Hubbry Logo
Alison NewmanAlison NewmanMain
Open search
Alison Newman
Community hub
Alison Newman
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Alison Newman
Alison Newman
Alison Newman
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Alison Newman (born 25 January 1968) is an English actress best known for her role in the hit ITV1 television series Footballers' Wives as Hazel Bailey, and as DCI Samantha Keeble in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Alison Newman was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, to David and Jenny Newman.[1] She has one sister called Sarah. Both her parents were schoolteachers who encouraged her to take up acting as a hobby but discouraged her from attending stage school when she was younger, a decision she subsequently agreed was probably sensible. Instead, she joined the National Youth Theatre when she was sixteen.[2] Her father died in October 2002, while she was filming the second series of Footballers' Wives. The producers allowed her to take time off from filming some of her last scenes in the series finale so she could be with her family.[3]

Despite studying drama at the University of Manchester Alison Newman did not work as an actress for almost ten years after graduating. She says that she hated the experience of being at drama school and lost her confidence.[3] During this time, she worked in a variety of professions, including publishing, catering, barwork and spent a number of years working in the music industry.[2]

She returned to acting when she was almost 30 after being offered a part in a play written by Anthony Neilson, with whom she had previously worked as an assistant director.[2] This was followed by a role playing a psychotic serial killer in Touching Evil III (1999) with Robson Green (who she would later appear with in RocketMan), and the film Butterfly Collectors (1999), alongside Pete Postlethwaite.

Footballers Wives

[edit]

In 2002, Newman was cast in the role of ruthless lesbian football agent, and later club chair, Hazel Bailey in Footballers Wives. Newman was allegedly awarded the role on the strength of a two-episode guest appearance in the series Bad Girls, in which she played Renee Williams who set out to secure revenge on nemesis Top Dog Yvonne Atkins (Linda Henry).[4] Both programmes were made by Shed Productions. The part of Hazel Bailey required Newman to have her naturally blonde hair dyed red. Newman left the show at the end of series 4, when her character decided to return to sports representation, after becoming romantically involved with a professional tennis player.

Other work

[edit]

After Footballers Wives, Newman played Diane Scott in Rocket Man for BBC One in the autumn of 2005. In 2008, she appeared as Lynette Hopkins in Rock Rivals,[5] another Shed Productions drama for ITV1, and later that year she appeared as Detective Inspector Samantha Keeble in several episodes of the BBC soap EastEnders.[6] She played the part of a back-street abortionist in an episode of the popular BBC One drama Call the Midwife, as well as appearing in the short film Father in 2013.[7] In July 2014 Newman resumed the role of DI Samantha Keeble in EastEnders when her character was put in charge of the Lucy Beale murder case. She departed the role again in June 2016. She returned to the series once again in January 2022 and departed again in January 2023.

Newman has extensive theatre experience, including Loveplay by Moira Buffini; Luminosity by Nick Stafford; Night of the Soul by David Farr and The Big Lie by Anthony Neilson, all for the RSC, as well as The Censor and The Lying Kind, both by Anthony Neilson, for the Royal Court Theatre, London. Between 2003 and 2006, she appeared in Vagina Monologues, both on tour and in the West End. Her most recent theatre work was in Two Women, by Martina Cole, and performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East between February and March 2010.[8]

She co-created the TV series Harlots with Moira Buffini.

Personal life

[edit]

Newman is married to Hugh Williams, a graphic designer.[3] They live in Glasgow.

Filmography

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1998 The Bill Maria Scanlon Episode: "Love's Labours Lost"
1999 Touching Evil Lynn Southy Episodes: "Fiery Death", Parts One and Two
Great Expectations Supplicant Mother
2000 Bad Girls Renee Williams Episodes: "Facing Up", and "Rough Justice"
The Bill Kim Palmer Episode: "Streetwise"
2001 Family Affairs Linda Renshaw
2002–2005 Footballers Wives Hazel Bailey Series 1–4
2003 Holby City Janet Boyd Episode: "Going it Alone"
2004 Hex Reverend George Pilot episode
This Morning Herself
Liquid News
2005 Rocket Man Diane Scott
The New Paul O'Grady Show Herself
Open Wide Rose
GMTV Herself
Favouritism Episode: "Boy George's Queerest TV Moments"
Loose Women
2006 Doctors Monica Greely Episode: "Regular Fare"
Casualty Jocelyn Pike Episode: "Family Matters"
2008 TV's 50 Hardest Men Herself
Rock Rivals Lynette Hopkins
The Wright Stuff Herself
2008, 2014–2016, 2022–2023 EastEnders DI Samantha Keeble Regular

role; 51 episodes

2010 Trinny & Susannah: From Boom to Bust Clodagh Malone
2011 New Tricks Karen Chapman Episode: "Only the Brave"
Silk Sue Crocker
2012 Casualty Sian Brothwick Episode: "Hero Syndrome"
Whitechapel Judy Miles 3 episodes
2013 Call the Midwife Mrs. Pritchard
By Any Means Assistant Commissioner
2014 Holby City Angela Doyle "Affair of the Mind"
2019 Endeavour Viv Wall Series 6
2020–present Dun Breedin Wanda Walker Online series; main role

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1999 The Butterfly Collectors Sandra Hollins
2000 The Prince and the Pauper Ann Canty
2003 Ashes and Sand Hayley's Mother
2006 Kidulthood Claire's Mum
2007 i The Eye Short
2013 Father Margherita

Theatre

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Tempest Spirit[9] Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
1997 The Censor Wife Finborough Theatre and Royal Court Theatre London
1998 Electronic Dark Age Edinburgh Festival
2001 Loveplay Various[10] RSC
Luminosity Betty Mercer/Midwife[10]
Epitaph for the Official Secrets Act The One Who Stays[10] RSC Playreading
2002 Night of the Soul Liz Chappell[11] RSC
2002 The Lying Kind Gronya Royal Court Theatre London
2003–2006 Vagina Monologues UK tour, and West End
2008 The Big Lie RSC/Latitude Festival
The Long Road Elizabeth[12] Synergy Theatre Project in association with The Forgiveness Project, Soho Theatre, London
2010 Two Women Doreen Theatre Royal Stratford East

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Alison Newman

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Alison Newman (born 25 January 1968) is an English actress and television writer best known for portraying the shrewd football agent Hazel Bailey in the ITV drama series (2002–2006) and for co-creating the period drama Harlots (2017–2019). Newman was born in , Dorset, and began her career in , where she gained early recognition for her performance in Anthony Neilson's play The Censor at the Royal Court Theatre in the late , leading to television opportunities. Her breakthrough came with the role of Hazel Bailey, a sharp-tongued agent navigating the scandals of professional footballers' lives, which became one of the show's most memorable characters in the cult-hit series that satirized and excess. Throughout her acting career, Newman has appeared in numerous British television productions, including guest roles in Bad Girls (1999) as the villainous , The Bill, Holby City, Doctors, and Casualty. She portrayed Detective Inspector (later ) Samantha Keeble, a no-nonsense , in a recurring capacity on the soap opera from 2008 to 2023, appearing in storylines involving major investigations in Albert Square. Transitioning into writing and production, Newman collaborated with playwright —whom she had previously worked with on the 2001 stage production Loveplay—to develop Harlots, a female-led series inspired by historical accounts of prostitution. The show, which aired on ITV Encore in the UK and in the , emphasized women's agency, survival, and in the sex trade, featuring a diverse ensemble cast including and ; Newman contributed as a and was involved in , , and to ensure an authentic, empowering narrative.

Early life and education

Family background

Alison Newman was born in January 1968 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. Her parents, including her father David Newman, were both schoolteachers who fostered an environment supportive of creative pursuits. Newman has one sister, Sarah. She grew up in a middle-class household in Bournemouth, where her parents' roles in education emphasized the value of learning and expression, subtly shaping her early interest in the performing arts.

Academic pursuits

Newman's early exposure to the performing arts came through her enrollment in the at the age of 16, an organization that provided her with initial training and opportunities to explore acting. She later advanced her studies in the Drama Department at the , where she earned her degree in drama. This academic pursuit honed her skills in performance and theatre, building on her foundational experiences. Following her graduation, Newman did not immediately enter the acting profession; instead, she spent roughly a decade supporting herself through jobs in non-acting sectors, such as publishing and catering. This period allowed her to gain practical life experience while sustaining her ambitions in .

Professional career

Breakthrough roles

After graduating with a drama degree from the , Newman re-entered the acting profession in the late 1990s. Her breakthrough came with the role of the Wife in Anthony Neilson's The Censor at the Royal Court Theatre in 1997, a production that explored themes of and repression in a film classification office. This performance at the prestigious venue marked her significant entry into professional theatre, where she shared the stage with actors including and Alastair Galbraith under Neilson's direction. During the run of The Censor, a casting director spotted Newman and invited her to audition for the Butterfly Collectors (1999), directed by Jean Stewart. She secured the role of Sandra Hollins opposite , portraying a character in this thriller about a detective investigating a linked to a of young thieves. This marked her television debut. This early television work led to her role as Lynn Southy in the ITV crime series (1999), in the episode "Fiery Death" that bridged her stage work to recurring broadcast appearances.

Television appearances

Newman gained prominence in British television through her portrayal of the ambitious and ruthless football agent Hazel Bailey in the ITV drama series , appearing from 2002 to 2005 across 28 episodes. Initially introduced as a cunning navigating the high-stakes world of footballers and their partners, Bailey's character evolved significantly, rising to become the chairwoman of the fictional Earls Park Football Club amid scandals, power struggles, and personal vendettas. Her father passed away in 2002 while she was working on the series. Newman later took on the recurring role of Detective Inspector (later Detective Chief Inspector) Samantha Keeble in the , first appearing in 2008 and returning for extended stints from 2014 to 2016 and 2022 to 2023, totaling over 80 episodes. Keeble was depicted as a determined and often controversial leading high-profile investigations in the London borough of , including the 2008 probe into Max Branning's hit-and-run incident and the 2014–2016 murder case of , where she pursued leads involving corruption and family secrets within the Branning and Mitchell clans. Her later arcs intensified personal vendettas, particularly a feud with stemming from the unsolved murder of her father, leading to storylines of , threats, and accusations of that culminated in dramatic confrontations. Among her other notable television roles, Newman played the manipulative prisoner in the ITV prison drama Bad Girls in 1999, contributing to the series' exploration of complex inmate dynamics over two episodes. She appeared as Diane Scott, the wife of the protagonist in the miniseries Rocket Man in 2005, supporting the narrative of grief and ambition in a six-episode run. In 2013, Newman guest-starred as Mrs. Pritchard, a back-street abortionist facing moral and legal dilemmas, in an episode of the period drama . Additionally, she portrayed Viv Wall, a manager involved in cases, in three episodes of the ITV prequel series Endeavour in 2019. More recently, Newman has starred as Wanda Walker in the online -drama series Dun Breedin', which premiered in 2020 and continues to release episodes as of 2025, depicting the lives of middle-aged women navigating relationships and humor during .

Theatre performances

Newman's theatre career expanded significantly after her early breakthrough, with ensemble roles in contemporary works at leading institutions. In 2001, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for two productions at the Barbican Pit in . In Moira Buffini's Loveplay, a play exploring love across centuries, Newman portrayed multiple characters including Anita, Dorcas, Hilda, Joy, Marianne, and Miss Tilly, contributing to the ensemble's dynamic shifts through time periods. Later that year, in Nick Stafford's , a set against the backdrop of scientific discovery, she played Betty Mercer and the Midwife, roles that highlighted interpersonal tensions within a household. She continued with the RSC in 2002, appearing in David Farr's Night of the Soul at the Barbican Pit, where she took on the role of Liz Chappell in a weaving themes of isolation and among hotel guests. At the Royal Court Theatre, Newman returned in 2002 for Anthony Neilson's dark comedy The Lying Kind, performing as Gronya, a vigilante figure driven by outrage against , in a production that blended with social critique. From 2003 to 2006, Newman was a key participant in Eve Ensler's , delivering monologues in multiple iterations of the feminist production. She appeared in the West End run at alongside cast members including and , and contributed to touring versions that reached venues across the , such as Belfast's Grand Opera House and Somerset's Theatre Royal. These performances underscored her versatility in intimate, monologue-driven theatre addressing women's experiences. Newman's additional stage work included further appearances at the Royal Court and other venues, maintaining her commitment to contemporary ensemble pieces that tackled complex social dynamics.

Production contributions

Alison Newman co-created the period drama television series Harlots, which aired from 2017 to 2019 on Hulu and ITV Encore, alongside playwright . The series draws inspiration from Hallie Rubenhold's book The Covent Garden Ladies, portraying the competitive world of brothels through the lens of female characters navigating survival, power, and family dynamics. Newman's acting background, including her work in theatre and television, informed her approach to authentic character development in the production. In her role as co-creator and writer, Newman contributed significantly to the storylining process during the four-year development phase, collaborating in a with Buffini and a team of writers including Cat Jones, Jane English, Debbie O’Malley, Alison Carpenter, and Katie Kelly to craft the eight-episode seasons. She focused on emphasizing women's perspectives, historical accuracy in depicting and social hierarchies, and underrepresented narratives such as mother-daughter relationships. Beyond writing, Newman participated in key production decisions, including selections, design approvals, and editing oversight, working closely with executive producers to ensure the series' cohesive vision. Harlots received critical acclaim for its bold and pioneering female-led , praised for featuring an all-female creative team and a predominantly female that challenged traditional period piece conventions. The series earned nominations for awards such as the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and was lauded for its witty, empowering portrayal of women in a male-dominated era, highlighting Newman's impact on inclusive television production. No additional writing credits for Newman in television projects beyond Harlots have been documented in major industry sources.

Personal life

Marriage and relationships

Alison Newman has been married to Hugh Williams since November 2010. The couple met in 2002, following the death of Newman's father, when Williams provided emotional support during a difficult period in her life. Newman and Williams reside in , where they have maintained a shared home that allows Newman to balance her career with personal stability. Their long-term partnership has offered consistent support through her professional milestones, including recurring roles on major television series. There are no public details available regarding children from the marriage or any other significant romantic relationships in Newman's life.

Family events

Alison Newman's father, David Newman, passed away in 2002 while she was filming the second series of . The timing of this loss added an emotional toll to her professional commitments, with producers granting her time off to attend to family matters during production. Following her father's death, Jenny Newman remained a key source of influence and support in Alison's life, as noted in public discussions of family dynamics. Alison's sister, Sarah Newman, has provided personal support throughout her career, though specific details on her involvement remain private. This family event briefly impacted her filming schedule, allowing for necessary personal reflection amid ongoing work.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627999/
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jan/07/a-seminal-slice-of-tv-trash-its-footballers-wives-at-20
  3. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627999/bio/
  4. https://www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Alison-Newman/amzn1.dv.gti.16a0a7f0-4587-436b-9b98-ba208374066b/
  5. https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/alison-newman/credits/3000489007/
  6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b062r951
  7. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2015/08/eastenders-mon
  8. https://dramaquarterly.com/battle-of-the-brothels/
  9. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/wednesday-may-17-2017-rag-n-bone-man-harlots-and-more-1.4116980/how-new-period-drama-harlots-tackles-sexuality-from-a-female-perspective-1.4117107
  10. https://www.famouspeoplefrombournemouth.com/newman-alison/
  11. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/alison-newman.html
  12. https://livingarchive.royalcourttheatre.com/plays/the-censor/
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198072/
  14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250033/
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302103/
  16. https://lezwatchtv.com/actor/alison-newman/
  17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088512/
  18. https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/09/eastenders-spoilers-rollercoaster-of-twists-in-keeble-and-phil-story-17318882/
  19. https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/05/eastenders-spoilers-violent-exit-for-corrupt-keeble-as-she-is-shot-18045679/
  20. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203248/
  21. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qxyz7
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2701582/
  23. https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/dun-breedin/cast_crew/
  24. https://theatricalia.com/play/13x/loveplay/production/3aj
  25. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4722053/Dark-deeds-and-deft-comedy.html
  26. https://variety.com/2001/legit/reviews/luminosity-1200467739/
  27. https://theatricalia.com/play/13y/luminosity/production/3as
  28. https://theatricalia.com/play/15b/night-of-the-soul/production/3ds
  29. https://www.reviewsgate.co.uk/reviews-archive-part-2/night-of-the-soul-to-11-may
  30. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/dec/02/theatre.artsfeatures1
  31. https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/lyingkind-rev
  32. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/monologues-not-just-girls-talk/28148067.html
  33. https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/stage/2004/05/vagina_monologues.shtml
  34. https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/alison-newman-diane-parish-rula-lenska-lucy-518599d
  35. https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/alison-newman
  36. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/dame-of-two-halves-1612844
  37. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tv/eastenders-dci-keeble-stars-life-27866408
  38. https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/alison-newman
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.