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Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom ''
Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekly panellist on the ITV series ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' (2012–2018, 2020–present).
As a founder student of
Anna Scher
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...
's Theatre School, Robson had a significant number of appearances on screen as a child actor.
Early life
Robson was born in Islington, London to an English father and an Irish mother. She has two sisters. Educated at Ecclesbourne Primary School, where Anna Scher started her
Theatre School
A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...
in 1968 with Robson and
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
being amongst the founding students.
Later she attended the Shelburne Secondary School for Girls, now amalgamated into
Highbury Fields School
Highbury Fields School (formerly Highbury Hill High School) is a secondary school for girls and coeducational sixth form, located next to Highbury Fields in the Highbury area of the London Borough of Islington, England.
The School has specialism ...
, and
The Young Actors Theatre, all in Islington.
Career
Early career
Robson first appeared on screen in the 1970 film ''
Junket 89 This article is a list of films produced, distributed or sponsored by the Children's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as ...
'' produced by
Children's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...
alongside other actors from The Anna Scher Children's Theatre in Islington, including Pauline Quirke.
Robson had a minor role as Barbara, a young girl amidst a group of roaming teenagers, in the second series of the original BBC
Survivors drama aired in 1976.
She appeared in ''Pauline's Quirkes'' (her first regular appearance with
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
), the drama series ''
The Crezz
''The Crezz'' is a British television drama produced by Thames Television and shown on the ITV network in 1976. Created by Clive Exton, ''The Crezz'' was set in a fictitious West London crescent, Carlisle Crescent. The series was 12 one-hour pr ...
'', the short lived sitcom ''
L for Lester
''L for Lester'' is a BBC sitcom first broadcast in 1982, starring Brian Murphy. The programme followed the misfortunes of a small town driving instructor. It was intended as a new vehicle for Murphy after his previous hit show - ''George and Mi ...
'' (in 1982) and the IRA drama ''
Harry's Game
''Harry's Game'' is a British television drama mini-series made by ITV Yorkshire, Yorkshire Television for ITV (TV network), ITV in 1982, closely based on the 1975 novel ''Harry's Game'' by Gerald Seymour, a former journalist. Apart from brief sc ...
''. Robson played Maggie Moon in ''
Shine on Harvey Moon
''Shine on, Harvey Moon'' is a British television series made by Witzend Productions and Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian Broadcasting.
This generally light-hearted series ...
'', a British comedy drama television series made by
Central Television for
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 ...
from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
.
''Birds of a Feather''
Robson played Tracey Stubbs 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. ...
...
sitcom ''
Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998, starring with
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
and
Lesley Joseph
Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...
.
Television
Robson subsequently appeared in programmes such as ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...
'' and ''
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
''. Following the success of ''Birds of a Feather'', she appeared again with Pauline Quirke in ''
Jobs for the Girls
''Jobs for the Girls'' is a BBC television documentary series in which actors Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke learned about a new profession in each episode. It ran in 1995 for one series of four episodes, followed by a Christmas special.
The sh ...
''. She appeared with
Jenny Eclair
Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in ''Grumpy Old Women'' between 2004 and 2007 and in '' Loose Women'' in 2011 and 2012.
Early life
Eclair was born ...
and
Dillie Keane
Louise Miriam "Dillie" Keane (born 23 May 1952) is an Olivier Award-nominated actress, singer and comedian. She has been a member of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda since its 1983 inception, and has also pursued a solo career.
Early ...
in the original cast of ''
Grumpy Old Women Live
''Grumpy Old Women Live'' is a stage show based on the BBC television series ''Grumpy Old Women''.
History Inception
The idea of a live show of ''Grumpy Old Women'', which had already been successful on the television, came about in Spring 2005 ...
'', a spin-off from the television series ''
Grumpy Old Women
''Grumpy Old Women'' is a British television series, continuing in the same vein as its predecessor, '' Grumpy Old Men''. Both programmes are shown on BBC Two. The first two series were narrated by Alison Steadman, and the third by Judith Holder ...
'', written by
Jenny Eclair
Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in ''Grumpy Old Women'' between 2004 and 2007 and in '' Loose Women'' in 2011 and 2012.
Early life
Eclair was born ...
and Judith Holder. On 9 August 2007, she narrated a show for ITV, called ''Britain's Youngest Brides''. In July 2008, Robson entered ''
Celebrity MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 20 ...
'' and went out in the first round.
In July 2010, Robson made a guest appearance in BBC drama series ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', playing the mother of a young man with
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
. Robson was the first celebrity to arrive in Australia ahead of the 2012 series of ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', but was voted out on the 13th day in the camp on 23 November 2012, finishing in 9th place.
''Loose Women''
Robson made her debut as a guest panellist on ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' on 19 August 2003, appearing alongside
Kaye Adams
Kaye Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular panellist on Channel 5's daily mor ...
,
Carol McGiffin
Carol Deirdre McGiffin (born 18 February 1960) is an English radio and television broadcaster, who has appeared on the daytime talk show ''Loose Women'' since the early 2000s. She appeared on the twelfth series of ''Celebrity Big Brother''.
E ...
&
Terri Dwyer
Teresa "Terri" Dwyer (born 31 July 1973) is a British television presenter and actress, best known for her role as Ruth Osborne in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. She has also presented the ITV home makeover show 60 Minute Makeover.
Care ...
. Robson returned to the show as a guest panellist on 2 December 2010, before returning as an occasional panellist from 11 November 2011. Regular panellist
Jenny Eclair
Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in ''Grumpy Old Women'' between 2004 and 2007 and in '' Loose Women'' in 2011 and 2012.
Early life
Eclair was born ...
left the show in June 2012, meaning Robson became a regular panellist on 19 June 2012, replacing Eclair. As of 2016 Robson appears on ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' 1 or 2 times a week. Robson made 3 appearances during Series 16, 28 appearances in Series 17, 44 appearances in Series 18, 35 appearances in Series 19, 57 appearances in Series 20, 34 appearances in series 21, 49 appearances in series 22 and for Series 23 Linda made 21 appearances as of December 2018. Robson did not return after Christmas and was replaced by
Brenda Edwards.
After a period of absence due to sickness, Linda returned to the panel from 17 January 2020.
''Birds of a Feather'' revival
In 2013, it was announced that ''
Birds of a Feather'' was to return for a tenth series, this time airing on the
ITV network
ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passin ...
. The first episode aired on 2 January 2014 to an audience of over 8 million. After a successful tenth series, it was announced in 2014 that ''
Birds of a Feather'' would return for an eleventh series, which began on 26 December 2014. In March 2015, it was announced that ITV had commissioned a third revived series (twelfth overall) which began airing in January 2016. The next series has been ordered and plans were mad to air in 2017. However filming has yet begun for a full series. Confusion occurred in February 2019 when Nigel Lythgoe seemed to suggest the series had ended. However an ITV representative later confirmed this was false as reported on digital Spy. ITV have confirmed a new series will air and the hope was to start recording this year to mark 30 years of the sitcom. However this has since been put on hold due to
Lesley Joseph
Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...
's busy schedule. A 2020 special has been filmed for this Christmas but without Pauline Quirke who has retired from acting to put efforts in to other works.
Radio
Robson is an occasional guest presenter for
BBC London 94.9
BBC Radio London is the BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM frequency, DAB, Virgin Media channel 937, Sky channel 0152 (in the Lond ...
. In November 2012, she played the part of Lisa, the hypochondriac mother of Luke (
Daniel Mays
Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor.
Early life
Born in Epping, Essex, the third of four boys, Mays was brought up in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Acad ...
) in Alexander Kirk's play ''Told You I Was Ill'', episode two in the series ''Living with Mother'' on
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' ...
.
Other work
In November 2014, Robson was a part of
Gareth Malone
Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an "animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...
's 'All Star Choir', who released a cover version of ''
Wake Me Up'' to raise money for 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. ...
...
's