Jo Martin

Jo Martin (born 29 April) is a British actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC series The Crouches (2003–2005) as Natalie Crouch, Back to Life (2019–2021) as Janice, Holby City (2019–2022) as Max McGerry, and Doctor Who (2020–2022) as the Fugitive Doctor, and Dreaming Whilst Black (2021–) as Grace.

Early life

Martin was born in Newham, London to a Jamaican mother who died in 2015. She attended Portway Primary School and Plashet All Girls Secondary School.

Career

Doctor Who

Martin first appeared in the series 12 episode "Fugitive of the Judoon", playing Ruth Clayton, a tourist guide who is later revealed to be an unplaced incarnation of the Doctor known as the Fugitive Doctor. Martin's Doctor received positive reviews from critics. She reprised her role in the series finale, "The Timeless Children", in the third chapter of Doctor Who: Flux, "Once, Upon Time", and in the 2022 special "The Power of the Doctor".

Martin is currently set to star in The Fugitive Doctor Adventures, an audio drama series focused on her character to be produced by Big Finish.

Tales from the Front Line

In November 2020, Talawa Theatre Company released Tales from the Front Line. The first film presented a verbatim narrative from a teacher, played by Martin, talking about trying to keep themselves and their pupils safe during the pandemic, the emotional and psychological impact of the global Black Lives Matter movement, and the challenges of supporting students' education during an era of great uncertainty.

Reviews described Martin's performance as "performed so subtly" as to seem real, while being "conversational and natural".