‘I had reservations…'

Debra Stephenson on the ‘dark side’ of her Holby City character – and a Bad Girls reunion!

- VICTORIA WILSON

HOLBY CITY

TUESDAY / BBC1 / 7.50PM / DRAMA

Debra Stephenson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge, and her latest acting role, playing ambiguous director of funding Jeni Sinclaire in Holby City, is definitely that.

Since arriving on the wards of the BBC1 medical drama in April, Jeni has provided support for fan favourite Fletch (played by Alex Walkinshaw) and has become a mother figure to his daughter, Evie (Phoebe French).

However, this week, fans will discover she has sinister motives for getting close to the teen.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Debra, 49, tells TV Times how she overcame her reservations to take on this powerful storyline…

It’s becoming clear there are two sides to Jeni, isn’t it?

Yes. To everyone at Holby, Jeni is this bubbly, generous, warm person – all of the attributes you’d look for in a woman. She seems so friendly and trustworthy, when, in actual fact, she’s got this whole other dark side. We’ve already seen there’s something a bit shady about Jeni and that she’s hiding something. She’s living a double life.