Jo Martin

Joanna Lisa Martin (born 29 April^[1][2] 1969^[3][4]) is a British actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC series The Crouches (2003–2005) as Natalie Crouch,^[5] Back to Life (2019–2021) as Janice, Holby City (2019–2022) as Max McGerry,^[6] and Doctor Who (2020–2022, 2025) as the Fugitive Doctor,^[7] and Dreaming Whilst Black (2023) as Grace.

Martin was born in Newham, London to Jamaican parents. Her mother died on Christmas Day 2015.^[8] Her parents arrived in the area in the 1950s. She attended Portway Primary School and Plashet All Girls Secondary School.^[9]

Martin first appeared in the series 12 episode "Fugitive of the Judoon", playing Ruth Clayton, a tourist guide who is later revealed to be an unplaced incarnation of the Doctor known as the Fugitive Doctor. Martin's Doctor received positive reviews from critics.^[10][11] She reprised her role in the series finale, "The Timeless Children",^[12] in the third chapter of Doctor Who: Flux, "Once, Upon Time",^[13] and in the 2022 special "The Power of the Doctor". Martin later returned to the role in a cameo appearance in the 2025 episode "The Story & the Engine".

Martin stars in The Fugitive Doctor Adventures, an audio drama series focused on her character produced by Big Finish.^[14]

In November 2020, Talawa Theatre Company released Tales from the Front Line.^[15][16] The first film presented a verbatim narrative from a teacher, played by Martin, talking about trying to keep themselves and their pupils safe during the pandemic, the emotional and psychological impact of the global Black Lives Matter movement, and the challenges of supporting students' education during an era of great uncertainty.^[17]

Reviews described Martin's performance as "performed so subtly" as to seem real, while being "conversational and natural".^{[18][19][20][21]}

• Jo Martin at IMDb