Gabrielle Brooks

London-born West End stage star Gabrielle, 31, is best known for playing Nadia Zhabin in Netflix fantasy saga Shadow And Bone

What was your first TV memory?

Cartoons like Alvin And The Chipmunks, and also watching Stars In Their Eyes with my family in the 90s. I was six or seven and the show was a big deal for us. I still think it’s a great format and Matthew Kelly was the perfect host.

What was your first TV appearance?

When I was in my last year of primary school I had a few lines in Grange Hill. I played Gossip Girl 2 and was very proud of that.

Who was your first TV crush?

I watched a sitcom called Sister, Sister – about two identical twins – and wanted to be them. They were wholesome young black girls who always had attractive boyfriends, and their boyfriends were my crushes.

What is your favourite current show?

An American drama called This Is Us.

It’s really cleverly done. It was an amazing script and incredible actors. Sterling

Kelby Brown plays a politician and he is fantastic in it.

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

Desmond’s, the comedy set in a Peckham barbershop. I used to watch it in the 90s and it reminded me so much of my own family. The characters were from Guyana and so was my dad; and my mum was a hairdresser, although she was Jamaican.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

Gameshows that depend entirely on chance. I love Who Wants To Be A Millionaire because that’s about knowledge, but I can’t abide Tipping Point. I only ever watch shows like that for Mum.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

Since I was a kid I’ve loved Law & Order: SVU. That’s one of the best shows ever and all the great American actors seem to get their break on it. It’s like their rite of passage, like the soaps are here.

What are you up to at the moment?

I’m playing Rita Marley, Bob Marley’s wife, in the stage musical Get Up, Stand Up! I’m also creative director of the MAWA theatre company, the

UK’S first all-black, all-female Shakespeare company.

Get Up, Stand Up! is playing at London’s Lyric Theatre. For info see getupstandup themusical.com