Jessica Martin
Jessica Martin is a multi-talented entertainer whose career embraces acting, singing, impressions, cabaret performing, writing and illustration. She comes from a musical family -her grandfather was the orchestra leader at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore and her father Ido Martin was a band leader and jazz musician with whom Jessica performed from an early age. After graduating from London University with a degree in English and Drama, Jessica got her big television break as the sole female impressionist in the LWT series Copycats. She was also a regular voice actor on the iconic Spitting Image series as well as starring alongside Bobby Davro in his impressionist series Bobby Davro’s TV Weekly. At this time, she was a frequent guest on variety shows such as Sunday Night at the Palladium, Summertime Special and several Royal Variety Shows.
As an actress, she played the memorable character of Mags, an intergalactic werewolf in the Seventh Doctor season of Doctor Who. She reprised the role in three audio dramas for Big Finish and even illustrated her for an exclusive Doctor Who comic published by Titan.
She made her West End debut playing Sally Smith opposite Gary Wilmot in the hit musical Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre and has performed in over thirty musicals to date. Other theatre credits include: Babes in Arms (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), The Wizard of Oz (Theatre Royal, Plymouth and tour), The Card (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), Mack and Mabel (Piccadilly Theatre and Southwark Playhouse), South Pacific (Churchill Theatre and tour), Sweeney Todd (Bridewell Theatre), Sunset Boulevard (Comedy Theatre), Spamalot (National tour), Sondheim at 80 (Royal Albert Hall), Elf the Musical (Dominion Theatre), Shirleymander (Playground Theatre) Blitz! (Union Theatre) and Menopause – The Musical 2 (UK & Ireland tour). Last year Jessica headlined the London revival of the Jerry Herman revue Jerry’s Girls (Menier Chocolate Factory) and recently played Lily Pepper in Noel Coward’s Red Peppers and Deena Ames in Aged in Wood (Tabard Theatre).
She has performed panto many times alongside legendary performers including John Inman, Peggy Mount and Christopher Biggins. Panto includes: Cinderella (De Montfort Hall, Leicester), Aladdin (The Grand, Wolverhampton), Peter Pan (Wycombe Swan), Mother Goose (Cambridge Arts), Cinderella (Churchill Theatre, Bromley) Goldilocks & the Three Bears (Richmond Theatre) and most recently Mother Goose and Aladdin (Cheltenham Everyman).
Jessica writes and draws comics and graphic novels inspired by her love of films and showbusiness. Elsie Harris Picture Palace was shortlisted for the Myriad Editions First Graphic Novel Prize and her graphic memoir, Life Drawing – A Life Under Lights was longlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize and Theatre Book Prize 2020.
Forthcoming appearances include Frau Blücher in the regional premiere of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester & Liverpool Playhouse).