Jan Francis - Acting

Acting

She made the transfer to becoming an actress through choreography, and performed with the Cheltenham Repertory Company between 1969 and 1970. She first appeared on television in 1971, before landing BBC Television drama roles roles including Kschessinska in Fall of Eagles and Lisa Colbert in Secret Army (1977–78).

In 1979 she starred in Dracula as Mina Van Helsing, opposite Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing.

She played the part of Susie Dean in Alan Plater's adaptation of the J. B. Priestley novel The Good Companions (1980) which was produced by Yorkshire Television. Writer John Sullivan met Francis and later created her best known part as Penny Warrender in the 1980s BBC sitcom Just Good Friends.

She later played Nick's "old enough to be his mother" girlfriend in the sitcom My Family, and co-starred with Dennis Waterman as Sally Hardcastle in the 1989–1992 ITV drama series Stay Lucky.

During the late 80s – early 90s she starred in the Lloyds Bank television commercials alongside Nigel Havers.

In 2006, she guest starred in ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls as interior designer Catherine Earlham, who was sent to Larkhall on remand for embezzlement, playing a key role in the exit storyline for fellow inmate Darlene Cake (played by Antonia Okonma). She is also a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners.

In 2009, she appeared as Julia in the second series of Mistresses on BBC1. In November 2009, she starred in the ITV1 drama Collision (2010). She is currently starring as Rodney Blackstock's (Patrick Mower) love interest in ITV1 soap Emmerdale.