Judith Jacob

Judith Jacob (born 13 December 1961) is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role she played from 1986 to 1989. During her period in Albert Square, her character suffered from severe marital abuse and her husband's attempted murder and eventual separation. She was a founding member of BiBi Crew, Britain's first comedy troupe made up entirely of Black actresses, founded in 1991. She also launched at the Hackney Empire the live talk show Judith Jacob Yabba Yabbas With Friends. Career Jacob attended London's Anna Scher Theatre, first going there at the age of 12, and making her first appearance on television at the age of 13 in the BBC series Play for Today. Two of her drama school classmates were also future EastEnders actors, Susan Tully (who played Michelle Fowler) and Phil Daniels (as Kevin Wicks). Before landing her role on EastEnders, Jacob was a founding member of the Black Theatre Co-operative (BTC), a London collective that developed opportunities for actors, writers and directors to reflect a multi-cultural Britain through both stage work and television. Before her role in EastEnders, Jacob had been a regular cast member in the hospital drama Angels (1979–81) and the Channel 4 sitcom No Problem! (1983–85). Her other television credits include roles in the comedy sketch-show The Real McCoy (1991); The Queen's Nose (1995); Holby City (2003); Doctors (2003); and My Family (2004). In 1991, she was a founding member of BiBi Crew, Britain's first comedy troupe made up entirely of Black actresses.