Jo Martin

Early life

Martin was born on 29 April 1969 in Newham, London to Jamaican parents. Her mother died on Christmas Day 2015. Her parents arrived in the area in the 1950s. She attended Portway Primary School and Plashet All Girls Secondary School.

Career

''Doctor Who''

Martin first appeared in the series 12 episode "Fugitive of the Judoon", playing Ruth Clayton, a tourist guide who is later revealed to be an unplaced incarnation of the Doctor known as the Fugitive Doctor. Martin's Doctor received positive reviews from critics. She reprised her role in the series finale, "The Timeless Children", in the third chapter of Doctor Who: Flux, "Once, Upon Time", and in the 2022 special "The Power of the Doctor". Martin later returned to the role in a cameo appearance in the 2025 episode "The Story & the Engine".

Martin stars in The Fugitive Doctor Adventures, an audio drama series focused on her character produced by Big Finish.

''Tales from the Front Line''

In November 2020, Talawa Theatre Company released Tales from the Front Line. The first film presented a verbatim narrative from a teacher, played by Martin, talking about trying to keep themselves and their pupils safe during the pandemic, the emotional and psychological impact of the global Black Lives Matter movement, and the challenges of supporting students' education during an era of great uncertainty.

Reviews described Martin's performance as "performed so subtly" as to seem real, while being "conversational and natural".

Filmography

Film

Television

Audio drama

Video

Web

References

References

1. "Happy birthday @therealjomartin". BBC Doctor Who official Twitter account.
2. Jo Martin Facebook comment (Radio Times post) https://www.facebook.com/radiotimes/posts/happy-44th-birthday-to-jo-martin-who-famously-played-the-fugitive-doctor/1096600132513905/
3. "FreeBMD Entry Info".
4. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVWH-RPQG?lang=en
5. (26 January 2020). "Doctor Who: Who is Jo Martin?". Radio Times.
6. (26 June 2019). "Jo Martin to join the cast of BBC One's Holby City". BBC Media Centre.
7. (26 January 2020). "Doctor Who brings back major fan favourite – and then drops another huge reveal". Digital Spy.
8. https://www.instagram.com/msjomartin/p/CX7M2yRMxEg/?img_index=4
9. Voices, Newham. (2021-09-04). "Actor Jo Martin in the frame as Doctor Who lead changes".
10. Dominguez, Noah. (26 January 2020). "Doctor Who Introduces Its First Black Doctor".
11. Fullerton, Huw. (26 January 2020). "Doctor Who: Who is Jo Martin?". [[Radio Times]].
12. "Jo Martin talks more about a new Doctor!".
13. "Doctor Who confirms Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor credit".
14. "Jo Martin and Sacha Dhawan confirmed for Doctor Who spin-offs at Big Finish".
15. (27 November 2020). "'It's a lot of work being black in Britain' – Tales from the Front Line … and Other Stories – review".
16. "Review: Tales from the Front Line, Parts 1 and 2".
17. (2015-10-01). "Tales from the Front Line ... and other stories".
18. "REVIEW: Tales From the Front Line… And Other Stories, Talawa (on Youtube)".
19. (4 December 2020). "Tales from the Front Line - Talawa Theatre Company".
20. Collins, George. (5 December 2020). "Review: Tales from the Front Lines...and other stories, Talawa Theatre".
21. (4 December 2020). "Tales from the Front Line... and other stories | Review".
22. (22 June 2019). "Passages: A Windrush Celebration, Seven Films for Seven Decades Now Available to Watch Online".
23. (2023-06-09). "97 Minutes". Black Hangar Studios, Black Lab, BondIt Media Capital.
24. "Grime Kids - Meet the cast and creatives of the brand new coming of age drama".