Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond (born 27 July 1959[1]) is a Scottish actor who voiced the Second Rani in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories The Rani Elite and Planet of the Rani. She also voiced Talin in Revenge of the Swarm.
Life and career[[edit]]
Redmond grew up in a middle-class Glaswegian family. Her mother was an amateur actor and her father lectured on English and Drama. Redmond and her younger sister grew up with an appreciation for the arts, taking regular outings to the ballet, theatre, and cinema. Redmond decided on becoming an actor at a very young age. [2]
Redmond trained at the Bristol Old Vic theatre school. Her first big break was a play called True Confessions. She went on to work extensively in theatre, film, and television in a career spanning three decades. Among her favourite theatrical productions to work on are The Spanish Tragedy at the Royal Shakespeare Company and a play called Perfect Days which was written wrote specifically for Redmond.
On television, Redmond is known for her roles in The Bill, Holby City, Taggart, and Between the Lines. She has played a variety of guest roles, including that of "a biscuit" on The Catherine Tate Show.[2]
Redmond was appointed an MBE in 2013 for her services to drama.[3]
Casting as the Rani[[edit]]
Redmond's first role for Big Finish Productions was Talin in Revenge of the Swarm.
She had never seen Doctor Who prior to being cast as the Rani, though she familiarised herself with her predecessor Kate O'Mara's work in the role. Before her in-character photoshoot as the new Rani, Redmond put rollers in her hair as a small homage to O'Mara.
Redmond's portrayal of the Rani with her own Scottish accent, closely following as it did the premieres of the first Scottish-accented Master and the Twelfth Doctor on televised Doctor Who, led Vortex to comment "Scottish Time Lords are like buses. You wait ages for one to appear, and then suddenly you get three at once!" (VOR 70)
