Jo Joyner

Joyner rose to fame after she appeared as Beth Nicholls on the Channel 4 comedy series No Angels from 2004 to 2006. In 2006, she was featured in four episodes of North & South as Fanny Thornton and in two episodes of Doctor Who as Lynda Moss. In June 2006, Joyner began appearing as Tanya Branning in BBC One soap opera EastEnders. Joyner initially turned down the role as she was unsure if she could handle an soap opera. Joyner said, "It was a huge choice. I initially said no. The act of playing someone in soap is a huge responsibility. The soap is a sacred commodity. If you're not good enough, you'll not be able to escape it. In addition, after working quietly and successfully in the industry for eight years Joyner was unsure if she would feel at ease with the amount of fame that being on EastEnders would bring her. Joyner was nominated for the Most Popular Actress Award at the Digital Spy Soap Awards 2008 for her performance as Tanya. She also received the Best Dramatic Performance at 2008 British Soap Awards and made the final four in Best Actress category. Joyner was nominated for the All About Soap Awards 2012[8 for the Best Actress award and won the prize. In 2012, Joyner and co-star Jake Wood were awarded the Best on-screen Partnership category at the British Soap Awards. Digital Spy's end of year reader poll, Joyner was nominated for Best Female Soap Actor and came fourth with 13.4 percent of votes.