Tracy-Ann Oberman

Tracy Anne Oberman • Tracy-Anne Oberman • Tracey-Ann Oberman • Tracy Ann Oberman

Tracy-Ann Oberman (born 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator who is best known as Chrissie Watts in EastEnders (2004–2005, 2024-2026) and Valerie Lewis in Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020). Following training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Oberman spent four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before joining the National Theatre. Her theatrical e...

Tracy-Ann Oberman (born 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator who is best known as Chrissie Watts in EastEnders (2004–2005, 2024-2026) and Valerie Lewis in Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020). Following training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Oberman spent four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before joining the National Theatre. Her theatrical experience includes appearing with Kenneth Branagh in David Mamet's Edmond (2003) and a run in the West End revival of Boeing-Boeing (2007–2008). She appeared in a production of Earthquakes in London in its 2011 run as Sarah Sullivan. Oberman has performed in more than 600 radio plays since the mid-1990s. Oberman's TV credits have also included Doctor Who, Mistresses, Robin Hood, and Doctors. Before EastEnders, Oberman appeared in a variety of television programmes including Casualty (1997–1998), Kiss Me Kate (1998), and The Bill (2000), and carved out a comedic niche with leading roles in Bob Martin (2000–2001), Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000–2003), Big Train (2002), and Toast of London (2013–2015). She had a recurring role in the penultimate and last series of procedural comedy-drama New Tricks (2014–2015) as Fiona Kennedy, a forensic pathologist. Oberman appeared in Tracey Ullman's Show and Tracey Breaks the News from 2016 to 2018. Oberman has contributed to several radio sketch shows and, in 2008, co-authored with Diane Samuels the play 3 Sisters on Hope Street. In 2010, she wrote and starred alongside Catherine Tate in her BBC Radio 4 play Bette and Joan and Baby Jane and, in 2012, wrote the BBC Radio 4 play Rock and Doris and Elizabeth. In 2015, she wrote and starred in the third part of her Hollywood Trilogy for BBC Radio 4, Mrs. Robinson, I Presume, alongside John Simm and Kevin Bishop. Oberman was a regular columnist for The Guardian newspaper during 2007, for which she is still an occasional contributor. She was a regular contributor to The Jewish Chronicle (2009–2017) and also contributes to Red magazine. Early life and education Oberman was born in Brent, Greater London, and is from a Jewish background. She grew up in north London, attending Heathfield School for Girls, before going on to study classics at Leeds University but, after a year, she moved to Manchester University to pursue drama. After graduating, she was accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama, where she trained as an actor. In 1991, Oberman studied for a term at the Moscow Art Theatre School as part of her training. Oberman has spoken of how her drive for professionalism was a result of her parents' initial concern with her career choice. As she came from a strong legal background, her family "weren't wildly happy" about her desire to become an actress: "My parents were always making me watch Rumpole of the Bailey, going 'You see? It's just like acting, you make things up, you wear a wig and a funny outfit. Why not the law?' But I just always wanted to act, as far back as I remember." Her joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, however, finally won her parents over. However, in a 2004 interview, Oberman noted that her father's death seven years earlier prevented him seeing the development of her career and her national success as an actor: "I've come a long way in my career since he died and I wish he was here to see it. He was a big EastEnders fan so I know he'd be very, very proud of me." Acting Theatre After leaving the Central School of Speech and Drama, Oberman joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1993, she took part in the RSC's award-winning production of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine as Olympia. This was followed by roles in The Changeling, as "Diaphanta", A Jovial Crew in the part of "Joan Cope", and The Beggar's Opera where she played Molly Brazen. In 1994, she completed her run at the RSC playing in Macbeth and A Christmas Carol. After performing in several West End productions, Oberman played at the Royal National Theatre in Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty during 1999. This was followed by starring in School Play at the Soho Theatre. The play was lauded by The Guardian critic Michael Billington as a "remarkable" production, praising Oberman for her successful portrayal of Miss Fay as "the teacher torn between her career and her pupil's potential". In 2003, Oberman returned to the National in Edmond, playing opposite Kenneth Branagh. Her role as wife to Branagh's title character was well received by some critics, Norman Miller in a BBC News review commended Oberman for making a particular "impression". That year also saw her star in Hello and Goodbye at the Southwark Playhouse. According to Fiona Mountford in The Evening Standard, the production was "given the outing of its life by" Oberman and her co-star, Zubin Varla. The review in The British Theatre Guide was similarly positive, praising Oberman who "rages away" in the role of "Hester", and delivers "one of the best performances in town". She took a couple of years away from acting with the birth of her daughter in August 2006. At the end of 2007 she returned full-time to work in the West End revival of Boeing-Boeing, playing "Gretchen" opposite Jean Marsh and Jennifer Ellison. In July 2008 Oberman starred in the world premiere of On the Rocks as Frieda Lawrence, wife of novelist D. H. Lawrence. The play, by Amy Rosenthal, follows the marriage of the Lawrences during one idyllic summer in 1916, most reviews following the line taken by Benedict Nightingale of The Times in declaring Oberman to have given a "fine performance... as a gloriously sensual, blowsily defiant Frieda". In 2011, she played in the touring production of Earthquakes in London by Mike Bartlett which was an updated version of the National Theatre / Headlongs production earlier that year. In December 2012 Oberman returned to the stage at the Hampstead Theatre in the premiere of Old Money by Sarah Wooley directed by Terry Johnson. In 2015, Oberman played the role of Isabella Blow in the play McQueen, at the St James Theatre, London. Radio Oberman has appeared in over 600 radio plays. She has acted in radio drama and radio comedy, appearing regularly on BBC Radio 4 as a member of the station's unofficial "repertory" company, including; The Way It Is (1998–2001), the leading role in The Attractive Young Rabbi (1999–2002), The Sunday Format (1999–2004), and Getting Nowhere Fast. At the end of 2009, Oberman returned to radio to star in "Gregory Evans' mind-boggling play" Shirleymander for Radio 4, with reviewer Moira Petty describing Oberman's turn as Dame Shirley Porter as "freakishly real". In 2010, Oberman remained with the radio medium, performing opposite Catherine Tate. Television and EastEnders Her first major television role was in 1997 when she was cast as Zoe Gerrard, a security officer in the medical drama Casualty. In 1998, she joined the cast of Comedy Nation, a satirical sketch show that featured some of Britain's leading up-and-coming comedians, such as Sacha Baron Cohen, Julian Barratt, and Robert Webb. This was followed by an assortment of parts in various television productions, including a performance in a two-part story for the police serial The Bill in 2000. That year Oberman was cast as series regular "Beverly Jordan" opposite Michael Barrymore in Bob Martin, and became a lead performer in Lenny Henry in Pieces, starring actor/comedian Lenny Henry, which ran until 2003. In 2002, Oberman joined the second and final series of the sketch show Big Train, performing beside comedians Simon Pegg and Catherine Tate. The following year saw the Harringham Harker move from radio to television as part of BBC 2's Autumn line-up alongside The Office and Coupling, with Oberman continuing in her role as lead and writer. She has appeared in many other TV programmes, including; The Way It Is (2000), Bob Martin (2000–2001) opposite Michael Barrymore, Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000–2001), Big Train (2002), SuperTex (2003) and in episodes of Doctors, The Last Detective, Where the Heart Is, The Bill, Casualty. She played the previously unseen character of Marion in a special half-hour episode of the monologue series Marion and Geoff in 2001. In 2004, Oberman moved away from comedy to join the BBC soap opera EastEnders, after she was cast as Chrissie Watts, the second wife of "one of the best-loved villains in soap history", "Dirty" Den Watts. It was a role she played for almost two years, and which brought her public recognition. Before long, Oberman would become one of the leading regulars of the show and at the forefront of several storylines. At the time, though, television critics pointed to Oberman's extensive theatrical background and questioned: "why would an actress with such pedigree agree to be in EastEnders?" Oberman has continuously responded by placing the move in the context of her professional exposure, noting her position as a "jobbing actress" at the time and her desire to return to drama after her recent comedic roles. Making her debut on 29 April, Oberman was viewed as an "overnight success" in the role of Chrissie, with Amy Raphael of The Telegraph feeling that the actress "easily upstaged the rest of the cast with her three-dimensional portrayal of a classic soap bitch". In 2005, "18 million people" watched her character kill Den in a fit of rage to mark the 20th anniversary of EastEnders, with Oberman "anchoring" the show's success that year and dominating drama as Chrissie, who "packed into a year what most soap characters do in three." Commenting on her role two years after she left the show, Oberman concluded: I think the character, from the feedback I get, made a huge impact because people couldn't decide whether she was a villain or a victim. In hindsight I loved it; I loved the character, I loved the acting challenge, I loved the discipline. You're learning all the time because you literally do 25 scenes a day, go home, learn another 20 scenes, come in, film 20 scenes, go home... every day for a year and a half, and you do all your own stunts... being punched in the face by Peggy Mitchell and having to fall into a seven-foot grave; it was fantastic. I was only in it for 18 months and it feels like I clocked up about three years worth of TV experience. Oberman described her time on EastEnders as "hectic", leading her to depart the show during December 2005. However, the role of Chrissie has remained a defining point of her career. In a recent interview, Oberman remarked: "Chrissie was such a wonderful character and the show was watched by so many people, especially the murder of Den, that it opened up doors that I never thought it would. I had some fantastic offers when I left, there were film and theatre... it was wonderful for me; EastEnders is a very good calling card." Oberman has also recently declared her willingness to return to the part of Chrissie and EastEnders, even if only to provide a resolution for the character. Before leaving EastEnders, Oberman provided the voice of "Miss Dickson" in the adult-themed cartoon Bromwell High for Channel Four. It was also announced that Oberman would guest star in the second series of the revived Doctor Who, playing the character of Yvonne Hartman, whom she described as "a sophisticated sort of baddie", with a BBC source declaring Oberman "perfect to play evil Yvonne and will be brilliant at terrorising the next generation of viewers". The two-part series finale entitled "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", aired in July 2006, attracting audiences of 8.19 million and 8.22 million respectively. Oberman extols her appearance in Doctor Who as a career highlight, being a "confessed Whovian" or fan of the show: "Some people, their life's ambition is to walk in and see Queen Vic, mine was to see a Tardis and a sonic screwdriver... and a Dalek!" In 2006, Oberman signed on to the BBC One six-part comedy-drama series Sorted as series regular Amy, alongside Will Mellor. In 2008, she made a brief