Kelly Adams

Kelly Adams
Born
Kelly Diane Adams

(1979-10-16) 16 October 1979 (age 45)
Alma materMountview Academy of Theatre Arts
OccupationActress
Years active2002–present
Spouse
Chris Kennedy
(m. 2011)

Kelly Diane Adams[1] (born 16 October 1979) is an English actress. She has played leading roles in a number of British television series: Mickie Hendrie in the BBC One medical drama series Holby City (2004–2006) and Casualty (2005); Emma Kennedy in the BBC One drama series Hustle (2009–2012); Padre Mary Greenstock in the BBC Three comedy drama series Bluestone 42 (2013–2014); Nancy Webb in the ITV period drama series Mr Selfridge (2015); and Michelle Charr in the BBC daytime murder/police drama series London Kills (2020).

Career

Adams was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.[2] A pupil of North Kesteven School in North Hykeham,[3] Adams trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in Wood Green, London.[4]

Initially playing Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in a docu-soap about Prince William, she later appeared in Doctors before playing Mickie Hendrie in Holby City from 2004 to 2006. Adams was cast in the role of Mickie alongside fellow series six newcomer Jaye Jacobs, who was cast as staff nurse Donna Jackson. The pair's arrival in the show was heavily publicised and the subject of a documentary entitled Making It at Holby, chronicling their casting process,[5] which entailed seven weeks of auditions, including group workshops to allow the series producers to gauge candidates' personalities.[6]

Adams originally auditioned as Donna. However, the casting directors felt that she would be better suited to Mickie, the quieter character[7] and "mild mannered" counterpart to Donna's "sassy staff nurse".[8] She and Jacobs were paired together during a three-hour workshop, and the producers detected an "instant spark" between them, leading to their dual casting.[7] In 2004, her character had a lesbian liaison with Jacobs' character. The scene in which they kissed was edited to half its original length after being deemed too explicit for pre-watershed broadcast.[9] In the aftermath of the Mickie/Donna storyline, the BBC banned its actresses from appearing in raunchy photo-shoots, after Jacobs and Adams were photographed in intimate poses while dressed in nurse's uniforms for various "lads' mags".[10] In 2006, her ambitious character left for Newcastle Medical school to study to be a doctor.[11]

Adams subsequently appeared as the servant Eve in the Robin Hood episode "A Thing or Two About Loyalty".

In 2009, Adams joined the cast of long-running BBC1 drama series Hustle for its fifth season, playing the role of Emma Kennedy, a new member of Mickey Bricks' crew of con artists. She continued in the role of Emma for three further seasons of the drama. In an episode of Series 6, Adams plays the role of Kylie Minogue as a parody of Adams' resemblance to the Australian singer. In real life, Adams has been mistaken for Minogue.[12]

She had a small role in the 2009 biographical film Bronson, about the prisoner Charles Bronson,[13] and appeared in the British science fiction thriller Beacon77 in 2009[14][15] and as Wendy in My Last Five Girlfriends in 2010.[16]

Adams appeared in the second series of Death in Paradise, shown on the BBC in early 2013.[17] She then starred as Padre Mary Greenstock in the BBC Three comedy Bluestone 42 for its first two series.[18][19]

In 2015 she played Nancy Webb in the third instalment of the ITV period drama series Mr Selfridge,[20] and in 2020 Michelle Charr in the second series of the BBC daytime murder/police drama series London Kills.[21]

Personal life

Adams married fashion photographer Chris Kennedy in 2011.[22]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Prince William Tara Palmer-Tomkinson TV film
2008 Bronson Irene Peterson
2009 The Boxer Natalie
My Last Five Girlfriends Wendy
The 7th Dimension Sarah Original title: "Beacon77"
2012 The Cricklewood Greats Jenny Driscoll TV film
2 in a Million Neema Short film
2013 Tomorrow in a Day Rose Short film
2019 Huntington Gardens Mrs. Morris Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Casualty Mickie Hendrie Episode: "Deny Thy Father: Part One"
2004–2006 Holby City Mickie Hendrie Series regular, 81 episodes
2006 Robin Hood Eve Episode: "A Thing or Two About Loyalty"
2008 Doctors Amanda Prior Episode: "The Front Page"
2010 The Persuasionists Victoria Smeet Episode: "The Handsomeness"
2009–2012 Hustle Emma Kennedy Series regular, 24 episodes
2012 The Town Lucy Mini-series, 3 episodes
The Cricklewood Greats Jenny Driscoll
2013 Death in Paradise Liz Curtis Episode: "A Deadly Curse"
Endeavour Cynthia Riley Episode: "Home"
2013–2014 Bluestone 42 Padre Mary Greenstock Series regular, 15 episodes
2014–2015 Ronja, the Robber's Daughter Birk Borkason (Voice role) Series regular, 23 episodes
2015 Mr Selfridge Nancy Webb Series regular, 10 episodes
The Delivery Man Jess Episode: "Theft"
Doc Martin Erica Holbrooke Episode: "Facta Non Verba"
2019 London Kills Michelle Charr Episode: "Family Affairs"
2020 Agatha Raisin Melissa Sheppard Episode: "Love from Hell"

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Notes
2002 My Three Angels Marie Louise Ducotel The Mill, Sonning Eye
2003 Dreams from a Summer House Mel Watermill Theatre, Bagnor
2007 Our Man in Havana Beatrice Severn/Milly Wormwold Yvonne Arnaud Theatre - Guildford, Churchill Theatre - Bromley & Theatre Royal, Windsor with Bill Kenwright Ltd.
2014 Two into One Jennifer Menier Chocolate Factory, London

References

  1. ^ "Kelly Diane Adams". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Actress to switch on city lights". BBC News. 9 November 2005. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Holby to Hustle success for Lincolnshire lass". BBC Lincolnshire. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Kelly Adams". holby.tv. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Making It At Holby". Holby City. Season 6. 23 March 2004. BBC. BBC One.
  6. ^ Laws, Roz (21 March 2004). "The Box: Gimme, gimme, gimme a role in Holby". Sunday Mercury. Birmingham, England: Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  7. ^ a b Vivian, Rhiannon (12 December 2004). "Star Style: Holby City party girls". Sunday Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 15 November 2010. [dead link]
  8. ^ Johnson, Emma (24 March 2004). "TV review: Could the con be off?". Liverpool Echo. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  9. ^ Wise, Jon (20 August 2006). "My lesbian kiss was naughty..but nurse". The People. London, England: Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  10. ^ Lawler, Danielle (19 September 2004). "Beeb Babes Cover-Up". Sunday Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  11. ^ "BBC – Holby City – Characters – Mickie Hendrie". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  12. ^ "Kelly Adams mistaken for Kylie". Irish Independent. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  13. ^ Tobias, Scott (9 October 2009). "A Performance Artist Whose Medium Is Rage". National Public Radio. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Beacon77 Cast". [Revolt Films]. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  15. ^ Allen, Michael (7 November 2009). "Beacon 77 World Premiere!". 28 Days Later. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ Willmore, Alison (26 April 2009). "Tribeca 2009: 'My Last Five Girlfriends'". IFC.
  17. ^ "Death in Paradise Series 2". Red Planet Pictures. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  18. ^ Woods, Mark (30 March 2015). "Sex, swearing and grisly black humour: why the writer of Bluestone 42 believes his work is deeply Christian". Christian Today. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Bluestone 42, Series 2: Mary" (gallery). BBC Three. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Meet Mr Selfridge's new love interest". Good Morning Britain (video). 27 February 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  21. ^ Craig, David (26 March 2020). "Meet the cast of BBC One's crime drama London Kills". Radio Times. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  22. ^ "'Hustle' actress Kelly Adams shares 'no-fuss' £200 wedding full of warmth and laughter with HELLO!". Hello! (interview). 28 February 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2020.