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Bonnie Langford

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Bonita Melody Lysette Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series Just William.

Bonnie Langford
Langford in 2023
Born
Bonita Melody Lysette Langford

(1964-07-22) 22 July 1964 (age 60)
Middlesex, England
EducationArts Educational Schools
St. Catherine's School, Twickenham
Alma materItalia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • singer
Years active1970–present
Television
Spouse
Paul Grunert
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2015)​
Children1
Relatives
Websitewww.bonnielangford.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

In the 1980s, she played companion Mel Bush in Doctor Who, a role she returned to in the 2020s. She has also been known for appearing in various musicals in the West End and on Broadway, including shows such as Peter Pan, Cats, The Pirates of Penzance and Chicago. She also appeared as a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2006 and 2014 respectively. From 2015 to 2018, she played Carmel Kazemi on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for which she received the 2016 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer.

Early life and career

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Langford was born on 22 July 1964 in Middlesex, and grew up in Surrey.[1][2] She attended the Arts Educational School, St Catherine's School, Twickenham and the Italia Conti Academy stage school. She first came to public attention when, aged six years old, she won the talent show Opportunity Knocks. This led to the role of Scarlett O'Hara's daughter in the London production of Scarlett (1972),[3] and work in the 1974 Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Angela Lansbury, in the 1976 film Bugsy Malone, the 1977 film Wombling Free, and to still greater fame playing Violet Elizabeth Bott in the 1977–78 television series Just William. During this time, she was appearing as a regular on a children's prime-time show made by Yorkshire Television called Junior Showtime, along with child stars Lena Zavaroni, Neil Reid, Perry Cree, and Glynn Poole among others.[3]

Career

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Doctor Who

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Langford at the Whovent convention in 1986

Between 1986 and 1987, Langford played the role of Mel, companion to both the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in the science fiction series Doctor Who. She returned to the role in 1993 for Dimensions in Time, a special charity Doctor Who/EastEnders crossover episode as part of the BBC's Children in Need. She has continued to reprise the role in several audio dramas alongside the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy Doctors[4] and in a cameo in the episode "The Power of the Doctor".[5] In her first appearances one of her trademarks was a penetrating scream uttered while escaping from monsters.

In 2023, it was announced that Langford would be returning to the series in the revival’s fourteenth series, reprising her role as a guest star, alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.[6][7] The two episodes were broadcast in June 2024[8]

Dancing

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Langford was a featured dancer in BBC One's popular light entertainment series The Hot Shoe Show which she co-presented with Wayne Sleep.[9] On 23 October 2005, she performed in Children Will Listen, a 75th birthday tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She is also a panto regular; recent credits include Peter in Peter Pan at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, London (2008–2009); and Fairy Snow in Cinderella at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford (2013–2014).[10][1][11]

Dancing on Ice

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In 2006, Langford was a celebrity contestant in the first series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, partnering professional figure skater Matt Evers. Their routines were characterised by the dramatic lifts and tricks they performed and were amongst the most ambitious in the competitions. Viewers saw her bang her head as she was spun on the ice during rehearsals, illustrating the danger of some of the moves they were attempting. Their appearances were also notable for the differing reception they received from the panel of judges (which consistently voted them highly, awarding them the highest total scores and the only two maximum scores from individual judges) and the voting public (who twice placed them in the bottom two pairs, forcing a "skate off" to remain in the competition). They finished in third place overall.[12][13]

Langford and Evers appeared again on the programme in the one-off Champion of Champions show which followed series two. They were scored second overall by the judging panel but again the public vote was less favourable and they were amongst the four teams eliminated in the first round of the competition. Langford then toured with Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice: The Tour in 2007.[14]

Langford took part in the Dancing on Ice: The Tour in April and May 2008.[15]

In 2014, Langford returned to Dancing on Ice for the ninth and final series (10 Week run), which saw the return of contestants from previous series. This time she was partnered with professional ice skater Andrei Lipanov. She was eliminated in Week 5 after losing out to Sam Attwater and his fiancé Vicky Ogden.[16] In February 2014 she was announced as one of eight celebrities that would be appearing in Torvill & Dean's Dancing on Ice: The Final Tour between March & April 2014.[17]

Stage and television work

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Langford's appearance on Dancing on Ice reinvigorated her career. She returned to the West End theatre in 2006 playing the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago.[18]

In 2006 and 2007, Langford appeared in the Birmingham and Plymouth tours of Guys and Dolls playing Miss Adelaide Adams, a dance hall hostess.[19]

In July 2007, Langford was a judge on the ITV series Baby Ballroom: The Championship.[20]

In 2009 and 2010, she again appeared in Chicago as Roxie Hart.[21]

Langford played the role of Roz in the first UK tour production of the Broadway musical, 9 to 5, which was launched at the Opera House, Manchester on 12 October 2012.[22]

In 2018 she took over the leading role of Dorothy Brock in the West End revival of 42nd Street, until the show closed on 5 January 2019;[23] a recording from the end of the 2018 run aired as part of PBS's Great Performances’ third annual “Broadway’s Best” lineup in November 2019.[24]

In 2021, Langford appeared on The Masked Dancer, masked as Squirrel. She reached the final and was announced as the runner up on 5 June.[25]

EastEnders

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Langford at an EastEnders Meet and Greet event at BBC Elstree Centre in June 2016

On 5 April 2015, it was announced that Langford had joined long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders for a guest role, later promoted to a regular role as character Carmel Kazemi, the mother of established character, Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami). Carmel is described as an "overly protective" and "outspoken" mother. Commenting on the casting, Langford said: "I’m so thrilled and delighted to be part of EastEnders. I’m a great fan of the show and think the recent 30th Anniversary was sensational and shows just how good British television can be. To be part of this family is an absolute privilege."[26]

Personal life

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Langford is the aunt of actresses Summer, Scarlett, Zizi, and Saskia Strallen.[27]

In 1995, she married Paul Grunert, with whom she has one daughter. They divorced in 2015.[1][28]

Performances

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Film

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Year Title Role
1976 Bugsy Malone Lena Marelli
1977 Wombling Free Felicity Kim Frogmorton
Sources: [29][30]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 Opportunity Knocks Herself
1973 Junior Showtime Tilly Episode: "Christmas Pantomime: Babes in the Wood"
1977–1978 Just William Violet Elizabeth Bott 17 episodes
1978 Lena and Bonnie Herself TV special
1982 The Morecambe & Wise Show Singer Episode #3.1
1982–1983, 1990 The Royal Variety Performance Herself
1983 The Sooty Show Episode: "The Dancer"
1983–1984 The Hot Shoe Show Dancer All 11 episodes
1984–1985 The Saturday Starship Presenter
1984 The Keith Harris Show Herself; guest
1985 Whose Baby? Panelist
1986 This Is Your Life Herself; subject
1986–1987, 2022–present Doctor Who Melanie Bush 24 episodes:
1987 Emu's Wide World Herself; guest
Open Air Herself
Saturday Superstore
1990 The Little and Large Show Various Episode #10.4
1991 Tonight at 8.30 Emily Episode: "Family Album"
1992, 1997 Surprise, Surprise
1993 Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time Melanie Bush Part One
1994 Showstoppers
1999 Goodnight Sweetheart Nancy Potter Episode: "How I Won the War"
1999–2000 Esther Herself; guest 2 episodes
2000 Mirrorball Singer
2006 Marple Betty Johnson Episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs"
Dancing on Ice Herself; contestant Contestant; finished 3rd
The Catherine Tate Show Herself; guest
School's Out
Strictly Dance Fever Advisor to contestants
2007 Hider in the House
Supermarket Sweep
Baby Ballroom: The Championship Herself; judge
The Weakest Link Herself Music Extravaganza contestant; winner
Dancing on Ice: Champion of Champions Herself Contestant; finished 3rd
2008 Hotel Babylon Scarlett Senior Episode #3.4
Britannia High Herself; guest
2013 The Spa Bonnie Langford Episode: "Love Is a Losing Game"
2014 Dancing on Ice Herself; contestant
Pointless Celebrities
2015–2018 EastEnders Carmel Kazemi 351 episodes
2015–2016 Children in Need 2 episodes
2021 The Masked Dancer Squirrel
Sources: [32][33]

Webcasts

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Year Title Role Notes
2021 24 Carat Mel Bush Mini-episode as part of the release of Doctor Who: The Collection Season 24
Sources: [34]

Audio

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Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Fires of Vulcan Mel Bush Doctor Who audio stories
2001 The One Doctor
2002 Bang-Bang-a-Boom!
2003 Flip-Flop
He Jests at Scars
Zagreus
2005 The Juggernauts
Catch-1782
Unregenerate!
Thicker than Water
2006 Red
2007 The Wishing Beast & The Vanity Box
2013 The Wrong Doctors
Spaceport Fear
The Seeds of War
2015 We are the Daleks
The Warehouse
Terror of the Sontarans
The Last Adventure
2016 A Life of Crime
Fiesta of the Damned
Maker of Demons
2017 The High Price of Parking
The Blood Furnace
The Silurian Candidate
2018 Red Planets
The Dispossessed
The Quantum Possibility Engine
2022 Mind of the Hodiac
Water Worlds
Silver and Ice
Purity Undreamed
2023 Broken Memories
Sources: [35]
2024 Caged Narrator AudioGo

Theatre

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Year Title Role
1972 Gone with the Wind —
1973–1974 Gypsy Baby June
1981, 1983 Cats Rumpleteazer
1983–1985, 1989–1990 The Pirates of Penzance Mabel & Kate
1984 42nd Street Peggy Sawyer
1985–1986 Peter Pan Peter Pan
1985 Me and My Girl Sally Smith
1987 Charlie Girl Charlie
1990 Queen Mother's 90th Birthday Gala Performance Herself
1991 Time of My Life Jan Cheyney
1993 Hollywood and Broadway II Herself, Wayne Sleep, Kim Criswell
1998 Oklahoma! Ado Annie
Sweet Charity Charity Hope Valentine
2001 Bonnie Langford Now: And Her Musicians Herself
2002 Big Night Out at The Little Theatre
2004 Fosse Headline Performer
2005 Children Will Listen
Pete 'N' Me Judy
2006–2010 Chicago Roxie Hart
2006–2007 Guys and Dolls Miss Adelaide
2007 Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice: The Tour 2007 Herself
Short and Curly
2008 Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice: The Tour 2008
2010 The Oscar Show
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
2010–2011 Brits Off Broadway
2012–2014 Spamalot The Lady of the Lake
2012 The Night of 1,000 Voices Herself
2014 Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice: The Tour 2014
2014–2015 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (musical) Muriel Eubanks
2015 Charles Strouse with Bonnie Langford Herself
Hey, Old Friends!
2016, 2019 An Evening with Bonnie Langford
2016 Singular Sensations
2018–2019 42nd Street Dorothy Brock
2019–2020 9 to 5 Roz Keith
2021 The Show Must Go On! Herself
2022 Anything Goes Evangeline Harcourt
2023, 2025 Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends Herself / Various
2024-2025 Les Misérables Madame Thénardier
Sources: [36][10]

Pantomime

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Year Title Role
1980, 2003–2004 Dick Whittington Dick Whittington
1984–1985, 1989–1991 Cinderella Cinderella
1993–1994, 2000–2001 Jack and the Beanstalk Jack
1995–1997, 2001–2002 Aladdin Aladdin
2002–2003, 2008–2009 Peter Pan Peter Pan
2004 Mother Goose Prince
2005–2006 Cinderella Prince Charming
2011–2012 Jack and the Beanstalk Fairy Fuchsia
2013–2014 Cinderella Fairy Snow
2021–2022 Sleeping Beauty Lilac Fairy
Sources: [36][10]

Discography

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Albums

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2006 12th National Television Awards Most Popular TV Contender Dancing on Ice Nominated [37]
2015 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer EastEnders Nominated [38]
2016 The British Soap Awards Best Newcomer Won [39]
2018 Inside Soap Awards Best Actress Shortlisted [40]
2018 I Talk Telly Awards Best Soap Performance Nominated [41]
2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards Best Soap Actor (Female) Fifth [42]
2019 24th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance Shortlisted [43]
2019 Inside Soap Awards Best Exit Shortlisted [44]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Wintle, Angela (17 December 2013). "Actress Bonnie Langford on wintery walks, fairy dust and the West End". Great British Life.
  2. ^ "Actress Bonnie Langford on wintery walks, fairy dust and the West End". Great British Life. 17 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b Kit Hesketh-Harvey in Country Life, 22 January 2014, page 32
  4. ^ "Mel Bush at Big Finish". Starburst. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  5. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (23 October 2022). "Doctor Who's classic companions on their return: "It was a total joy"". Radio Times.
  6. ^ "Mel-come Back! Bonnie Langford Returns to Doctor Who as Mel Bush". Doctor Who. 7 June 2023.
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (7 June 2023). "'Doctor Who': Bonnie Langford Returns To Reprise Mel Bush Role". Deadline.
  8. ^ Radio Times June 2024
  9. ^ "Hot Shoe Show". davidbevin.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Bonnie Langford - theatre credits". Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Our Theatre Royal Nottingham". ourtheatreroyal.org.
  12. ^ "Dancing on Ice confirms professional skaters as 3 regulars leave the series". Virgin Radio. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  13. ^ Timms, Dominic (16 January 2006). "ITV glides to victory on ice". The Guardian.
  14. ^ Bourne, Diane (16 April 2007). "Bonnie proves a big hit". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Dancing on Ice Live Tour – Past Celebrities – Bonnie Langford". dancingonicetour.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Dancing on Ice: Bonnie Langford axed". Digital Spy. 2 February 2014.
  17. ^ "Review: Dancing on Ice the Final Tour". Harrow Times. 13 April 2014.
  18. ^ "Bonnie Langford 'Roxie Hart' in "Chicago" 18 April". London Theatre. 8 June 2016.
  19. ^ "Production of Guys and Dolls | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  20. ^ "Strictly baby ballroom". WalesOnline. 27 July 2007.
  21. ^ "Ruthie Henshall and Bonnie Langford Return to the West End's Chicago". Broadway.com.
  22. ^ "Cast: Bonnie Langford clocks in for 9 to 5: The Musical". Whatsonstage. (Whatsonstage). 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  23. ^ Wood, Alex; Hewis, Ben (13 July 2018). "Bonnie Langford joins cast of 42nd Street and closing date announced". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  24. ^ "42nd Street: About". Great Performances. PBS. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  25. ^ Dosani, Rishma (5 June 2021). "The Masked Dancer UK: Squirrel unmasked as Bonnie Langford loses to Carwash Louis Smith". Metro.
  26. ^ David Brown. "Former Doctor Who star Bonnie Langford joins EastEnders to play Kush's mum". RadioTimes.
  27. ^ "Bonnie Langford to return to Broadway". The Telegraph. 13 June 2009. (subscription required)
  28. ^ Welsh, Daniel (15 April 2015). "Bonnie Langford 'Divorces Husband Paul Grunert' After 20 Years Of Marriage Over 'Unreasonable Behaviour'". The Huffington Post.
  29. ^ "Bugsy Malone cast: Where are they now?". Smooth.
  30. ^ "Wombling Free - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. 11 October 2018.
  31. ^ Filming Locations, Doctor Who (17 April 2024). "Doctor Who Season 2 filming featuring Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Varada Sethu and Bonnie Langford". Twitter/X. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Tv and Film – Bonnie Langford". www.bonnielangford.co.uk.
  33. ^ "Bonnie Langford - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com.
  34. ^ "Doctor Who: The Collection to release season 24 starring Sylvester McCoy on Blu-ray". Radio Times.
  35. ^ "Bonnie Langford - Contributions - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Theatre – Bonnie Langford". Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  37. ^ "National Television Awards". thecustard.tv. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  38. ^ Dainty, Sophie (14 July 2015). "Inside Soap Awards 2015 longlist revealed: Who's in line for Best Actor, Actress and Newcomer?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  39. ^ "British Soap Awards 2016 full winners list: Did your favourites take home prizes?". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  40. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (16 October 2018). "Coronation Street tops Inside Soap Awards 2018 shortlist with 18 nominations". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  41. ^ Gonzalez, Elliot (3 November 2018). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS Nominations 2018". I Talk Telly.
  42. ^ Robinson, Abby (28 December 2018). "Emmerdale wins big at the Digital Spy Reader Awards 2018". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  43. ^ "Ant and Dec up against Holly at NTAs". BBC News. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  44. ^ Harp, Justin (30 September 2019). "Inside Soap Awards 2019 full shortlist revealed – which stars are up for prizes?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
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