Janice Connolly BEM | |
|---|---|
 Connolly as Barbara Nice | |
| Born | (1953-08-07)7 August 1953 (age 71) |
| Alma mater | Birmingham City University |
| Occupations |
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Janice ConnollyBEM (born 7 August 1953) is an English actress, comedian andartistic director. She runs theBirmingham-based group Women and Theatre and performs stand-up comedy as her characterMrs Barbara Nice. Connolly has also appeared inCoronation Street,That Peter Kay Thing,Phoenix Nights,Max and Paddy's Road To Nowhere,Thin Ice andDead Man Weds. In 2017, Connolly was awarded aBritish Empire Medal in theNew Years Honours list for services to community arts in theWest Midlands. In 2022, she began appearing in the BBC soap operaDoctors asRosie Colton.
Connolly was born inStockport on 7 August 1953.[1][2] She left to study drama at Birmingham Polytechnic (nowBirmingham City University).[3] After graduating, she became a drama teacher and a social worker forBarnardos.[4]
Connolly was part of the Birmingham independent music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She performed with the Surprises and the Evereadies regularly inMoseley at the Fighting Cocks. Singles championed byJohn Peel included "Jeremy Thorpe is Innocent" and "Martian Girlfriend".[4] She then became known for her characterBarbara Nice - a caricature of amiddle agedhousewife and mother of five fromKings Heath, Birmingham.[5] Her act is heavily reliant on interaction with the audience, for example, acting as anagony aunt to the audience.[6] Connolly was performing as Barbara Nice at the Palace nightclub inLevenshulme in 1997 when spotted byPeter Kay at the finals of theManchester Evening News New Act of the Year. She went on to appear in several of his television shows.[7] She played Holy Mary inPhoenix Nights, a partDave Spikey claimed he wrote with her in mind and which was reprised inMax and Paddy's Road to Nowhere written by Kay andPaddy McGuinness.[4]
Connolly later began performing on the British comedy circuit as a headline act and has performed one woman shows across the UK. She appeared as Barbara Nice in solo shows at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012, 2014[8][7] and 2018[9] In October 2015, Connolly recorded a pilot forBBC Radio 2'sComedy Showcase series, which was made available on theBBC iPlayer in November before being broadcast later that month.[8] The BBC said: "Barbara is worried she and Ken (played byJohn Henshaw) are at risk of adding to the numbers of silver splitters - they have nothing in common; Ken's idea of retirement involves a marathon session ofPointless and that doesn't fit with Barbara's idea of a well-spent golden age."[8]The pilot was well received with 4 episodes commissioned and subsequently broadcast in March 2017.[10]
In October 2015, Connolly appeared in the stage adaptation ofMeera Syal's novelAnita and Me at theBirmingham Rep, for which she was acclaimed for her "comic talent".[11] Further stage appearances have includedBirmingham Comedy Festival'sLost Hancocks: Vacant Lot (2017-2018).[12] andPrime Time (2019).[13] In September 2016, Connolly performed at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support ofJeremy Corbyn's campaign in theLabour Party leadership election.[14]
On 20 April 2019, Connolly auditioned in the character of Barbara Nice on the television programmeBritain's Got Talent. She made it to the live shows, however, she was later eliminated in the fifth semi-final.[15] In 2022, Connolly began portraying receptionistRosie Colton in theBBC soap operaDoctors.[16][17] She appeared on a temporary basis between February and September 2022 and again from May to November 2023, before returning permanently in September 2024 up until the conclusion of the programme in November 2024.
Connolly is married with two children and lives inKings Heath, Birmingham.[3]
Connolly is the artistic director and founder member of theBirmingham-based Women and Theatre.[7] The company is committed to social change through new theatre and drama and in its mission statement, it states that it aims to make heard the voices of those who are not usually listened to. The company performs in a variety of settings including schools, arts centres, health centres and conference halls.[6] She ran the Laughing for a Change project, funded byTime to Change, which encouraged comedians and audiences to talk aboutmental health; this culminated in a stand-up tour in 2014 featuringSeymour Mace,Rob Deering and others.[18][19]
In 2017, she appeared in theNew Years Honours list in recognition of her contribution to community arts through her work with Women and Theatre. She was awarded aBritish Empire Medal.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Locksmith | Occupational Therapist | Episode: "Ghosts" |
| 2000 | That Peter Kay Thing | Mrs. Balfour | Episode: "Leonard" |
| 2001–2002 | Phoenix Nights | Holy Mary | Main role |
| 2004 | Coronation Street | Dolly Gartside | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Doctors | Shirley | Episode: "Checking Out" |
| 2004 | Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere | Holy Mary | Guest appearance |
| 2005 | Dead Man Weds | Carol Sykes | Main role |
| 2006 | Thin Ice | Inga | Main role |
| 2009 | Lunch Monkeys | Mrs. Wilson | Episode: "Spacepants" |
| 2009 | Coronation Street | Sheila Wheeler | Guest role |
| 2011–2012 | In with the Flynns | Sister Mary | Guest role |
| 2013 | The Johnny and Inel Show | Dinner Lady | Guest role |
| 2018 | Eaten by Lions | Barbara Nice | Film |
| 2019 | Britain's Got Talent | Barbara Nice | Contestant |
| 2019–2020 | So Awkward | Mazel | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Meet the Richardsons | Barbara Nice | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Falling Flat | Jackie | Television film |
| 2022 | Coronation Street | Madame Sienna | 1 episode |
| 2022-2024 | Doctors | Rosie Colton | Recurring role (2022-2023) Regular role (2024) |
