who set out to secure revenge on nemesis Top Dog Yvonne Atkins (Linda Henry).^[4] Both programmes were made byShed Productions. The part of Hazel Bailey required Newman to have her naturally blonde hair dyed red. Newman left the show at the end of series 4, when her character decided to return to sports representation, after becoming romantically involved with a professional tennis player.

AfterFootballers Wives, Newman played Diane Scott inRocket Man for BBC One in the autumn of 2005. In 2008, she appeared as Lynette Hopkins inRock Rivals,^[5] another Shed Productions drama for ITV1, and later that year she appeared as Detective Inspector Samantha Keeble in several episodes of the BBC soapEastEnders.^[6] She played the part of a back-street abortionist in an episode of the popular BBC One dramaCall the Midwife, as well as appearing in the short filmFather in 2013.^[7] In July 2014 Newman resumed the role ofDI Samantha Keeble inEastEnders when her character was put in charge of theLucy Beale murder case. She departed the role again in June 2016. She returned to the series once again in January 2022 and departed again in January 2023.

Newman has extensive theatre experience, includingLoveplay byMoira Buffini;Luminosity byNick Stafford;Night of the Soul byDavid Farr andThe Big Lie by Anthony Neilson, all for theRSC, as well asThe Censor andThe Lying Kind, both by Anthony Neilson, for theRoyal Court Theatre, London. Between 2003 and 2006, she appeared inVagina Monologues, both on tour and in the West End. Her most recent theatre work was inTwo Women, byMartina Cole, and performed at theTheatre Royal Stratford East between February and March 2010.^[8]

She co-created the TV seriesHarlots withMoira Buffini.

Newman is married to Hugh Williams, a graphic designer.^[3] They live inGlasgow.

• Alison Newman atIMDb
• Alison Newman on Twitter
• Footballers Wives: Official Site

• English television actresses
• 1968 births
• Living people
• Alumni of the University of Manchester
• National Youth Theatre members
• Actresses from Bournemouth

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