King trained at the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After training, she worked as an actor in Africa, Canada, America, Sri Lanka, and UAE. On returning to the UK, she appeared in several
Alan Ayckbourn productions, including the original runs of
Comic Potential (1999) and the
Damsels in Distress trilogy (2001–2002). King went on to appear at the
Orange Tree Theatre in productions of
The Madras House,
Press Cuttings,
Major Barbara and
Larkin with Women. King has made several television appearances, including roles in
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates,
Casualty,
Life Begins,
Lawless and
Doctors (as recurring character Wendy Sheffield). From 2004 to 2005 King had a regular role in the BBC crime drama series
55 Degrees North, as Georgina Hodge, alongside
Don Gilet and
Dervla Kirwan. In 2006 she appeared in two episodes of
The Bill, as Ella Whittaker; and was cast in
Doctor Who as Sylvia Noble, the overbearing, widowed mother of
Catherine Tate’s character
Donna Noble. She has reprised the role twice in
the 2008 series, in
a two-part special broadcast over the 2009 Christmas period, and since 2018 in audio productions for
Big Finish Productions. In 2007, she appeared in
House of Saddam, playing real-life diplomat
April Glaspie. 2009 also saw her appear in one episode of
Missing, alongside
Pauline Quirke. ==Filmography==