Lenora Crichlow
Encyclopedia
Lenora Isabella Crichlow (born 4 January 1985) is a British actress best known for playing Annie in the science fiction drama Being Human.
, a community activist originally from the island of Trinidad
in the Caribbean
, who once ran the Mangrove restaurant
in Notting Hill
which was frequented by stars such as Jimi Hendrix
and Diana Ross
. He died on 15 September 2010. Her mother is Lucy Addington and she has two sisters: Amandla and Francesca, and a brother: Knowlton. Her younger sister, Amandla Crichlow, is also an actress and has appeared in Prime Suspect: The Final Act and The Bill
.
released in 2006, and the ITV
police drama The Bill
.
Crichlow came to public prominence starring as Maria 'Sugar' Sweet in Channel 4's adaptation
of the Julie Burchill
novel Sugar Rush
, which won the 2006 International Emmy Award in the 'Children And Young People' category.
She then appeared in "Gridlock
", a 2007 episode of Doctor Who
, and BBC One's feature length drama Kiss of Death in 2008, starring alongside Danny Dyer
. In March 2010, Lenora returned to the world of Doctor Who in the Audio release of Doctor Who: The Architects of History
, playing a new character "Rachel."
In November 2008, the BBC announced she had been cast as Annie, a ghost in a flat shared with a vampire
and a werewolf
, in the BBC Three
series Being Human
, replacing Andrea Riseborough
who had played the character in the pilot. She has continued to play the role of Annie in the programme which commenced its third series in January 2011.
In November 2009 she played the part of Alice in Collision
, an ITV1 drama which ran over five consecutive nights.
Since January 2010, Crichlow has appeared in Material Girl
on BBC One as Ali Redcliffe, a fashion designer. She in June 2010 also played the role of Ashley in a BBC Three pilot, named Dappers.
In 2011, Crichlow played the character of Police Sergeant Lily Thomson in the BBC drama Death in Paradise
.
on BBC Three
.
Since January 2011 Crichlow has hosted The Tudors
on BBC America
.
Crichlow narrated The Gatwick Baby: Abandoned at Birth, shown on BBC3 on 13th April 2011.
Background
Crichlow's father was Frank Gilbert CrichlowFrank Crichlow
Frank Gilbert Crichlow was a British community activist and civil rights campaigner, who became known in 1960s London as a godfather of black radicalism....
, a community activist originally from the island of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, who once ran the Mangrove restaurant
Mangrove restaurant
The Mangrove was a Caribbean restaurant located at 8 All Saints Road, Notting Hill, west London. It was opened in 1968 by Trinidadian community activist and civil rights campaigner Frank Crichlow...
in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
which was frequented by stars such as Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. He died on 15 September 2010. Her mother is Lucy Addington and she has two sisters: Amandla and Francesca, and a brother: Knowlton. Her younger sister, Amandla Crichlow, is also an actress and has appeared in Prime Suspect: The Final Act and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Acting career
Crichlow trained and worked with the YoungBlood Theatre Company. She made her first film appearance in the small-budget UK horror film WildernessWilderness (film)
Wilderness is a 2006 British/Irish horror film.- Plot summary :After the suicide of one of the inmates at a British young offender institution, a group of teenage offenders, along with a prison officer, are sent to a remote island, formerly used as a British Army training area, but now serving as a...
released in 2006, and the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Crichlow came to public prominence starring as Maria 'Sugar' Sweet in Channel 4's adaptation
Sugar Rush (TV series)
Sugar Rush is an Emmy Award–winning British television comedy drama series developed by Shine Limited and broadcast by Channel 4, based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name...
of the Julie Burchill
Julie Burchill
Julie Burchill is an English writer and journalist. Beginning as a writer for the New Musical Express at the age of 17, she has written for newspapers such as The Sunday Times and The Guardian. She is a self-declared "militant feminist". She has several times been involved in legal action...
novel Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush is Julie Burchill's first novel aimed at teenagers, published in 2004. It charts the progress of Kim Lewis as she is forced to leave her posh high school and attend the infamous local comprehensive, Ravendene. This coincides with a fight with her best friend, Zoe "Saint" Clements,...
, which won the 2006 International Emmy Award in the 'Children And Young People' category.
She then appeared in "Gridlock
Gridlock (Doctor Who)
"Gridlock" is the third episode from the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who which aired on 14 April 2007. The Doctor returns to a much grittier New Earth with Martha Jones and meets the Face of Boe one final time. But as New New York becomes a deadly...
", a 2007 episode of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, and BBC One's feature length drama Kiss of Death in 2008, starring alongside Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
. In March 2010, Lenora returned to the world of Doctor Who in the Audio release of Doctor Who: The Architects of History
The Architects of History
The Architects of History is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It contains a four part story. -Plot:In 2044, The Selachians attack Earth’s Moonbase...
, playing a new character "Rachel."
In November 2008, the BBC announced she had been cast as Annie, a ghost in a flat shared with a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
and a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
, in the BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
series Being Human
Being Human (TV series)
Being Human is a British supernatural drama television series. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse and is currently broadcast on BBC Three. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama...
, replacing Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Riseborough
-Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites"....
who had played the character in the pilot. She has continued to play the role of Annie in the programme which commenced its third series in January 2011.
In November 2009 she played the part of Alice in Collision
Collision (TV series)
Collision is a five-part television drama miniseries, which debuted on ITV in November 2009. In the same month, it was also on PBS as a series in two parts. It tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash...
, an ITV1 drama which ran over five consecutive nights.
Since January 2010, Crichlow has appeared in Material Girl
Material Girl (TV series)
Material Girl is a British romantic comedy produced by Carnival Films, that first aired on BBC One on 14 January 2010. It stars Lenora Crichlow, Dervla Kirwan and Michael Landes.Set in the fashion world, it was inspired by the book Fashion Babylon...
on BBC One as Ali Redcliffe, a fashion designer. She in June 2010 also played the role of Ashley in a BBC Three pilot, named Dappers.
In 2011, Crichlow played the character of Police Sergeant Lily Thomson in the BBC drama Death in Paradise
Death in Paradise (TV series)
Death in Paradise is a crime drama/comedy joint UK/French television programme filmed in Guadeloupe, the first overseas region of France, starring Ben Miller and Sara Martins.-Synopsis:...
.
Other work
In June 2010, Crichlow presented Who is Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
.
Since January 2011 Crichlow has hosted The Tudors
The Tudors
The Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
.
Crichlow narrated The Gatwick Baby: Abandoned at Birth, shown on BBC3 on 13th April 2011.