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Wendi Peters

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Wendi Peters
Wendi Peters 2024. Photographer: Jennie Scott
Born
Wendi Louise Peters

(1968-02-29) 29 February 1968 (age 56)
Blackburn, Lancashire, England
OccupationActress
Years active1987–present
Television
SpouseKenny Linden (married 1993–2022)
Children1

Wendi Louise Peters (born 29 February 1968) is an English actress. She is a Leapling. Peters began her acting career in theatre, with appearances in various productions including The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991), Guys and Dolls (1991), Into the Woods (1992), Bedroom Farce (1996) and Noises Off (1997). Then from 2003 to 2007 and again in 2014, she portrayed Cilla Battersby-Brown in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

After leaving Coronation Street to pursue other opportunities, she competed in and reached the final of Celebrity MasterChef, before returning to the stage to appear in various touring productions and West End theatre roles. She reprised her role of Cilla in 2014 for a brief stint to tie-in with on-screen daughter Jenni McAlpine's maternity leave, and then appeared in the CBBC series Hetty Feather from 2015–17.

From February 2023, Peters began appearing as Nina Bulsara in the BBC daytime soap opera Doctors, but announced her decision to leave in September 2023.

Life and career

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1987–2010: Career beginnings and Coronation Street

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As a child, Peters attended dance school and performed in various school plays. She has cited seeing Annie on the West End in 1980 as the catalyst for her wanting to pursue acting for her career. Her professional acting career began in 1987 when she performed at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. In 1992, she portrayed Red Riding Hood in a stage production of Into the Woods, a role Peters described as one of her favourites in a 2021 interview.[1] After various stage roles including The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991), Guys and Dolls (1991), Bedroom Farce (1996) and Noises Off (1997)., Peters made her television debut four years later in the BBC medical drama series Cardiac Arrest. She then appeared in minor roles in Out of the Blue and Bad Girls.[2]

In 2003, Peters was cast in the role of Cilla Battersby-Brown in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.[2] In January 2006, she competed on ITV's Soapstar Superstar, raising £35,000 for her chosen charities.[3] In January 2007, it was announced that Peters would be leaving the soap after four years. She made the decision as a result of wanting to spend more time with family alongside pursuing other projects.[4] She reprised the role in 2008 as part of a straight-to-DVD special, Out of Africa.[5] Also in 2008, Peters appeared on Adrenaline Junkie with Jack Osborne, where she jumped out of a helicopter at 9,000 feet over Table Mountain.[6]

In 2009, Peters was a finalist on Celebrity Masterchef.[7] Later that year, she toured Ireland with the one-woman play Mrs Whippy, written by Cecelia Ahern.[8] Peters then toured the UK with Jenny Eclair and Susie Blake in Grumpy Old Women Live 2 – Chin Up Britain . The production returned for a season at the Novello Theatre in London's West End in 2010.[9]

2010–present: Return to the stage and Doctors

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In 2010, Peters played the lead in Northern Broadsides' production of The Game by Harold Brighouse. The play had not been performed in 100 years and her performance garnered critical acclaim.[10] Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph said, "Ma was played with hilarious gruffness and rolling pin obduracy by Wendi Peters. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission".[11] Peters was described as "simply magnificent" by Michael Billington of The Guardian.[12]

In 2011, Peters appeared at Hull Truck Theatre Company to play Bet in John Godber's two-hander, April in Paris. Peters again received acclaim from the press in the revival.[13] A year later, she played Princess Puffer in Aria Entertainment's London revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a musical comedy by Rupert Holmes, based on Charles Dickens' unfinished novel. The production ran at the Landor Theatre and transferred to the Arts Theatre for a limited run.[14] In 2012, she appeared in an episode of Crime Stories as Marion Jackson. Then from November 2012 to January 2013, Peters starred in White Christmas at the Lowry at Salford Quays.[15] In 2013, Jonathan Miller directed Githa Sowerby's Rutherford and Son in which Peters starred as Mrs Henderson to critical acclaim.[16] Libby Purves of The Times said, "Wendi Peters has a fabulous cameo as a whining petitioner, unsentimentally illustrating the company's workforce challenges".[16] Other press went on to add she was "unforgettable"[17] and wrote that her scene was "formidable".[18] She reprised the role at the Dominion Theatre in late 2014.[19] Also in 2014, Peters reprised her role of Cilla in Coronation Street for a six-week stint.[20]

Peters co-starred with Ian Reddington and Christopher Villiers in the 2015 production of Joan Littlewood's musical Oh, What a Lovely War!, directed by Terry Johnston, which toured nationally.[21] Also that year, she played the lead role in the new play Hatched 'n' Dispatched at The Park Theatre, London.[22] 2015 also marked her first appearance on the CBBC series Hetty Feather, a role she appeared in until 2017.[23] In 2018, Peters took on the role of Cissy Robson in the UK tour of Quartet.[24] Peters then starred in a UK tour of Salad Days in 2018, followed by a stint as Sylvie in the off-West End run of Call Me Vicky.[25] She also appeared in Big The Musical for nine weeks.

In March 2021, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Nicky Connelly.[26] In 2022, Peters was the voiceover for the Channel 5 series Happy Campers: The Caravan Park. A year after her one-episode stint, it was announced that she would be joining the main cast of Doctors as Dr. Nina Bulsara. Peters began filming on the soap in October 2022 and began appearing onscreen from February 2023.[27] She announced her exit from the series after 11 months in September 2023.[28]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Cardiac Arrest Ambulancewoman Episode: "The Age of Consent"
1996 Out of the Blue Fay Marsh Episode: "Shooting Ducks"
1996 In Love and War Emily Rahn Film
2001 Bad Girls Pam Jolly 2 episodes
2003–2007, 2014 Coronation Street Cilla Battersby-Brown Regular role
2006 Soapstar Superstar Herself Contestant; 6th place
2006 Celebrity Mastermind Herself 1 episode
2006 Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Herself 1 episode
2006 Countdown Herself 1 episode
2008 Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie Herself 1 episode
2008 Coronation Street: Out of Africa Cilla Battersby-Brown Film
2009 Celebrity MasterChef Herself Contestant; finalist
2012 Crime Stories Marion Jackson 1 episode
2012–2014 Britain's Best Bakery Narrator
2013 Sadie J Kelly 2 episodes
2014 Hacker Time Queen Shania Recurring role
2014 The Great British Sewing Bee Herself Contestant; winner
2015–2017 Hetty Feather Cook Jenkins Main role
2015 Flockstars Herself Participant
2018 Mr Sunshine Sadie Bartholomew Short film
2019 Midsomer Murders Lynda Babbage Episode: "The Sting of Death"
2021 Doctors Nicky Connelly Episode: "Menpause"
2022 Happy Campers: The Caravan Park Narrator Series 2
2023–2024 Doctors Nina Bulsara Regular role

References

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  1. ^ Healey-Lynham, Emily (8 September 2021). "Interview with Wendi Peters". Bespoke Black Book.
  2. ^ a b Wilkes, Neil (17 September 2003). "'Bad Girls' actress joins Corrie". Digital Spy.
  3. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (8 January 2006). "Peters furious over 'Superstar' weight jibe". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ Green, Kris (18 January 2007). "Cilla says 'ta-ra' to Corrie". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  5. ^ Mangan, Lucy (19 November 2008). "Coronation Street: Out on a limb in Africa". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  6. ^ Laws, Roz (16 November 2008). "Coronation Street star is an adrenaline junkie". Birmingham Mail. (Reach plc). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  7. ^ Crick, Claire (12 April 2021). "Celebrity MasterChef winners – who has won the show so far?". What to Watch. (Future plc). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Cecelia Ahern". Archived from the original on 19 June 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Grumpy Old Women Live 2 – Chin Up Britain". TNT. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Wendi Peters On ... The Game". WhatsOnStage. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  11. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (11 October 2010). "The Game, Salisbury Playhouse; The Misanthrope, Bristol Old Vic". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  12. ^ Billington, Michael (26 September 2010). "The Game | Theatre review | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  13. ^ "April in Paris Reviews at West Yorkshire Playhouse - Leeds - Whatsonstage.com". Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  14. ^ Edwin Drood | West End Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Wendi, Aled and Tom bring us a White Christmas". ITV. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ a b Purves, Libby (15 February 2013). "Rutherford & Son at the Viaduct, Halifax". The Times. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Review: Rutherford and Son at the Lowry Salford Quays – Malcolm Handley – North Wales Weekly News". Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  18. ^ "Rutherford & Son – Oxford Playhouse". Thepublicreviews.com. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  19. ^ "White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre starring Aled Jones and Tom Chambers". West End Theatre. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  20. ^ Houghton, Rianne (16 September 2018). "Former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters hints at a possible return to the soap". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Full casting announced for Oh What A Lovely War 2015 national tour". West End Frame. 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  22. ^ "Diana Vickers leads Hatched 'N' Dispatched". Official London Theatre. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Wendi Peters | InterTalent Rights Group". Intertalentgroup.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  24. ^ Griffin, Katy (3 March 2018). "Coronation Street star Wendi Peters stars in Quartet at Salisbury Playhouse". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Call Me Vicky (Closed March 09, 2019) | Off-West End | reviews, cast and info | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  26. ^ Timblick, Simon. "Doctors spoilers: Ex-Corrie star Wendi Peters (aka Cilla) guest stars". What's on TV. Future plc. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  27. ^ Seddon, Dan (2 November 2022). "Former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters lands new soap role". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Feeling thoroughly spoilt 💙💚💜#thankyou". Instagram. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
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