Susannah Doyle
Encyclopedia
Susannah Doyle is a British actress, playwright
and film director
, best known for her roles in situation comedies
Drop The Dead Donkey
(as Joy Merryweather), and Ballykissangel
(as Avril Burke).
The daughter of Irish actor Tony Doyle, she realised that she wished to follow in his footsteps when, aged about five or six, she was taken to see him work, often in tiny theatres with audience and actors close together. One of three children, she had a magical childhood, tempered by her parents' separation when their relationship cooled, when she was eleven years old. Between sixteen and seventeen years old she went through a wildly promiscuous stage, but "It ended as quickly as it began."
Her big TV break came in 1991 with the role of Joy, the intelligent, acid-tongued secretary and foil to her corporate-speak boss, in the Channel 4
comedy Drop The Dead Donkey. When her father died in 2000, the producers of Ballykissangel asked whether she would take on the role of his daughter. She had reservations over her ability to cope emotionally but took on the part of stable owner Avril, saying of her father, "He would have kicked my bum if I hadn't". Fitting in with ease, already knowing many of the cast through previous visits and having co-starred with Stephen Tompkinson
in Drop The Dead Donkey, she completed the final season. In 2001, she also appeared in an episode of Cold Feet
.
Since 2001, she has been pursuing parallel careers of scriptwriting and acting.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, best known for her roles in situation comedies
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Drop The Dead Donkey
Drop the Dead Donkey
- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
(as Joy Merryweather), and Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
(as Avril Burke).
The daughter of Irish actor Tony Doyle, she realised that she wished to follow in his footsteps when, aged about five or six, she was taken to see him work, often in tiny theatres with audience and actors close together. One of three children, she had a magical childhood, tempered by her parents' separation when their relationship cooled, when she was eleven years old. Between sixteen and seventeen years old she went through a wildly promiscuous stage, but "It ended as quickly as it began."
Her big TV break came in 1991 with the role of Joy, the intelligent, acid-tongued secretary and foil to her corporate-speak boss, in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
comedy Drop The Dead Donkey. When her father died in 2000, the producers of Ballykissangel asked whether she would take on the role of his daughter. She had reservations over her ability to cope emotionally but took on the part of stable owner Avril, saying of her father, "He would have kicked my bum if I hadn't". Fitting in with ease, already knowing many of the cast through previous visits and having co-starred with Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson is a British actor. He is best known for his work in comedy and drama productions such as Drop the Dead Donkey, Ballykissangel, Grafters, In Deep, Wild at Heart and DCI Banks....
in Drop The Dead Donkey, she completed the final season. In 2001, she also appeared in an episode of Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
.
Since 2001, she has been pursuing parallel careers of scriptwriting and acting.