Sally Bretton returns as Martha Lloyd in series 2 of Beyond Paradise, where she plays the girlfriend of DI Humphrey Goodman.
But stay tuned after the episode on Friday night (March 22, 2024), and you’ll see her playing long-suffering wife Lucy in Not Going Out! If that’s not proof of how bankable she is as a TV actress, we don’t know what is!
In real life, Sally is also happily married with children. Here’s everything you need to know about the actress, why she changed her name, and her former life as a teacher…
Who plays Martha Lloyd in Beyond Paradise?
Actress Sally Bretton portrays Martha Lloyd in Beyond Paradise. She first played the character in 2016, when she was cast in Death in Paradise as a love interest for DI Humphrey Goodman.
The couple left together in 2017 at the end of series 6. However, as a result of how popular they were on the show, Humphrey and Martha got their very own spin-off show called Beyond Paradise.
It first landed on BBC One in 2023 with series 1. Like its sister show Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise also got its own Christmas special.
In April 2023, BBC One confirmed the show had been recommissioned for a series 2.
What is Sally Bretton famous for?
As well as playing Humphrey’s on/off fiancée Martha Lloyd in the BBC One series, actress Sally is also known for her comedic roles.
She’s actually been on our screens since 1987, when she played Hortense de Beauharnais as Child in the TV series Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story.
Sally was seven at the time, and went by her birth name of Sally Davis. After popping up in several TV shows such as Sunburn, and Screen One, Sally turned her hand at comedy sketches with Harry Enfield, and Armstrong and Miller.
She starred as Donna in the first series of The Office, before bagging a role as Lisa in the ill-fated soap Night & Day. Sally went on to play Cat Durnford in Absolute Power, Mary Hathaway in Blessed, and Kim Alabaster in Green Wing.
Sally has also been in films including An Ideal Husband, Outlaw, Blackbeard, and Goodbye Charlie Bright.
Of course, her most famous role is arguably that of long-suffering Lucy in Not Going Out. She joined the cast of the Lee Mack sitcom in 2017 for series 2. The show recently aired its 13th series. The Christmas episode was the show’s 100th.
A series 14 has not yet been confirmed, with Lee Mack admitting they were “having chats”. He added: “One hundred is a lovely round number though, isn’t it? I can absolutely confirm I won’t be doing 200!”
Why did Sally change her name?
Sally Bretton’s birth name is Sally Davis. She used her real name for her first few TV roles. However, in 2000, (for Lisa in Sunburn) she started using her new name Sally Bretton.
She was forced to change her name as Sally Davis was already registered with actors’ union Equity. So she chose the professional name of Bretton.
Sally told The Telegraph she was working as a Saturday girl in the Barnet branch of Next when she chose her new moniker. She said: “A friend brought in a book all about the meanings of names, and I was in the staff room flicking through.”
The TV star wasn’t far into the book when she fell on Bretton, and that was that. She said: “I just thought, ‘Yup, I quite like that’. It’s totally random, but I thought it sounded quite nice.”
The official meaning of Bretton is “from Brittany or Britain”. It is derived from the Old English Britton, all the way back when the Romans arrived in the UK.
Is Sally Bretton married? Does she have children?
Sally is married, although she is fiercely private about her personal life. According to reports, her husband is a photographer called Lee – just like her character’s husband in Not Going Out!
The pair have three daughters, including twins. The family lives in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, which is where Sally was born.
Speaking to the Glasgow Times in 2020, she said: “My children are still quite young, so I haven’t done much theatre – touring is not a good fit with family life. My children came up to Aberdeen for half term, which was fantastic – we had a lovely time. Even saw some dolphins, which was unexpected.”
At that time, the mum-of-three was performing as Margot in the UK tour of Dial M For Murder, an adaptation of Frederick Knott’s thriller.
Was Sally a teacher?
As well as being a child star, and being one of TV’s most popular actresses, Sally Bretton has also worked a teacher!
While she was studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Sally spent her weekends teaching budding young stars at Top Hat Stage and Screen School.
Reflecting on her former job in an interview with The Glasgow Times, Sally said: “I loved it, but I just love kids. I got hooked on performing at primary school. I think that’s all you want for your own children, isn’t it? That chance to find a passion, something they will love doing.”
How old is Sally Bretton? Where is she from?
Sally Bretton as born Sally Davis on April 23, 1980, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
That means she is currently 43. That’s considerable younger than her onscreen partners in Beyond Paradise, and Not Going Out! Kris Marshall is 50, while Lee Mack is 55.
How tall is Sally Bretton?
Sally Bretton is 1.63 metres tall, which is 5ft 3. So pretty diddy compared to her Beyond Paradise co-star Kris, who is 6ft.
In comparison, Sally’s Not Going Out co-star Lee Mack is 1.83 metres, which is also six foot!
Read more: Not Going Out viewers split as cast member reveals seriously dramatic transformation
Sally Bretton returns in Beyond Paradise series 2 on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 8pm on BBC One.
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