Jessica Gunning’s unsettling (though layered) performance in Baby Reindeer is undoubtedly one of the hit Netflix show’s strongest assets.
The British actor’s portrayal of Martha in the gripping drama has already been singled out for plenty of praise, and helped introduce Jessica to a whole a new audience on both sides of the Atlantic.
And while we can’t wait to see what she goes onto do next – what you might not realise is how much work you’ve probably already seen Jessica in.
Here’s a selection of Jessica Gunning’s past work before her big breakthrough in Baby Reindeer…
Doctor Who (2008)
Impressively, one of Jessica’s first ever on-screen appearances was in Doctor Who – and arguably at the peak of the show’s popularity.
She appeared in the 2008 episode Partners In Crime, which fell during David Tennant’s first tenure as the Time Lord.
As well as Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble, the episode included an impressive that past that included Billie Piper, reprising her role as Rose Tyler, as well as Sarah Lancashire and Bernard Cribbins.
Law & Order: UK (2009)
While the US version of Law & Order and its numerous spin-offs are still popular across the Atlantic, it’s often forgotten that ITV made a go at a UK version back in 2009.
Law & Order: UK actually ran for eight seasons, with Jessica playing police receptionist Angela in a total of 20 episodes in the first few seasons, with Bradley Walsh and Freema Agyeman also among the cast.
White Heat (2012)
White Heat centred around a group of friends who met in the “white heat of the 1960s” at university, with the One Day-esque plot checking in on them all across six different years over a 25-year period.
Claire Foy and Sam Claflin also played members of the group, while Sorcha Cusack appeared as an older version of Jessica’s character, Orla.
What Remains (2013)
Another of Jessica’s more grisly projects, What Remains was a crime drama in which she played a young woman who died and went undiscovered for two years.
While her character, Melissa Young, was found dead in the first episode, her story unfolded in flashbacks over the course of the series.
Pride (2014)
Patient, open-minded, welcoming… Jessica’s character in the Golden Globe and Bafta-nominated film Pride, which depicts the origins of the campaign group Lesbians And Gays Support The Miners in the mid-1980s.
Jessica played Sîan, based on a younger version of former Labour MP Siân James, alongside an impressive cast that included George Mackay, Imelda Staunton, Andrew Scott, Dominic West and Bill Nighy.
On a side note – if you want something uplifting to watch after the hard-hitting Baby Reindeer, Pride might be a good way to go (it’s streaming now on Disney+).
Fortitude (2015)
On a less light-hearted note, Jessica played Shirley Allerdyce in the first season of the TV horror thriller Fortitude.
The British-Norwegian drama boasted an all-star cast that included Christoper Eccleston, the late Michael Gambon and Stanley Tucci.
Prime Suspect 1973 (2017)
One thing about Jessica Gunning – she knows a thing or two about a police drama.
In this TV crime prequel, she played WPC Kath Morgan alongside Stefanie Martini as WPC Jane Tennison, a role made famous in the original show by Helen Mirren.
Back (2017)
Back marked the TV reunion of Peep Show stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb, telling the story of a man who returns to his home town to take over his family’s pub after the death of his father.
In both seasons of the dark comedy, Jessica plays Jan, a barmaid in David’s character’s pub.
Trollied (2018)
Jessica joined the long-running Sky comedy in its seventh seasons, playing an overzealous new security guard at Valco, Donna Calabrese.
She was described at the time as enthusiastic, though ultimately fairly useless at her security job.
Strike (2018)
See what we mean about Jessica Gunning and crime dramas?
In 2018, she joined the cast of Strike, based on the books by JK Rowling. She played Holly, who is the twin sister of one of the case’s three main suspects.
When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other (2019)
As well as her work on screen, Jessica is also an established theatre performer.
Having made her mark in the early 2000s in productions like Much Ado About Nothing and Major Barbara, in 2019 she was seen treading the boards alongside Cate Blanchett in the polarising When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other at London’s National Theatre.
The Outlaws (2021)
Jessica’s most recent on-screen credit before landing the part in Baby Reindeer was in the BBC comedy The Outlaws.
She played Diane Pemberley, a former juvenile delinquent who now oversees community service herself.