Janice Connolly

{{Infobox person

| name = Janice Connolly
{{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|BEM}}

| image = Janice Connolly as Barbara Nice.jpg

| caption = Connolly as Barbara Nice

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|08|07|df=y}}

| birth_place = Stockport, Cheshire, England

| alma mater = Birmingham City University

| occupation = {{Hlist|Actress|comedian|artistic director}}

}}

Janice Connolly {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|BEM}} (born 7 August 1953) is an English actress, comedian and artistic director. She runs the Birmingham-based group Women and Theatre and performs stand-up comedy as her character Mrs Barbara Nice. Connolly has also appeared in Coronation Street, That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy's Road To Nowhere, Thin Ice and Dead Man Weds. In 2017, Connolly was awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Years Honours list for services to community arts in the West Midlands. In 2022, she began appearing in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Rosie Colton.

Early life

Connolly was born in Stockport on 7 August 1953.{{cite web|last1=Barnicoat|first1=Becky|title=Weekender: Barbara Nice, comedian, 57|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/29/weekender-barbara-nice-comedian|website=The Guardian|date=29 July 2011|access-date=4 December 2017}}{{cite web |title=Janice Burke |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/GOPuSdETtcwZjleArP3IvHXVLK4/appointments |publisher=Gov.uk |access-date=8 June 2023}} She left to study drama at Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University). After graduating, she became a drama teacher and a social worker for Barnardos.{{cite web|last1=Laws|first1=Roz|title=Alright on the Nights; JANICE RISES FROM THE PHOENIX CLUB|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Alright+on+the+Nights%3B+JANICE+RISES+FROM+THE+PHOENIX+CLUB.-a0126673994|website=Free Library|publisher=Birmingham Post and Mail|access-date=4 December 2017}}

Career

Connolly was part of the Birmingham independent music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She performed with the Surprises and the Evereadies regularly in Moseley at the Fighting Cocks. Singles championed by John Peel included "Jeremy Thorpe is Innocent" and "Martian Girlfriend". She then became known for her character Barbara Nice - a caricature of a middle aged housewife and mother of five from Kings Heath, Birmingham.{{cite web |work=Chortle |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/bnice.html |title=Barbara Nice Profile}} Her act is heavily reliant on interaction with the audience, for example, acting as an agony aunt to the audience. Connolly was performing as Barbara Nice at the Palace nightclub in Levenshulme in 1997 when spotted by Peter Kay at the finals of the Manchester Evening News New Act of the Year. She went on to appear in several of his television shows.{{cite web|last1=Wallwork|first1=Melanie|title=Comic Janice Connolly reunited with Peter Kay and co for Phoenix Nights charity gigs|url=http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/leisure/the_big_interview/11700170.Comic_Janice_Connolly_reunited_with_Peter_Kay_and_co_for_Phoenix_Nights_charity_gigs/|website=The Bolton News|access-date=4 December 2017}} She played Holy Mary in Phoenix Nights, a part Dave Spikey claimed he wrote with her in mind and which was reprised in Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere written by Kay and Paddy McGuinness.

Connolly later began performing on the British comedy circuit as a headline act and has performed one woman shows across the UK. She appeared as Barbara Nice in solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012, 2014 and 2018 {{Cite web|url=https://heroesoffringe.com/show-archived/barbara-nice-raffle/|title = Barbara Nice: Raffle | Heroes of Fringe}} In October 2015, Connolly recorded a pilot for BBC Radio 2's Comedy Showcase series, which was made available on the BBC iPlayer in November before being broadcast later that month.{{cite web |title=Radio 2 Comedy Showcase pilot for Barbara Nice |work=Comedy.co.uk |date=12 October 2015 |url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/news/story/000001920/radio_2_comedy_showcase_pilot_barbara_nice/ |access-date=27 October 2015}} The BBC said: "Barbara is worried she and Ken (played by John Henshaw) are at risk of adding to the numbers of silver splitters - they have nothing in common; Ken's idea of retirement involves a marathon session of Pointless and that doesn't fit with Barbara's idea of a well-spent golden age."

The pilot was well received with 4 episodes commissioned and subsequently broadcast in March 2017.{{cite web|title=BBC2's Comedy Showcase|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08hd21s|website=BBC Radio|access-date=4 December 2017}}

In October 2015, Connolly appeared in the stage adaptation of Meera Syal's novel Anita and Me at the Birmingham Rep, for which she was acclaimed for her "comic talent".{{cite news |first=Roz |last=Laws |title=Review: Anita and Me at Birmingham Rep is funny and shocking |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/review-anita-birmingham-rep-funny-10258373 |work=Birmingham Mail |date=14 October 2015 |access-date=22 November 2015}} Further stage appearances have included Birmingham Comedy Festival's Lost Hancocks: Vacant Lot (2017-2018).What's On Stage, The Lost Hancocks, Sept 2018, https://www.whatsonstage.com/shows/inner-london-theatre/the-lost-hancocks-vacant-lot_172068 and Prime Time (2019).The Birmingham Press, Prime time for Women & Theatre, 1 Oct 2019, http://thebirminghampress.com/2019/10/prime-time-for-women-theatre/ In September 2016, Connolly performed at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.{{cite news |last=Burke|first=Darren|url=https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/tv-star-comedians-line-up-for-jeremy-corbyn-rally-in-doncaster-1-8090226|title=TV star comedians line up for Jeremy Corbyn rally in Doncaster|location=Doncaster|newspaper=Doncaster Free Press|date=26 August 2016|access-date=1 June 2018}}

On 20 April 2019, Connolly auditioned in the character of Barbara Nice on the television programme Britain's Got Talent. She made it to the live shows, however, she was later eliminated in the fifth semi-final.{{cite news |title=Barbara Nice wows judges on Britain's Got Talent - but where have we seen her before? |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/barbara-nice-britains-got-talent-16160576 |access-date=25 February 2022 |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=(Reach plc)}} In 2022, Connolly began portraying receptionist Rosie Colton in the BBC soap opera Doctors.{{cite news |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title='Doctors' spoilers: Hazeem Durrani takes a fancy to a beautiful patient! |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-hazeem-durrani-takes-a-fancy-to-a-beautiful-patient |access-date=25 February 2022 |work=What to Watch |publisher=(Future plc)}}{{cite news |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title=Doctors spoilers: Rosie Colton knows WHO killed Jacob! |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-rosie-colton-knows-who-killed-jacob |access-date=25 June 2022 |work=What to Watch |publisher=(Future plc) |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625111834/https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-rosie-colton-knows-who-killed-jacob |url-status=live }} She appeared on a temporary basis between February and September 2022 and again from May to November 2023, before returning permanently in September 2024 up until the conclusion of the programme in November 2024.

Personal life

Connolly is married with two children and lives in Kings Heath, Birmingham.{{cite web|last1=Laws|first1=Roz|title=Why comedian Barbara Nice threw herself off Birmingham mac's stage for Radio 2 sitcom|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/radio-2-sitcom-barbara-nice--12682416|website=Birmingham Mail|date=13 March 2017|access-date=4 December 2017}}

Connolly is the artistic director and founder member of the Birmingham-based Women and Theatre. The company is committed to social change through new theatre and drama and in its mission statement, it states that it aims to make heard the voices of those who are not usually listened to. The company performs in a variety of settings including schools, arts centres, health centres and conference halls.{{cite web |url=http://www.comedycv.co.uk/barbaranice/index.htm |title=Barbara Nice Profile |work=Comedy CV}} She ran the Laughing for a Change project, funded by Time to Change, which encouraged comedians and audiences to talk about mental health; this culminated in a stand-up tour in 2014 featuring Seymour Mace, Rob Deering and others.{{cite web |url=http://www.gigglebeats.co.uk/2014/02/laughing-for-a-change-tour-raises-mental-health-awareness/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313182823/http://www.gigglebeats.co.uk/2014/02/laughing-for-a-change-tour-raises-mental-health-awareness/ |archive-date=13 March 2014|title=Laughing for a Change: Stand-up tour raises mental health awareness |date=21 February 2014 |first=John-Paul |last=Stephenson |work=Giggle Beats |access-date=23 March 2014}}{{cite news |first=Becca |last=Gill |url=http://www.gigglebeats.co.uk/2014/03/review-laughing-for-a-change-the-stand-newcastle/ |title=Review: Laughing for a Change – The Stand, Newcastle |work=Giggle Beats |date=1 March 2014 |access-date=23 March 2014 |archive-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310100000/http://www.gigglebeats.co.uk/2014/03/review-laughing-for-a-change-the-stand-newcastle/ |url-status=dead }}

In 2017, she appeared in the New Years Honours list in recognition of her contribution to community arts through her work with Women and Theatre. She was awarded a British Empire Medal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-years-honours-2017|title=New Year's Honours 2017 - Press releases |website=Gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-02-16}}