# Joanna Page
**Joanna Page** (Joanna Louise Page) is a Welsh actress and television presenter, best known for playing Stacey Shipman in the BBC comedy *Gavin & Stacey* from 2007 to 2024.[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/) Her screen career began in the late 1990s with the 1999 BBC adaptation of *David Copperfield* and the 2003 Christmas film *Love Actually*, and she has since worked across comedy, drama, voice work, and presenting.[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Swansea, Wales; 1977 in Treboeth according to IMDb and the Big Issue, but 1978 in Mumbles according to TV Insider and NNDB (sources disagree)[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joanna-page/) • [4](https://www.nndb.com/people/092/000354027/) |
| Training | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1998[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) |
| Signature role | Stacey Shipman in *Gavin & Stacey*, three series (2007–2010), a 2019 Christmas special, and the 2024 finale[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) |
| *Love Actually* | Judy, a body double for film-industry sex scenes opposite Martin Freeman's John, in Richard Curtis's 2003 romcom[6](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-love-actually/) |
| *Doctor Who* | Queen Elizabeth I in the 50th anniversary special *The Day of the Doctor* (2013)[7](https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/joanna-page-on-kissing-david-tennant-my-lips-were-numb) |
| Presenting | *Shop Well For Less*, *Joanna Page's Wild Life* (BBC), *The Pet Show* co-presenter, and host of *Shift the Thrift* (2026)[8](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/czex8zy1l32o) |
| Memoir | *Lush! My Story - from Swansea to Stacey and Everything in Between* (Sphere, hardback £25), written partly at night in a pub car park[9](https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms/joanna-page-home-truths) • [10](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/news/articles/cdedpn894y3o) |
| Family | Married to actor James Thornton since December 2003; four children, and the family lives in Oxfordshire[9](https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms/joanna-page-home-truths) |
## Early life and training
Page grew up in Treboeth, Swansea, in a close family that she describes as loving and supportive; as an only child she filled her time with reading, making up games, and acting and dressing up as different people.[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/) She attended Mynyddbach Comprehensive School for Girls, then studied theater studies, dance, [English literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-literature) and psychology at Gower College.[4](https://www.nndb.com/people/092/000354027/) • [1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/)
**RADA.** She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1998, and has described the experience as harsh: she was constantly told she could not act and felt homesick in a program that pressed her toward Method technique and an RP accent.[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) • [11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html) Speaking at the Cheltenham Literary Festival in October 2025, she said that on her final visit to the school a director's assistant told her she was not a bad actress, and that the problem was that she is Welsh.[12](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cz6nxzy7898o) Her classmates at RADA included [Maxine Peake](https://www.edgepedia.org/maxine-peake) and [Sally Hawkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/sally-hawkins).[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html)
After drama school she spent about ten years in stage-based roles with the [Royal National Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-national-theatre) and the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company), alongside early screen work that included the 1999 BBC *David Copperfield* (as Dora Spenlow), *From Hell* (2001), *The Cazalets* (2001–02) and [Richard Curtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-curtis)'s *Love Actually* (2003).[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/mar/25/joanna-page-syndicate-interview) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joanna-page/)
## Gavin & Stacey
The 2007 BBC sitcom *Gavin & Stacey*, created by [Ruth Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruth-jones) and [James Corden](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-corden), made Page a central figure in one of the most popular British comedies of its era; her character's name was in the title, and the story revolved around the long-distance relationship between Essex's Gavin ([Mathew Horne](https://www.edgepedia.org/mathew-horne)) and Barry Island's Stacey.[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/) • [14](https://time.com/5037696/best-british-tv-shows/) By her own account, the audition came at a moment when she had nearly left acting and had even applied to the Open University to train as a criminal psychologist; she had decided that if she did not get the part, she would finish with the profession.[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html) • [1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/)
The casting has become part of the show's folklore: Page met Ruth Jones in the toilets before her audition, and Jones returned to the casting team saying, "Wow, we just met Stacey."[1](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/) In a 2026 interview she said she considered the role the biggest of her career: "I think if I hadn't got Gavin and Stacey, my life would have gone a completely different way."[15](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-final-role-complete-career-exclusive/)
The show ran for three series between 2007 and 2010, returned for a Christmas special in 2019, and ended with a final episode broadcast on Christmas Day 2024 that was watched by over 20 million viewers, making it the UK's most-watched scripted show since records began, according to her publisher's biography.[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) Page has said that after the 2024 finale she believes that is the end.[16](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/books/joanna-page-memoir-lush-interview-writing-rt-book-club/) In a missed call from James Corden tipped her off that the finale was being made, resolving the 2019 special's cliffhanger of Nessa's proposal to Smithy.[12](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cz6nxzy7898o)
## Screen roles after Gavin & Stacey
Page has worked steadily across film and television. Her film credits include *From Hell* (2001), *Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger* (2012) with [David Tennant](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-tennant), *Dream Horse* (2020) as Angela Davies, and *Dolittle* (2020) as Bethan Stubbins.[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true) On television she played Leanne in [Kay Mellor](https://www.edgepedia.org/kay-mellor)'s BBC1 lottery drama *The Syndicate* (2012), in which Mellor deliberately had her keep her Welsh accent so the character would read as an outsider among the Leeds supermarket workers; Holly Ackroyd in a 2019 *Midsomer Murders* episode; and Moira Davies, a clinical nurse, in the 2023 television film *Men Up*.[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html) • [17](https://insidemediatrack.com/2012/03/the-syndicate-interview-with-joanna-page/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true)Her most prominent genre part was Queen Elizabeth I in *The Day of the Doctor*, the 2013 fiftieth-anniversary special of *Doctor Who*, which she played with an English accent alongside David Tennant, Matt Smith, John Hurt, Billie Piper, and [Jenna Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenna-coleman).[7](https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/joanna-page-on-kissing-david-tennant-my-lips-were-numb) She has also done extensive voice work, including the preschool animation *Poppy Cat* and the character Tinks in *Dog Squad* (2022–2023).[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true)
## Presenting and recent work
Since the mid-2010s Page has built a parallel career as a presenter. She has co-presented *Shop Well For Less* and *The Pet Show*, hosted the BBC series *Joanna Page's Wild Life* (2025, 15 episodes), and appeared with [Wynne Evans](https://www.edgepedia.org/wynne-evans) in the six-part *Wynne & Joanna: All at Sea*.[5](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page) She was revealed as the star behind Pig on *The Masked Dancer* in 2022, competed on *Cooking with the Stars* in 2023, and was a regular panellist on ITV's *Loose Women* from 2023 to 2024.[18](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celebrity-gavin-and-stacey-joanna-page-b3015983.html) In 2026 she appeared as a contestant on series 21 of *Taskmaster*.[19](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/joanna_page/)
**Memoir and podcast.** Her autobiography, *Lush! My Story - from Swansea to Stacey and Everything in Between*, was published by Sphere in hardback, eBook and audiobook (£25).[9](https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms/joanna-page-home-truths) She has said she wrote parts of it at 5 a.m. in a pub car park, and she co-hosts a podcast, *Lush!*, with her husband.[10](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/news/articles/cdedpn894y3o) • [20](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-calls-husband-fifth-child-debate-parenting-load/)
## Personal life
Page has been married to the actor James Thornton since December 2003; the couple met, by her account in a 2026 interview, and have four children, Eva, Kit, Noah and Boe, and live in [Oxfordshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxfordshire).[9](https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms/joanna-page-home-truths) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true) • [21](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-marriage-admission/) She has spoken frankly about the demands of combining four children with a busy television career, describing the family's daily life as "brilliant" chaos.[22](https://www.irishnews.com/life/gavin-and-staceys-joanna-page-on-exercise-youve-got-to-start-somewhere-B47NIAE5KJN6LBUMUMIAIJMM44/)
## References
1. [Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page: 'I didn't feel safe at drama school', The Big Issue, 26 October 2025](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/joanna-page-ltmys-interview/)
2. [Joanna Page, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656215/?showAllCredits=true)
3. [Joanna Page - Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joanna-page/)
4. [Joanna Page, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/092/000354027/)
5. [Joanna Page, Hachette Australia](https://www.hachette.com.au/joanna-page)
6. ['My daughter wants to watch Love Actually!' - Joanna Page's awkward Christmas film dilemma, woman&home, 20 December 2025](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-love-actually/)
7. [Joanna Page on kissing David Tennant: 'My lips were numb!', Doctor Who TV, 6 November 2013](https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/joanna-page-on-kissing-david-tennant-my-lips-were-numb)
8. [Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page returns to TV in thrifting task, BBC News Wales, 12 April 2026](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/czex8zy1l32o)
9. [Home truths: Joanna Page on drinking snowballs and the Christmas job she dislikes the most, Ideal Home, 7 December 2025](https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms/joanna-page-home-truths)
10. [Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page wrote autobiography at night in pub car park, BBC (mirror), 4 June 2025](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/news/articles/cdedpn894y3o)
11. [Joanna Page: Back on a winning streak, The Independent, 26 March 2012](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/joanna-page-back-on-a-winning-streak-7584716.html)
12. [Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page was told 'you can't act - you're Welsh', BBC News Wales, 14 October 2025](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cz6nxzy7898o)
13. [Joanna Page: 'I am a bubbly sort of child-woman', The Guardian, 24 March 2012](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/mar/25/joanna-page-syndicate-interview)
14. [16 of the Best British TV Shows to Binge This Winter, TIME](https://time.com/5037696/best-british-tv-shows/)
15. [After getting 'All the jobs I auditioned for' Joanna Page reveals the one final role she'd love to 'complete' her career, woman&home, 9 June 2026](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-final-role-complete-career-exclusive/)
16. [Gavin & Stacey icon Joanna Page dishes on her new memoir Lush!, Radio Times](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/books/joanna-page-memoir-lush-interview-writing-rt-book-club/)
17. ["The Syndicate": Interview with Joanna Page, Inside Media Track, March 2012](https://insidemediatrack.com/2012/03/the-syndicate-interview-with-joanna-page/)
18. [Gavin and Stacey star rumoured for I'm a Celebrity 2026 line-up, The Independent, 16 July 2026](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celebrity-gavin-and-stacey-joanna-page-b3015983.html)
19. [Joanna Page, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/joanna_page/)
20. ['Have I got to do everything?': Joanna Page calls her husband her 'fifth child' in debate over mental load, woman&home, 2026](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-calls-husband-fifth-child-debate-parenting-load/)
21. ['Don't give up at the first sign of hard work' - Joanna Page admits marriage can be 'boring' and 'rubbish', woman&home, 23 February 2026](https://www.womanandhome.com/life/news-entertainment/joanna-page-marriage-admission/)
22. [Gavin And Stacey's Joanna Page on exercise: 'You've got to start somewhere', The Irish News, 23 September 2026](https://www.irishnews.com/life/gavin-and-staceys-joanna-page-on-exercise-youve-got-to-start-somewhere-B47NIAE5KJN6LBUMUMIAIJMM44/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Welsh actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license