The actress whose soap opera storyline was rewritten by a real-world tragedy
In short: In 2007, a major television plot involving a child abduction was scrapped following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. This is the story of Amanda Drew, an accomplished stage and screen performer whose most infamous television character was caught in the crossfire of a national crisis.
Amanda Drew, born in Boston, England, on 21 December 1969, has built a versatile career spanning the West End, Broadway, and major television productions. A graduate of RADA in 1992, she established herself in prestigious venues like the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she joined in 2001. Notable stage credits feature her 2009 performance in the Almeida Theatre's UK debut of Parlour Song, alongside ENRON at Chichester's Minerva Theatre.
However, Drew is perhaps most widely recognised for her role as Dr. May Wright in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Playing the character between September 2006 and June 2007, and again in 2008, Drew inhabited a role so complex and intense that the media dubbed her character "Mad May" and "Psycho Doctor." The character was central to a high-profile love triangle involving Rob Minter and Dawn Swann.
The trajectory of this storyline was famously altered by external events. In May 2007, the BBC decided to substantially rewrite a plot involving May running away with a newborn baby. This decision followed the disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann, as the broadcaster feared that a storyline involving child abduction would cause undue distress to viewers. The revised plot saw May hold Dawn hostage, leading to her arrest and Drew's departure from the series.
Drew eventually returned to the role in June 2008, appearing under the alias "Jenny," before the character met a dramatic end in a gas explosion at the Miller house on 18 June 2008. Drew's honours extend past soap operas to include the 2003 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards' 'Outstanding Newcomer' prize.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Amanda Drew
- Also: Wikidata — Amanda Drew · CC0
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