Angela Bruce (born 6 May 1951) is an English actress, noted for her television work. Bruce was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire to a West Indian father and white mother. She was put up for adoption aged three, and brought up in Craghead, County Durham. Acting and film career Bruce made her stage debut in 1970 in the musical Hair after she joined other members of the audience dancing on stage during a performance in Newcastle and was then signed up to appear in the show.
Bruce made her screen debut in the 1973 film Man at the Top, and on the London stage she was the second actress to play Magenta in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show, succeeding Patricia Quinn. Regular or recurring roles in television series include Sandra Ling in Angels (1975–83), Janice Stubbs in Coronation Street (1978) and reporter Chrissie Stuart in Press Gang (1989–90). In 1980, she appeared in "Charlie Boy", an episode of Hammer House of Horror.
Bruce is also recognisable to sci-fi fans for her performance as Brigadier Winifred Bambera in the 1989 Doctor Who serial Battlefield, her female Lister in Red Dwarf and her portrayal of Dayna Mellanby in the Blake's 7 audio drama The Syndeton Experiment.
Her other notable credits include Prime Suspect and Only Fools and Horses in which she played Councillor Murray. She also appeared as prison officer Mandy Goodhue in the popular ITV1 prison drama series Bad Girls; this was the second time she had appeared in a British women's prison drama series, having played tough inmate Bobbie in an episode of Within These Walls titled "The Good Life".
Bruce played Gina in the 2002 film Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War and in 2008 she guest-starred in the Sapphire & Steel audio dramas Second Sight and Zero. She also guest-starred in Old Wounds, a 2015 episode of Vera in which she played Beryl Doyle, mother of a murder victim found buried, having gone missing 30 years earlier. In June 2020, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Carmen Few.
Filmography +Film Year Title Role Director 1973 Man at the Top Joyce Mike Vardy 1988 Managing Problem People. Behavioral Skills for Leaders Charles Crichton 2002 Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War Gina Ian Sharp 2023 Silver Haze Alice Sacha Polak
+Television Year Title Role Notes 1974 ITV Playhouse Nell Episode: "Lucky" 1975 Within These Walls Roberta Episode: "The Good Life" 1975–79 Angels Sandra Ling Series 1–5, 34 episodes (main role) 1975 Play for Today Night Nurse Episode: "Through the Night" 1976 Red Letter Day June Episode: "Matchfit" Rock Follies Gloria Miniseries; 5 episodes 1978 Coronation Street Janice Stubbs 12 episodes 1979 Empire Road Camille Episode: "Mongrels" 1980 Hammer House of Horror Sarah Episode: "Charlie Boy" 1983 The Winner Mrs. Roper TV movie 1985 Dempsey and Makepeace Nursing Sister Episode: "Tequila Sunrise" 1986 The Practice Rita Lunt 1 episode 1987 Up Line Camilla Du Bois 4 episodes 1988 King & Castle Headmistress Episode: "Class" Red Dwarf Deb Lister Episode: "Parallel Universe" South of the Border Maura Series 1, Episode 7 1989–90 Press Gang Chrissie Stuart Series 1–2, 10 episodes 1989 Doctor Who Brigadier Winifred Bambera Serial: "Battlefield"Starting OutAsbestos ExpertEpisode: "Mr. Christie" 1991 Spender Melanie Episode: "Dance Girl Dance" Doctor at the Top Sheila Episode: "Waring Goes Private" Prime Suspect Helen Masters Series 1 Waiting for God Judy Episode: "Counselling for the Dying" 1992 Lovejoy Dr. Pilger Episode :"Eric of Arabia" Van der Valk Tony Vishnu Episode: "Still Waters" Sean's Show Scriptwriter Episode: "Blind Date" Watt on Earth Eve Carter 1 episode 1993 The Upper Hand Claudia Episode: "Big Bad Burrows"JackanoryStorytellerEpisode: "Pass-the-Story" 1994 Takin' Over the Asylum Isabel Miniseries 1996 The Bill Jessica Joseph Series 12, Episode 31 Casualty Joy Series 11, Episode 11 Our Friends In The North Nursing Sister Episode: "1987" Only Fools and Horses Councillor Murray Episode: "Heroes and Villains"1996-1999The BillVarious3 episodes1996-2015Casualty 1997 The Bill Ann Harris Series 13, Episode 33 1997 Keeping Mum Doctor Episode: "The Accident" 1999 Big Bad World Miss Sayer 2 episodes 2000–01 The Ghost Hunter Mrs. Justin Series 1–2, 8 episodes 2000 Hero to Zero Mrs. Vaughn 2 episodes EastEnders D.S. Langford 6 episodes 2001 Silent Witness Alice Michaels 2 episodes2001-2020Holby CityVarious6 episodes 2002 My Family Server Episode: "Misery"2002-2020Doctors Various6 episodes 2003 Messiah Dr. Dugdale Series 2, Episodes 1 & 2 2004 Doctors and Nurses Inspector Episode: "Seeing Stars" 2005 Holby City Bryony Miller Series 7, Episode 12 2005 Doctors Angela Devon Series 7, Episode 23 2005 Waking the Dead Judge Episode: "Straw Dog: Part 1" 2005 Mary Seacole: The Real Angel of Crimea Mary Seacole TV movie 2006 Bad Girls Mandy Goodhue 11 episodes 2007 Spooks Ruth Chambers Episode: "The Broadcast" 2009 Doctors Mrs. Gilbert Series 10, Episode 189 2015 Vera Beryl Doyle Episode: "Old Wounds" 2016 Doctors Patricia Telford Series 17, Episode 163 2016 Him Fran Miniseries, all 3 episodes 2017 Death in Paradise Ernestine Gray 1 episode 2025 The Iris Affair Meski 4 episodes
Audio Drama YearTitleRoleNotes2008Sapphire and Steel: Series 3Annie / AndreaEpisode: "Second Sight" as AnnieEpisode: "Zero" as Andrea2011Doctor Who: The Lost StoriesBrigadier Winifred BamberaEpisode: "Animal"2018The War Master: The Master of CallousMotherEpisode: "The Persistence of Dreams"2019Doctor Who: The Monthly AdventuresHerbEpisode: "Conversion"2021Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins: WarbringerOya / Andarta, Incipient MotherEpisode: "Consequences"2022UNIT: Nemesis 2: Agents of the VulpreenBrigadier Winifred BamberaEpisode: "The War Factory"UNIT: Brave New WorldSeabird OneVisitants2025Fractures2026Knightfall
References
External links
Angela Bruce: Local Angel BBC Wear feature article