At 15, feeling that her upbringing had been too liberal, since her parents "didn't believe in restraint", Coleman enrolled at Dartington Hall School in Devon. It was a very progressive school where pupils "didn't have to go to any lessons, so I didn't. I spent 15 grand, all my money, and it was just stupid really". After this, she attended cookery school.[4]
Career
Coleman's first major television role was as Sue in Southern Television's Worzel Gummidge. This ran for four seasons from 1978 to 1981 on the ITV network. Other early work included A Choice of Evils (Play for Today, BBC, 1977) and Two People (London Weekend Television, 1979), as Emma Moffatt). She had a crush on Stephen Garlick, her co-star in Two People. For the role, she had to choose a stuffed toy for Emma to carry; she named it "Haggis" and still had it when interviewed in 1990.
This was soon followed by her role as the teenage rebel Marmalade Atkins, firstly in Marmalade Atkins in Space (a one-off drama shown in 1981), and then in two series, Educating Marmalade (1982–83) and Danger: Marmalade at Work (1984). All three were made by Thames Television and written by Andrew Davies.
Other television appearances in the 1980s and '90s included roles in Thames Television's The Bill and Central Independent Television's Inspector Morse, the short-lived comedy series Freddie and Max, with Anne Bancroft, a drama about homelessness, Sweet Nothing and another lesbian role, as Barbara Gale in the political satire Giving Tongue (1996). She also appeared in Simon Nye's sitcom How Do You Want Me? (1998–2000), alongside Dylan Moran and Emma Chambers, and voiced the lead female character, Primrose, in the animated adaptation of Brambly Hedge.[5] Coleman's final television appearance was in the adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's Double Act, where she played the twins' teacher, Miss Debenham.
"The prime focus falls on Sylvie's bright-eyed schoolgirl sister Lorna. Vividly brought to life by Charlotte Coleman, she's both a droll chorus figure and an optimistic, surrogate victim. The play is tightly directed by new Bush supremo Dominic Dromgoole"[7]
Personal life and death
In 1987, Coleman's boyfriend Jonathan Laycock was killed by a lorry driver whilst cycling to work. He was 23 years old.[8] After his death Coleman went through periods of depression, and developed the eating disordersanorexia and bulimia.[8]
Coleman died aged 33 on 14 November 2001 from bronchial asthma.[8][9] A memorial was held at the Mill Hill Buddhist Centre in north London later that month and attended by family and close friends.[8]
Charlotte Coleman Scholarship Award
The New London Performing Arts Centre (NLPAC) introduced the Charlotte Coleman Scholarship in 2003. A showcase event is held every November from which one performer is chosen to receive the award. All NLPAC members are eligible for the prize of a year's classes in dance, drama and music.[10]
McCready and Daughter ... Shelley Bennett in "No Bed of Roses" (1.5); Ecosse Films for BBC
How Do You Want Me? ... Lisa Lyons; 24 February 1998 – 22 December 1999, Kensington Films & Television for BBC (writer: Simon Nye; director: John Henderson)
Wycliffe ... Laura Kessell in "Bad Blood" (4.6); 3 August 1997, ITV (director: Alan Wareing)
Educating Marmalade ... Marmalade Atkins; 25 October 1982 – 3 January 1983, Thames Television for ITV (writer: Andrew Davies; directors: John Stroud, Colin Bucksey)
