Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Annie Roberts

Channel 4 Screw: Who is Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and what TV shows has she been in before?

Actress Jamie-Lee O'Donnell is currently on our TV screens in the brand new prison drama Screw.

Many may wonder where they recognise the actress from, as she's had to ditch her usual Irish accent in her latest role as a trainee prison officer on Channel 4.

She has starred in a number of on-screen and stage performances but has made her mark playing one particular bold and fiery character in the hit comedy Derry Girls.

Read more: Channel 4's new TV drama Screw: Release date, cast and where it was filmed

Here's everything you need to know about Jamie-Lee's latest role and where you might have seen her before:

Who is Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and what TV shows has she been in before?

Jamie-Lee is an actress from Derry, Northern Ireland and the 30-year-old is probably best known for her role as Michelle Mallon in the hit Channel 4 comedy series Derry Girls.

From left to right: Dylan (James Maguire), Erin (Saoirse Monica-Jackson), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), Clare (Nicola Coughlan) (Channel 4/Peter Marley)

Jamie is set to reprise her role as Michelle in the third and final instalment of Derry Girls this year. You can find out more about when Derry Girls series three will be returning here.

But she has also starred in BBC's teen-drama 6Degrees series as the character Eva Maguire.

The TV show followed a group of uni students living in Belfast between 2012 and 2015 and Jamie-Lee starred in all three series.

She has also appeared in numerous theatre productions such as Girls and Dolls written by Derry Girls creator and writer Lisa McGee and The Cripple of Inishmaan by playwright Martin McDonagh.

If you're a Bake Off fan, you may remember the Derry Girls cast competed against each other in the Great British Bake Off tent on New Year's Day in 2019.

For those who enjoy Gogglebox, you might also remember Jamie-Lee appearing alongside her Derry Girls co-star Saoirse-Monica Jackson - who plays Erin Quinn - on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2021.

Who does Jamie-Lee O'Donnell play in Channel 4 prison drama Screw?

The new Channel 4 drama from screenwriter Rob Williams follows 21-year-old Rose - played by Jamie-Lee - who joins C-Wing in an all-male prison as a trainee prison officer.

Many may not recognise the star as she had to put on a Northern English accent for the role and revealed it was her "biggest challenge".

Speaking of her accent for the show, she said: "I tried my best! I really enjoy doing accents and although I was nervous, putting my heart and soul into it, thankfully people on set responded really well."

Nina Sosanya (Leigh) and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Rose) in prison officer uniform for C4's Screw. (Channel 4/Mark Mainz)

Jamie-Lee joins the Screw cast which includes; Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials, Last Tango in Halifax) Laura Checkley (In My Skin, This Country), Stephen Wight (I May Destroy You, Manhunt), Faraz Ayub (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) and Ron Donachie (Titanic, Game of Thrones).

When is the next episode of Screw on Channel 4?

Episode four of Screw will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Thursday, January 27 from 9pm.

The fifth episode will air a week later on February 3 at the same time of 9pm and the final episode airing on February 10 from 9pm.

The full series is available to watch now on All 4.

To get the latest showbiz news from WalesOnline sent straight to your inbox sign up for our What's On newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.