Centre Stage: Victoria Broom on Her Craft, Carving Space for Queer Women in the Industry and I, Jack Wright.

The moment Victoria Broom could walk, she knew she wanted to perform. Talent competitions on childhood holidays in Blackpool and Aberystwyth sparked a love affair with the stage that never dimmed. “I’ve never known a time where I didn’t want to be a performer. It’s just been in my blood.”

Her certainty of self and passion, unflinching and innate, has been a power in her life, carrying her through years of hard work, heartbreak, and hard-won triumphs. As a proudly LGBTQ+ actress, Broom has navigated an industry that hasn’t always been built with people like her in mind. But rather than conform, she expanded the space around her. She grew with it, changed it, demanded more. And now, with roles that have spanned soaps, acclaimed dramas, and groundbreaking LGBTQ+ stories, she has built a career rooted in her authenticity, and fearless creativity. Her work is proof that staying true to yourself is the most wonderful act of all.

Credits: Photographer - Jemima Marriott, Styling - Prue Fisher, Hair & Make Up - Megan McPhilemy

Sitting down to talk to New Wave, Broom is reflective, warm, and notably candid. She appears remarkably grounded, like a woman who has weathered the highs and lows of an unpredictable industry without ever losing her centre.

In conversation, she reflects on the nature of ambition, fearlessness, and the lessons learned along the way. “When you’re young and you know exactly what you want, you’re fearless. You think you can take over the world.” It’s a confidence that carried her into the industry early, allowing her to face the inevitable rejections with grace. “Rejection is never personal. It’s just part and parcel of the craft.”

And her craft has evolved with her. From her breakthrough role as Fran in Different for Girls, a show made by and for queer women, to her transformative turn as Sasha Kyte in the Emmy-winning Marcella, Broom is a study in versatility. Yet, no matter the project, she brings pieces of herself to each character. It’s not method acting in the traditional sense. It’s something quieter.

“I learned during a stage production of Othello that I needed to find a way to take the character off after every show,” she explains. The role, emotionally intense and physically harrowing, stayed under her skin. “You have to protect yourself. You can’t lose yourself completely.” Her approach is now as much about mindfulness as it is about technique: grounding herself in who she is, so she can fully step into who she’s not.

After standout performances in Different for Girls and Marcella (roles that deepened her love for layered storytelling), Broom now utilises this skill in a new chapter with Alibi’s much-anticipated drama, I, Jack Wright.

Credits: Photographer - Jemima Marriott, Styling - Prue Fisher, Hair & Make Up - Megan McPhilemy

“It’s a family saga wrapped in a whodunnit,” she explains, her voice buzzing with genuine excitement. “It was written by Chris Lang, who did Unforgotten, so anyone who loved that will be hooked immediately. Secrets, deception, lies, every episode peels another layer back.”

In I, Jack Wright, Broom plays Mary Robbins, the long-trusted housekeeper to the Wright family patriarch whose death sends shockwaves through generations of tangled family history.

“Mary sees everything,” she says with a smile. “She’s closer to some family members than others, and she holds a lot more power than people might assume.”

It’s a role that seems to fit her personality perfectly: observant, quietly resilient, with an understanding of how to move between worlds without losing her self.

“I love characters like that, the ones who exist slightly on the edges, but who know exactly what’s happening in the centre of the room. And being able to reveal that slowly over six episodes was such a gift.”

The six-part series offers audiences a mystery that isn’t just about what happened, but why, and perhaps more importantly, to whom. And while the twists will keep viewers guessing, the humanity at its core is what resonates most deeply with her.

It’s clear that humanity and emotional fidelity matter a lot to Victoria, not just on screen, but behind the scenes too. As an openly queer actress, she speaks passionately about the need for deeper, more varied representation, particularly for lesbian and queer women.

Credits: Photographer - Jemima Marriott, Styling - Prue Fisher, Hair & Make Up - Megan McPhilemy

“The first time I saw a lesbian couple on TV was in 1993, and that’s not really that long ago. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot missing. We need more queer women writing the stories, directing them, producing them. You can feel the difference when it’s real, when it’s lived experience.”

It’s why her role in Different for Girls, one of the UK’s first authentically lesbian-centred dramas, remains so important to her, even as she embraces new terrain with I, Jack Wright.

“It’s not just about seeing a lesbian couple,” she reflects. “It’s about different types of queer women being seen. Different lives, different loves, different experiences. Authenticity comes from who’s telling the story, not just who’s in it.”

Her work on Different for Girls was a turning point, precisely because it was written, produced, and directed by queer women. You can feel it in the show’s heart, a lived-in, layered understanding that can’t be faked. It’s a standard Victoria wants to see more of across the industry.

When asked what she hopes her body of work says about her someday, she pauses for a moment, choosing words with precision.

“I hope people can see that I stayed true to who I am. That I wasn’t afraid to tell the stories that mattered to me. And that I never stopped learning, never stopped loving what I do.”

It’s fitting, then, that her latest role in I, Jack Wright doesn’t just feel like another milestone, but instead another testament to the kind of artist she’s always strived to be: bold, thoughtful, unshakeably authentic.

I, Jack Wright is available to watch on specialist crime drama channel, Alibi from the 24th April.