The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny (born 10 October 1989) is a British actress and screenwriter, she played Gemma Legato in 2011, and again in 2015 and 2016, and she was also a writer and a co-executive producer on The Elysium.
Biography
Prior to Doctor Who
Kenny made her professional debut in the 2007 BBC television drama Coming Down the Mountain and in 2009 she made her film debut in Phil Claydon's Lesbian Vampire Killers. She has also played the role of Kate in an improvisational BBC production called Freefall written and directed by Dominic Savage, which was screened in 2009. In January 2010 Kenny began her role in the EastEnders spin-off EastEnders: E20 as Zsa Zsa Carter as well as in EastEnders itself. Kenny was cast in the role of Zsa Zsa after writing the second episode of EastEnders: E20. A second series of EastEnders: E20 was announced in April 2010, with Kenny returning as a writer, though it was announced the following month that Zsa Zsa would be written out of EastEnders so Kenny could pursue further acting roles. She made her last appearance on 30 September 2010.
In 2010 Kenny was painted by Rolf Harris as Titania from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for an edition of BBC TV's Arena ("Rolf Harris Paints His Dream").
Work on Doctor Who
In 2010 Kenny was cast as Gemma Legato in the Season 48 story Broken Shackles where her character became a companion to the Thirteenth Doctor. She then left at the Season's conclusion in Evil of the Gaians.
In 2013 Kenny returned as Gemma in the Cold Front episode Consequences. She then played the character again in the Season 49 finale Destiny of the Gaians.
After Doctor Who
She joined the cast of E4's Beaver Falls for its second series playing the character Hope. The second series began airing in early August 2012 with the final episode of the series airing in early September 2012. It was announced on 22 September 2012 that the drama would not be recommissioned.
In 2011 she was cast as Danielle Reeves in the BBC Three dramedy Pramface alongside her Beaver Falls co-star Scarlett Alice Johnson. Pramface piloted in late February 2012 and was met with good reception, so much so the second series was commissioned by the BBC before the first series had even aired. She reprised her role for the second series which began airing in the new year of 2013 and was broadcast a second time on BBC One throughout the summer of 2013. She reprised her role again for a third series which commenced airing in late February 2014.
She played the role of Rachel alongside Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry in the first series of BBC Three's sitcom Badultswhich aired in the summer of 2013. A second series was commissioned but it was announced that Kenny would not feature in it.
In 2016 Emer Kenny worked as a scriptwriter on Irish soap Red Rock for a few episodes.
In 2017 she joined the cast of the BBC TV series Father Brown as Penelope “Bunty” Windermere, the wayward niece of Lady Felicia.
Personal Life
Kenny married television presenter Rick Edwards in 2016.
Credits
Actor
Doctor Who
Cold Front
Writer
The Elysium
Co-Executive Producer
The Elysium
- Hail to the Chief
- The Soulless Night
- Her Achilles Heel
- The Karinna Festival
- The Three
- Remembrance Day
- The Foreseers
- To Walk The Stars
- The Lost Outpost
- Ganatlai
- Dust in the Light
- The Dormant Vessel
- Chariot of Secrets
- Tale of Might and Peace
- In Her Own Words
- The Inevitable Downfall
- Hands of the Future
- Volta