Joanne Heywood

Joanne Heywood is an English television actress probably best known for her role as Jessica Lovelock in Grace Favour a spinoff series of Are You Being Served Born in York Heywood was educated in York Guildford and in Sydney Australia She studied musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting and after graduating made her professional stage debut in 1985 production of the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at Yorks Theatre Royal For the next decade she regularly appeared in pantomime at the same venue often as principal boy During this period she also performed in stage musicals including regional productions of Annie Gypsy and Camelot as well as the world premieres of Scrooge The Musical and the stage adaptation of High Society Heywoods television debut was in the role of Dilys on the shortlived BBC series First of the Summer Wine In 1991 she made appearances on the television shows The New Statesman natural selectionse3 and The Brittas Empire In addition to her role as Jessica Lovelock Heywood played Sally Bennett in the Gerry Poulson film Stanleys Dragon She has also gueststarred in Knightmare Next of Kin four episodes of Coronation Street and A Prince Among Men In recent years her television appearances have become less regular She has appeared in Heartbeat Emmerdale Farm and My Hero Since then Heywood has continued to perform frequently in regional and West End theatre productions including plays musicals and pantomimes