Charlie Brooks
Charlene Emma Brooks is a British actress, known for playing Janine Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, and Tamora in the controversial play All in a Row by Alex Oates. Brooks's portrayal of Janine has awarded Brooks with numerous awards, since her first appearance in 1999, with storylines involving cocaine addiction, prostitution and murder. Brooks has appeared in British television shows; The Bill, Wired and Bleak House. Brooks released a fitness DVD, "Before And After Workout", before winning the 2011 version of the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and the twelfth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
Early life
Brooks was born in 1981, in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, and moved to Barmouth, Wales when she was a child.Brooks attended Tower House School, in Barmouth, and relocated to London to attend Ravenscourt Theatre School.
Career
1999–2003: ''EastEnders''
In television, Brooks has appeared in episodes of The Bill, London's Burning, Jonathan Creek and The Demon Headmaster.When executive producer Matthew Robinson re-introduced Janine in 1999, after Alexia Demetriou left, Brooks secured the role.
2004–07: Departure from ''EastEnders'' and other acting
After her departure from EastEnders in 2004, Brooks first role was in the BBC drama Bleak House as Jenny. Brooks has done various commercials and voiceovers in the United Kingdom, Europe and the US.In 2006, Brooks played Beverley Allitt in a BBC1 docu-drama called Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death, alongside Ian Kelsey. Producer Cathy Elliot said, "It's a very sensitive issue and of course it's terrible for the parents to have the whole thing brought up. Each time it's brought up it's painful, but a lot of parents realise it's important it's kept in the public domain and that people are aware that things have happened and that not a lot has been done since".
She has guest starred in Robin Hood and Love Soup. In theatre, Brooks, whilst on a break from EastEnders in 2003, appeared in the play Office Games alongside Adam Rickitt. The play was Brooks' west end debut, and was described as "a witty and intelligent political commentary". In 2007 she appeared in Our Country's Good at the Liverpool Playhouse.
2008–2014: Return to ''EastEnders''
In 2008, Brooks returned to EastEnders for a guest stint. She was later confirmed to be coming back as a regular character. She said, "I had doubts to begin with, mainly because of Kiki, as I know how full-on EastEnders can be, and then there's that stigma about going back to a soap. But I'm so pleased I did, it was the right decision. Especially with what's going on at the moment, I feel really lucky to have a job and I need the security because of Kiki. I was just going to go back for a year, but I had a meeting with the boss last week and we're going to go for another year. So lots more time to get up to much mischief". Executive producer Diederick Santer said, "I couldn't be more pleased that Charlie Brooks is re-joining EastEnders. With her appearances last month, she reminded us what a fine actress she is, and what an intriguing, watchable and engaging character she plays as Janine". She temporarily departed in September 2012, and returned in April 2013 before departing again in March 2014.2019: All in a Row
In January 2019 it was announced that Alex Oates's play All in a Row, starring Charlie Brooks as Tamora, the mother, was going to be produced by Paul Virides Productions at the Southwark Playhouse. The play is based on Alex's ten years of experience caring for severely autistic children and adults and won the Top Five Play Reading at the Bolton Octagon. The play is about the parents of a profoundly autistic eleven year old boy and how they're feeling the night before he is taken to a residential school because social services feel he needs more support than can be given in their family home.Criticisms of the play started to emerge when a video trailer for the production was released showing the autistic character, Laurence, portrayed by a puppet, with Frances Ryan, without seeing it, criticising the play by calling it a "grotesque step backwards". The National Autistic Society who initially decided to help the production by providing consultation reacted to the Twitter furore by releasing a statement saying "while recognising some of the play's strengths, we decided we could not support the play overall due to its portrayal of autism, particularly the use of a puppet to depict the autistic character alone." Brooks responded by saying that "I understand people's concerns, but I do urge people to come and see the play first before they judge." She also claimed that having a puppet character is essential and that Laurence, the puppet, is very playful. During rehearsals Brooks visited the Queensmill School for autistic children in Shepherd's Bush and talked to the pupils there, their teachers and their carers. Brooks concluded by stating "This is a story that is rarely told. I just hope people will come and see it instead of sitting at home getting angry."
Other ventures
Reality television
She won I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2012, beating campmate Ashley Roberts. Brooks was "visibly delighted" saying, " silly. I never imagined this for a million years. Everyone's been amazing". Brooks also narrates Botched Up Bodies on Channel 5.Fitness DVD
Her fitness DVD became the UK's best-selling fitness DVD release, and Brooks was transformed from "podgy Janine to a sexy new mum".Awards and nominations
Filmography
;Television and Film| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Turning Points | Emma | 1 episode |
| 1998 | The Demon Headmaster | The Brains | 1 episode |
| 1998 | The Bill | Miriam Olston | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Out of Tune | Carol | 1 episode |
| 1999–2004, 2008–2014 | EastEnders | Janine Butcher | Regular cast member 918 episodes |
| 1999 | The Bill | Claire Fellows | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Jonathan Creek | Trudi | 1 episode |
| 2000 | London's Burning | Lisa | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Angel of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story | Beverley Allitt | 1 episode |
| 2005 | The Golden Hour | Cara Wilson | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Bleak House | Jenny | 5 episodes |
| 2006 | Take 3 Girls | Patsy | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Casualty | Sally Montgomery | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Heartbeat | Julie Langley-Smythe | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Robin Hood | Ceris | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Love Soup | Denise | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Wired | Anna | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | EastEnders: Last Tango in Walford | Janine Butcher | DVD release |
| 2011 | Janine Malloy | 3 episodes | |
| 2011 | Strictly Come Dancing | Herself | Winner |
| 2012 | Celebrity Juice | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2012 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here | Herself | Winner |
| 2013, 2014 | Botched Up Bodies | Narrator | |
| 2014 | Suspects | Tanya | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Dumping Ground | Stephanie Branston | 1 episode |
| 2016 | The Chase: Celebrity Special | Herself | Didn't appear in the final chase |
| 2017 | FOG | Rachel | short film |
| 2018 | Moving On | Tina | 1 episode |
;Theatre and Radio
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2003 | Office Games | Rose Brown |
| 2004 | The Play What I Wrote | Rose |
| 2005–06 | Dixon of Dock Green | Mary Dixon |
| 2006 | Dangerous Corner | Betty |
| 2007 | Our Country's Good | Dabby Bryant |
| 2013 | Dusty Won't Play | Dusty Springfield |
| 2014 | Beautiful Thing | Sandra Gangel |
| 2015 | A Street Car Named Desire | Blanche |
| 2017 | How the Other Half Loves | Teresa |
| 2019 | All in a Row | Tamora |