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In January 2009, Jensen starred in ''No Holds Bard'', a
drama
Ashley Jensen (born 11 August 1969) is a Scottish actress and
drama ''narrator
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
. She was nominated for an Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for her role on the television series '' Extras'', in which she appeared from 2005 to 2007. She was a cast member of the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
series ''Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...
'' and the short-lived CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
sitcom '' Accidentally on Purpose''. She also plays the main character in the comedy-drama detective television series ''Agatha Raisin
Agatha Raisin is a fictional detective in a series of humorous mystery novels, originally written by Marion Chesney using the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. Chesney's friend Rod W. Green took over as writer with ''Hot to Trot''. The books are published ...
''.
Career
Jensen trained in Drama atQueen Margaret University
Queen Margaret University is a university, founded in 1875 and located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret.
History
The university was founded in 1875, as ''The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic ...
in Edinburgh.
Her first significant television role was as Clare Donnelly, daughter of Glasgow criminal Jo-Jo Donnelly (played by Billy Connolly
Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...
) in the 1993 BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Down Among the Big Boys
''Screen One'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and distributed by BBC Worldwide, that was transmitted on BBC One from 1989 to 1998. A total of six series were broadcast, incorporating sixty individual fil ...
''. In 1994, she played eccentric secretary Rosie McConnichy in the final series of BBC comedy ''May to December
''May to December'' is a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC1. The series was created by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity. The series was nominated for the BAFTA award for "Best Televi ...
'', as a replacement for the character of secretary Hilary (Rebecca Lacey
Rebecca Jane Lacey (born 20 April 1965) is an English actress.Internet Movie DatabasRebecca Lacey/ref>
Early life
She was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, the daughter of actor Ronald Lacey and actress Mela White.
Career
Lacey is best k ...
), and Heather in '' Roughnecks'', a BBC television series about workers on a North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
oil platform
An oil platform (or oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, and similar terms) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platfor ...
. Jensen had a small role in a '' Dangerfield'' episode "Contact" as the mother of a young girl with meningitis. She then appeared as Fiona Morris
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2000, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by Matthew Robinson (producer), Matthew Robinson, or his successor, John Yorke ...
in ''EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
''. She also appeared in the 2003 BBC drama ''Two Thousand Acres of Sky
''Two Thousand Acres of Sky '' is a TV drama which aired on BBC Television from 2001 to 2003. It was created and written by Timothy Prager. The Executive Producer was Adrian Bate.
The show takes place on the fictional island of Ronansay off th ...
''.
Jensen co-starred alongside Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
in the BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
/HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
television programme '' Extras'' as the socially inept Maggie Jacobs. For her work on the first series, she received best television comedy actress and newcomer awards at the 2005 British Comedy Awards. In 2006, Jensen received two British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her role in ''Extras.'' Her role in the 2007 Christmas Special earned her an Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination. In January 2006 she starred in the short-lived drama series ''Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour may refer to:
* "The eleventh hour", a phrase in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
__NOTOC__
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (also called the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard or the Parable of the Ge ...
'' on ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. Later that year she played Steve Coogan
Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...
's agent in ''A Cock and Bull Story
''A Cock and Bull Story'' (marketed in Australia, New Zealand and the United States as ''Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story'') is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom. It is a film-within-a-film, featuring Steve Coo ...
''. In 2007, she provided the narration for the film '' Taking Liberties''.
In September 2006, Jensen's first major role on American television came when she took the role of regular character Christina McKinney
Christina McKinney is a fictional character on the American dramedy ''Ugly Betty'', which aired on ABC between 2006 and 2010. Christina was portrayed by Ashley Jensen. Introduced as a seamstress for the fashion magazine ''MODE'', she is a close fri ...
on the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
series ''Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...
''. Her character was originally an American, but when she met with the show's producers they liked Jensen's accent and changed the nationality of the character, keeping McKinney Scottish. Production of ''Ugly Betty'' moved to New York from Los Angeles in mid-2008, causing a conflict for Jensen, who was unable to relocate from Los Angeles and left the show in 2009 near the end of the third season but made a return guest appearance in 2010 during the fourth season.
In January 2009, Jensen starred in ''No Holds Bard'', a BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...
one-off special comedy shown on Burns Night
A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night ( sc ...
as part of a line-up of special programming to mark the 250th birthday of Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
. She is the narrator of Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's '' Embarrassing Illnesses'' and ''Embarrassing Bodies
''Embarrassing Bodies'' (formerly ''Embarrassing Illnesses'') is a British BAFTA Award-winning medical reality television programme broadcast by Channel 4 and made by Maverick Television since 2007. In 2011, an hour-long live show was introduc ...
''. She also narrated an advertising campaign for Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...
and Persil
Persil is a German brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Henkel around the world except in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Latin America (except Mexico), China, Australia and New Zealand, where it is manufactured and mar ...
detergent adverts for both television and radio. From September 2009 to May 2010, she appeared in the sitcom '' Accidentally on Purpose'' as Olivia. Jensen starred in the 2009 BBC comedy ''Nativity!
''Nativity!'' is a 2009 British Christmas musical comedy film directed by Debbie Isitt and released on 27 November 2009 and the first instalment in the ''Nativity'' film series. The film stars Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen. In the film teac ...
'' as Jennifer Lore, a Hollywood producer's secretary and the love interest of Paul Maddens, played by Martin Freeman
Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Freeman's most no ...
.
On 21 December 2010, she starred in the one-off/pilot BBC comedy drama ''Accidental Farmer'', playing a London executive who buys a derelict farm with her philandering boyfriend's credit card. In 2011, she voiced Nanette the frog in the animated production ''Gnomeo & Juliet
''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is a 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play '' Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare and features the voi ...
.'' She starred in the ITV drama '' The Reckoning'' in April of that year. In October 2012, she appeared as a guest on the BBC cookery programme ''Saturday Kitchen
''Saturday Kitchen Live'' is a British cookery programme, that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV.
History
2002–2003
After a pilot hosted by Ainsley Harriott on 14 April 2001, the ...
''.
In 2014, she played the eponymous lead character in the television film adaptation of the M. C. Beaton novel '' Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death'' for Sky1
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
. She also starred in the eight-part series that first aired on Sky1 on 7 June 2016.
From 2015 to 2019, Jensen acted in ''Catastrophe
Catastrophe or catastrophic comes from the Greek κατά (''kata'') = down; στροφή (''strophē'') = turning ( el, καταστροφή). It may refer to:
A general or specific event
* Disaster, a devastating event
* The Asia Minor Catastro ...
'', a comedy series for Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, and with Susan Calman
Susan Grace Calman (born 6 November 1974) is a Scottish comedian, television presenter, writer and panellist on a number of BBC Radio 4 shows including ''The News Quiz'' and ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''.
She has written and starred in two se ...
in Calman's BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
comedy series ''Sisters''.
In 2017, she starred in a six-part TV series for BBC TV, '' Love, Lies & Records'', depicting the gritty life and entwined storylines working in Leeds Registry Office. In March 2019, Jensen reunited with Gervais in the Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
series '' After Life'', a role she continued for all three series. In April 2019 she played Debbie Dorell in the second series of BBC TV drama '' Trust Me''. When an injured soldier discovers patients in his hospital ward dying, he attempts to investigate the suspicious deaths. Also in 2019, she played the voice of Jacqueline in ''Lady and the Tramp
''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. The 15th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hami ...
''.
In November 2022 she was announced as the new lead in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
.
Personal life
Jensen has one son from her marriage to actorTerence Beesley
Terence Beesley (7 September 1957 – 30 November 2017) was an English actor.
Early life
Born in London to Irish parents, he studied at the City Lit in London in 1980, and then trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Ar ...
, whom she met in 1999 while working on a stage production of ''King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
''. Her husband died by suicide in November 2017.
Filmography
References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Ashley 1969 births Living people Alumni of Queen Margaret University People educated at Annan Academy People from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway Scottish film actresses Scottish radio actresses Scottish soap opera actresses Scottish television actresses Scottish stage actresses Scottish voice actresses Scottish expatriates in the United States 20th-century Scottish actresses 21st-century Scottish actresses National Youth Theatre members Scottish Shakespearean actresses