Community hub
0 subscribers8 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Kitty Castledine.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Kitty Castledine
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
Kitty Castledine (born 22 August 2002) is an English actress. Castledine is known for portraying the role of Penny Branning on the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2024–present).
Key Information
Early life and education
[edit]Kitty Castledine was born on 22 August 2002 in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, the daughter of former professional footballer Stewart Castledine and TV presenter Lucy Alexander.[1][2] She is also the sister of Leo Castledine, who plays for Chelsea.[1] In 2010 when she was seven, Castledine was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, which left her paralysed from her waist down, following a virus.[3]
Castledine trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[4]
Career
[edit]In 2021, Castledine was cast in The Break as Katy for one episode, which was Castledine's first acting role.[5] In 2023, Castledine was cast for the role of Maggie in a short film Monotropa.[6] In 2024, Castledine was cast in a TV series Grace as Emma Brice for one episode.[7]
In 2024, Castledine took over the role of Penny Branning from Mia McKenna-Bruce on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.[8] Castledine's storylines on the soap have included sneaking illegal substances into the country and framing Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), a relationship with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), a feud with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) after Chelsea was fired by Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Penny replaced her in the job, and her involvement in the crush at Peggy's.[9][10] Castledine opened up on Penny's disability and challenges in Albert Square, saying: "Not everything is accessible in life. And it's awful; it needs to change." Castledine also spoke out to the Daily Mirror adding: "It's really important that disability is visible on screen, because there hasn't been a lot of representation, and I'm proud to be someone representing disability."[3]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Break | Katy | Guest role; 1 episode | [5] |
| 2023 | Monotropa | Maggie | Short film | [6] |
| 2024–present | EastEnders | Penny Branning | Regular role | [9] |
| 2024 | Grace | Emma Brice | Guest role; 1 episode | [7] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Adams, Michael (25 September 2024). "EastEnders' Penny star Kitty Castledine has a very famous mum – and a famous brother". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Quinn, Angie (29 August 2024). "EastEnders Penny star's famous family - TV presenter mum and footballer dad". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Akinwumi, Stella (2 January 2024). "EastEnders newcomer Kitty Castledine praises soap for 'highlighting the challenges disabled people face'". Metro. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Kitty Castledine". London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ a b "The Break". BBC. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Monotropa". LAMDA. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ a b Allday, Jasmine (15 September 2024). "Where you recognise Grace's Emma Brice from as star's famous family revealed". Leeds live. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (12 December 2023). "EastEnders reveals new details on Lauren Branning's New Year return". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b Daly, Helen (6 November 2023). "EastEnders confirms Penny Branning return after 15 years away". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Daly, Helen (26 August 2024). "EastEnders airs distressing club crush scenes with fan-favourites in danger". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
External links
[edit]Kitty Castledine
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Family background
Kitty Castledine was born on 22 August 2002 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England. [1] She was raised in the Greater London area. [4] She is the daughter of Stewart Castledine, a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Wimbledon in the Premier League, and Lucy Alexander, a television presenter known for hosting programmes such as Homes Under the Hammer and A Place in the Sun. [5] [4] Castledine has a younger brother, Leo Castledine, who is also a professional footballer. [5]Childhood illness
In 2010, at the age of seven, Kitty Castledine was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition triggered by a viral infection that caused inflammation of her spinal cord.[6] The illness began suddenly with complaints of sore legs before she fell ill at school, initially presenting with symptoms resembling a stroke.[6] She was taken to Kingston Hospital's A&E department, then transferred to King's College Hospital for MRI scans confirming the diagnosis, and subsequently admitted to intensive care at Evelina Children's Hospital, where she required life support and developed pneumonia.[6][7] The condition resulted in paralysis from the waist down, with the inflammation affecting her T10 vertebra, and Castledine has remained a wheelchair user since that time.[7][8] In her own account, she described the onset as "a spinal cord injury through a virus called Transverse Myelitis leaving me paralyzed from the waist down" at age seven.[8]Education
Surbiton High School
Kitty Castledine attended Surbiton High School, where she was a member of the class of 2020 and completed her A-levels before leaving that year. [9] She served as a Drama Scholar during her time at the school, contributing to its drama program while maintaining strong academic performance. [9] In addition to her scholarly focus on drama, Castledine balanced her commitments with active participation in sports, including swimming as a keen swimmer, as well as wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. [9] The school has characterized her as confident, charismatic, and ambitious, reflecting her presence and drive during her secondary education. [9] After leaving Surbiton High School in 2020, she transitioned to further training at LAMDA. [9]LAMDA training
Kitty Castledine attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) from 2020 to 2023, where she earned a BA (Hons) in Professional Acting upon graduation in 2023. [3] She received the Overstall Charitable Trust Scholarship for the full duration of her studies from 2020 to 2023. [3] Her training profile at LAMDA listed her as 5’5” tall with brown hair, green eyes, an alto voice, and as a wheelchair user. [3] She was proficient in a variety of accents including Estuary, RP, Essex, Cockney, General American, Southern American, and Australian. [3] Castledine’s skills developed during her time at LAMDA included contemporary dance, Lindy-Hop, stage combat, tennis, swimming, wheelchair-racing, guitar, and possession of a full clean driving licence. [3] Among her selected roles in LAMDA productions were Lyubov Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Prospero in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and both Laura and Amanda in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. [3] During her training at LAMDA, she gained early professional experience, appearing as Katie in the BBC Three series The Break in 2021. [3] Following her graduation, she was cast in a major role.Career
Early roles
Castledine made her screen debut as a performer in the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, broadcast on Channel 4.[10] At age 10, she featured in both pre-recorded filmed segments and live elements of the ceremony, including a sequence where she drove a mechanical steamship while parading Rihanna during her performance.[8] She has described the experience as profoundly influential in deepening her passion for acting.[8] In 2021, she appeared in her first credited acting role as Katy in the BBC Three short-form drama series The Break, in the episode "BFF."[11] The character is a teenage girl who grows distant from her friends after a car accident leaves her using a wheelchair and leads her to form an attachment to an augmented reality app character.[11] She played Maggie in the 2023 short film Monotropa.[12] The following year, she guest-starred as Emma Brice in one episode of the television series Grace.[13]Breakthrough in EastEnders
Kitty Castledine achieved her breakthrough when she joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2024 as Penny Branning, a regular role that marked her first major television part after graduating from LAMDA. [14] The character, previously portrayed by Mia McKenna-Bruce during brief appearances in 2008, returned to the series after a 15-year absence, with Penny now depicted as an adult wheelchair user living in France prior to her comeback alongside cousin Lauren Branning. [14] Castledine made her debut as Penny on 1 January 2024, and the role has since become ongoing. [1] Penny's storylines have centered on manipulative and scheming behavior within the Branning family and wider Walford community. She became embroiled in drug smuggling after being blackmailed into the activity, planting substances in Lauren's bag to frame her for the crime, which led to a significant rift and later reconciliation between the cousins. She developed a secret romantic and sexual relationship with Harry Mitchell, which complicated family dynamics and led to joint schemes against her father Jack Branning. [15] Penny also engaged in a feud with Chelsea Fox after manipulating her way into a managerial position at Peggy's wine bar, encouraging Chelsea to drink on the job to get her demoted before taking over the role herself. [16] Her management of the bar culminated in organising a carnival night event that was sabotaged with illegal tickets, resulting in a dangerous crowd crush incident where Penny was knocked from her wheelchair amid the chaos. [17] These plots have established Penny as a central, antagonistic figure in contemporary EastEnders narratives.Disability representation and advocacy
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Break | Katy | TV series (1 episode) [1] |
| 2023 | Monotropa | Maggie | Short film [1] |
| 2024 | Grace | Emma Brice | TV series (1 episode) [1] |
| 2024–present | EastEnders | Penny Branning | TV series [1] |