Jo Joyner: EastEnders Fame, Awkward Auditions & TV Legend Barbara Windsor
5/26/202640 min
This week on A Night In With Sally Lindsay, Jo Joyner opens up about soap stardom, awkward auditions, motherhood and the friendships that have shaped her life and career.
From her breakout role as Beth in cult drama No Angels to becoming one of television’s most recognisable soap stars as Tanya Branning in EastEnders, Jo reflects on the highs and challenges of life on screen. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from No Angels, Shakespeare & Hathaway, and EastEnders, including the unforgettable moment when she first met the legendary Barbara Windsor.
Jo and Sally also look back on their experiences navigating fame and the many times they’ve been mistaken for each other by fans. They also swap audition stories from their early acting days in Manchester, looking back on the chaos and rejection that came with trying to break into the industry.
The conversation also turns to family life, motherhood, and the balance of a demanding acting career while raising twins. Jo speaks candidly about turning down jobs to put family first, returning to work as a new mum, and how her views on success and ambition have changed over the years.
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Transcript preview
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Sally Lindsay· Host0:47
[air whooshing] "Oh, hello, Barbara. Um, I'm Jo. I've just come to play Tanya Branning." She went, "I know who you are, love. We like a naughty nurse in our house."
Jo Joyner· Guest0:57
Oh, did ...
Sally Lindsay· Host0:58
[laughs] And I was like, "Oh, my God."
Jo Joyner· Guest0:59
We'd be, like, you know, getting changed in some little tiny room. They'd be like, "This isn't good enough. We should have a dressing room. We should have somewhere." I was like, "Really? I'm just happy to be here."
Sally Lindsay· Host1:07
[laughs] You learn your stripes by those actors that go, "No."
Jo Joyner· Guest1:10
[air whooshing] Come in for this. I went, "Oh, yeah. Thanks for seeing me. Thanks for having me back, David." He went, [air whooshing] "Where are, where are you from?" [laughs] And I went, "Um, Essex."
Sally Lindsay· Host1:19
[laughs] And he was like, "Not anymore you're not. You're from the North. Come on. In you come."
Jo Joyner· Guest1:23
Did you audition for that?
Sally Lindsay· Host1:25
Right. So this is where the story is. I mean, you and I, this is mental, isn't it?