Margi Clarke

In the Eighties, Liverpool-born Margi Clarke looked set to follow a career in music. The lead singer of various punk bands in her home city, she once supported Adam And The Ants. But it was her work in TV and film that was to eventually bring her to mainstream attention. After starting out as a presenter for Granada, she moved into acting with a role in Channel 4 soap Brookside, before finding recognition in 1985 with a role in cult British film Letter To Brezhnev, which went on to become a surprise international hit. Since then, she's notched up appearances in several films, including The Boys From County Clare and 24 Hour Party People. Her small-screen acting credits include playing Tyrone Dobb's mum in Coronation Street as well as parts in Casualty, Family Affairs and Benidorm. She's also continued to present programmes fronting her own daytime show, Swank, in the Nineties and also guesting on cult series The Word and The Tube. The bubbly star has also tried her hand at stand-up comedy, and has taken her show to the Edinburgh Festival.