Bank of Dave’s Jo Hartley is slated to make a guest appearance in this week’s episode of Silent Witness, as the detective drama continues on One.
The two-part episode, Vanishing Point, sees Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) returning to the UK from a conference in Mumbai, only to find a mysterious contagion spreading among her fellow passengers.
Jo Hartley will be seen as Beth, an A&E staff nurse on the flight who assists Nikki with the affected patients at 30,000 feet. While many viewers will recognise Jo, 52, from ‘s After Life, ITV’s Passenger and the 2016 film Eddie the Eagle, fewer may recall one of her breakout roles – Cynthia in This Is England.
One of Jo’s earliest film roles was as Cynthia – the mother of main character Shaun Fields (Thomas Turgoose) – in the 2006 film This is England. She reprised the role in all three spin-off series on Channel 4: This Is England ’86, This Is England ’88 and This Is England ’90.
In the franchise, Jo is almost unrecognisable as Cynthia, sporting a large brunette perm, typical ’80s glasses and a blue jacket with chunky shoulder pads. She starred alongside Stephen Graham, Joe Gilgun, Vicky McClure and Jack O’Connell in the award-winning film, all of whom have since enjoyed successful acting careers.
Jo Hartley with the cast of After Life back in 2022 (Image: BBC)
Over recent years, Jo has graced our screens in a slew of beloved TV shows and movies – notably the biographical comedy-drama Bank of Dave, inspired by the ‘true’ tale of self-made tycoon Dave Fishwick. In both the original hit and its follow-up Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger, Jo portrays Dave’s spouse Nicola with aplomb, reports .
In addition to her cinematic ventures, Jo made a splash on One’s Death in Paradise as a guest star in 2023, and shone in Greg Davies’ series The Cleaner as well as Diane Morgan’s comedy Mandy. Yet, it’s her portrayal of June in the smash After Life that has truly captured the hearts of viewers.
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Silent Witness star Jo Hartley is completely unrecognisable in iconic Channel 4 drama (Image: Channel 4)
As the partner of Tambury Gazette’s photographer Lenny and mother to intern James, Jo’s performance was a standout.
The show, which featured Ricky Gervais of The Office fame, recently faced a poignant moment when Ricky shared the news of the passing of Antilly – the canine actor who played his character’s dog Brandy. Ricky expressed his sorrow on X, stating: “Sad News. ‘Anti’, who played ‘Brandy’ in AfterLife, has died. She was 13 and a very good girl.”
Silent Witness continues tonight at 9pm on One and iPlayer.