Munroe, Carmen

Born Carmen Steele in Guyana, Carmen Munroe arrived in the United Kingdom during the early 1950s.

Her debut professional television appearance came in 1958, working with Sydney Newman.

Munroe recalled with appreciation how ATV’s casting director Josephine Douglas championed her talents beyond tokenistic casting decisions, while producer Humphrey Barclay later provided opportunities in his comedy productions.

Across three decades, Munroe became a household name through four long-running television roles in both dramatic and comedic series:

• Sister Frances Washington in General Hospital (ATV/ITV, 1974 – 1979);
• Vilma in The Fosters (LWT/ITV, 1976 – 1977);
• Matilda Lambert in Mixed Blessings (LWT/ITV, 1978 – 1980);
• Shirley Ambrose in Desmonds (Channel 4, 1989 – 1994).

Additional television appearances include:

• No Hiding Place (Associated Rediffusion/ITV, 1965);
• The Troubleshooters (BBC One, 1965 and 1967);
• Emergency Ward 10 (ATV/ITV, 1966);
• Doctor Who (episodes: The Enemy of the World) (BBC One, 1967 – 1968);
• The First Lady (BBC One, 1969);
• The Wednesday Play: Fable (BBC One, 1965). Written by John Hopkins and directed by Christopher Morahan;
• The Fenn Street Gang (LWT/ITV, 1971);
• The Persuaders! (ATV/ITV, 1971);
• You’re Only Young Twice (1971);
• Ace of Wands (Thames TV/ITV, 1971);
• Crown Court (Granada TV/ITV, 1976 and 1982);
• Murphy’s Mob (1982);
• Rumpole of the Bailey (Thames TV/ITV, 1983);
• Grange Hill (BBC One, 1986);
• The Real McCoy (1994);
• The Dumping Ground (2016);
• Holby City (BBC One, 2020).

Her film work:

• Naked Evil (1966);
• All Neat in Black Stockings (1968);
• The Chain (1984);
• The Final Passage (1996);
• Ear for Eye (2021).

Munroe became the 51st presenter on Play School, first appearing on Monday 4th September 1972 alongside Johnny Ball.

During her tenure, she presented 50 episodes, concluding on 31st May 1974 with Lionel Morton.

Of these broadcasts, only three survive in the BBC Archives – the earliest from the Monday of her third week (15th January 1973).

She returned to the programme periodically as a storyteller in May and November 1976, March 1977, and November 1981.

Her Play Away appearance aired on 27th October 1973.

Several years following her Play School tenure, Munroe reunited with director Carole Ward to present the lunchtime Watch with Mother series, How Do You Do? (1977).

Munroe’s theatrical career commenced in 1962 with her West End debut in Tennessee Williams’ Period of Adjustment.

She became instrumental in advancing opportunities for black performers and in 1985 co-founded Talawa, now the UK’s foremost black theatre company.

Subsequent stage credits include:

• Mother Courage (Nottingham Playhouse and tour);
• The Apple Cart;
• There’ll Be Some Changes Made;
• Alas, Poor Fred (Umoja Theatre).

At the Tricycle Theatre, Munroe performed in multiple productions, notably three African-American plays in 2005 – Walk Hard, Gem of the Ocean, and Fabulation.

In 2023, she was among ten pioneering Windrush generation members whose portraits were commissioned by His Majesty King Charles III, commemorating 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival in Britain.

Her contributions to drama were recognised in 2007 when she received an OBE from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. This honour was elevated to a Damehood in the 2024 New Year Honours List.

Conversation

Paul R. Jackson met up with Carmen at her London home in June 2009.

He asked how she had come to present Play School.

“At the time I thought I would never do the work I knew I could do, which was depressing.

“My agent at the time Vincent Shaw called me to say that he had submitted my name for Play School auditions at TV Centre.

“I hadn’t worked much in recent times, so I thought I would seize the moment and worry about it later, as I didn’t see myself as a presenter.

“They sent me a script with a space in it and I had to present an item of my own.

“I recalled a schoolyard game we played in Guyana – There’s a Coloured Girl in the Ring (similar to Ring a Ring o’ Roses) and altered it so I would ask the person, who was inside the ring, what they would like to be.

“This gave me an opportunity to do several animal poses and sounds.

“A week later my agent called to say he had received a letter from Cynthia – a lovely warm lady – who said they were extremely pleased with my audition and that they had all agreed that they didn’t think I required a camera test.

“I recall being very tense during recording, though I managed not to show it.

“It was hard and gut wrenching doing the story to camera from memory. However, it didn’t take long to grow into the programme and working on it felt like being part of a family.

“I enjoyed working with all my co-presenters and received so much support from them.

“I remember Katoo that crazy bird. And at first, I hated handling the mice – as a child in Guyana I referred to them as rats!”

“I received lots of letters from parents and children.

“One parent told me that her child wanted to see ‘the lady with the toasted face’. That made me laugh.

“Another came from a young girl with special needs called Katy from Barnes. We corresponded for a long time and she sent me pictures she had made, which I kept.”

Fred Harris remembered coming up to Carmen and introducing himself and she told him that she knew who he was already from the programme, which surprised him.

 

Personal information

Clips of Carmen on The TV Room

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Online presence

Acknowledgements