{{Short description|British actress}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Amy Cudden | occupation = {{hlist|Actress|director|teacher}} | years_active = 2008–present | television = ''Coronation Street'' | education = University of Leeds/Bretton Hall College of Education<br>Oxford School of Drama | children = At least 1 }} '''Amy Cudden''' is a British actress, director and teacher. She is from Norfolk but later moved to Essex. She began attending local theatre school as a child and later joined the Maddermarket Theatre, where she performed in various plays. She studied at the Bretton Hall College of Education/ University of Leeds and later did a postgraduate degree at the Oxford School of Drama. Cudden received critical recognition for her work in the theatre productions of ''Shallow Slumber'' (2012), ''The Village Bike'' (2012), ''Tonight at 8.30'' (2014) and ''After Miss Julie'' (2016). She also performed in various other productions, including ''Occupational Hazards'' (2017) and ''One Man, Two Guvnors'' (2019), as well as playing Anne Boleyn in ''The Last Days of Anne Boleyn'' at the Tower of London.
Cudden has appeared in television shows such as ''Casualty'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Doctors'', ''Vera'', ''Holby City'', ''PhoneShop'', ''Am I Being Unreasonable?'', ''Mr Bates vs The Post Office'', ''The Girlfriend Experience'' and ''The Midwich Cuckoos''. She also appeared in various other productions and short films. Cudden had a role in the 2025 film ''Steve'', and later that year, she began portraying Becky Swain on the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' for a four-month stint, which she also played in ''Corriedale''. Additionally, Cudden has directed plays and also taught at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
==Life and career== Amy Cudden is from Norfolk and spent the majority of her life in Norwich, though she later moved to Essex.<ref name="Interview 1" /> She enjoyed performing from a young age and liked connecting with people.<ref name="Interview 1">{{cite web |title=Becky is Alive - Actress Amy Cudden reveals all! |url=https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/becky-is-alive |website=ITVX |publisher=ITV |access-date=19 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251019153502/https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/becky-is-alive |archive-date=19 October 2025 |date=8 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> When she was a child, she enjoyed reading books and considered her father a "great storyteller", which she believes led to her pursuing a career in performing, as she wanted to continue telling stories.<ref name="Two guvnors" /> When she was roughly 12 years old, she began taking part in a Saturday local theatre school, where they would put on an annual show.<ref name="Two guvnors" /> She later joined a theatre company in the Maddermarket Theatre, where they put on plays such as a tour of ''The Metamorphosis'' in secondary schools, as well as ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' and Restoration comedies.<ref name="Interview 1" /> Cudden graduated with a degree from Bretton Hall College of Education/ University of Leeds as a theatre practitioner and later did a postgraduate degree at the Oxford School of Drama, where she felt that she received her first "proper acting training".<ref name="Interview 1" /><ref name="Two guvnors" /> Whilst studying at the latter, she performed in an open-air adaptation of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' at Blenheim Palace, where the arena was made of hay bales; she considered it hard work but also fun.<ref name="Two guvnors" />
Cudden played Molly in three episodes of the 23rd series of the medical drama series ''Casualty'', which were broadcast in 2008 and 2009.<ref name="Casualty">{{cite web |title=Molly |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/158929/casualty-molly |website=TV Maze |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909063716/https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/158929/casualty-molly |archive-date=9 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> She also played DS Pierce in the show on another occasion.<ref name="Credits 2" /> Cudden portrayed Anita in the 2011 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Let's Kill Hitler".<ref name="Doctor Who">{{cite web |title=Let's Kill Hitler |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0146h0q |website=BBC One |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909054945/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0146h0q |archive-date=9 September 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> She really liked her experience in the show and found working in the spaceship set "the most fun ever".<ref name="Two guvnors" /> That same year, Cudden also had a guest appearance in the third episode of the first series of the crime drama ''Vera''.<ref name="Vera">{{cite web |title=The Crow Trap |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/220989/vera-1x03-the-crow-trap |website=TV Maze |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909060730/https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/220989/vera-1x03-the-crow-trap |url-status=live |archive-date=9 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Grace Bishop |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/500357/vera-grace-bishop |website=TV Maze |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909061303/https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/500357/vera-grace-bishop |archive-date=9 September 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> She also had a guest appearance in a 2011 episode of the second series of the British sitcom ''PhoneShop'', where she played a stalker.<ref name="Phoneshop">{{cite web |title=Series 2, Episode 2 - It's Training Men |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/phoneshop/episodes/2/2/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909062234/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/phoneshop/episodes/2/2/ |archive-date=9 September 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2012, Cudden starred in the two-hander play ''Shallow Slumber'' along with Alexandra Gilbreath at the Soho Theatre.<ref name="Shallow">{{cite web |last1=Wicker |first1=Tom |title=Shallow Slumber |url=https://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/shallow-slumber/ |website=Exeunt Magazine |access-date=22 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251122083135/https://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/shallow-slumber/ |archive-date=22 November 2025 |date=28 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden considered the play to be one of her favourites that she had been in but added that the show was "very intense and a bit of an emotional marathon".<ref name="Two guvnors" /> She later said of the production in 2025 that she would never forget the experience and that she "came out feeling like I've chosen the right thing to do".<ref name="Interview 2" /> Tom Wicker from ''Exeunt Magazine'' wrote that Cudden gave "a performance of ferocious power that distracts from the overly self-aware speeches that Lee occasionally puts in her character's mouth. Emotionally cunning one minute, she is raw and desperate the next".<ref name="Shallow" /> Carole Gordon from ''WhatsOnStage.com'' gave the play three out of five stars and wrote, "Cudden's Dawn is resigned to her fate of tabloid-story single mum and never steps outside of that stereotype".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gordon |first1=Carole |title=Shallow Slumber |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/shallow-slumber_5578/ |website=WhatsOnStage.com |access-date=22 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251122083018/https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/shallow-slumber_5578/ |archive-date=22 November 2025 |date=30 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that year, Cudden starred as lead character Becky in ''The Village Bike'' at the Crucible Theatre.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Velda |title=The Village Bike |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-village-bik-crucible-studio-8050 |website=British Theatre Guide |date=13 September 2012 |access-date=21 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121163221/https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-village-bik-crucible-studio-8050 |archive-date=21 November 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bike">{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=John |title=The Village Bike |url=https://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/the-village-bike-2/ |website=Exeunt Magazine |access-date=21 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121160424/https://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/the-village-bike-2/ |archive-date=21 November 2025 |date=19 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gardner |first1=Lyn |title=The Village Bike – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/19/the-village-bike-review |website=The Guardian |access-date=21 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121163308/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/19/the-village-bike-review |archive-date=21 November 2025 |date=19 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden considered the play to be one of her favourite plays she had performed in and felt very "lucky" to be part of it, also calling her character "one of the most complex, funny, dark, and witty characters I've read written for a woman".<ref name="Two guvnors" /> John Murphy from ''Exeunt Magazine'' praised Cudden's performance, writing:
<blockquote>"As Becky, Amy Cudden is never off the stage; she's in every scene and has to carry the production pretty much on her own. She's superb in the role, a real star in the making, conveying both Becky's sexual frustration and her growing sense of panic. Strong as she is in the role, she never overshadows the supporting cast".<ref name="Bike" /></blockquote>
Between April and July 2014, Cudden was part of the ensemble cast of ''Tonight at 8.30'', a theatre production consisting of nine short plays, which toured at various theatres in England.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cheesman |first1=Neil |title=Summer cocktail of Noel Coward at Yvonne Arnaud Guildford |url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatre-news/summer-cocktail-of-noel-coward-at-yvonne-arnaud-guildford/ |website=LondonTheatre1 |date=28 April 2014 |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126104529/https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatre-news/summer-cocktail-of-noel-coward-at-yvonne-arnaud-guildford/ |archive-date=26 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tonight">{{cite web |title=Tonight at 8:30 |url=https://ett.org.uk/our-work/tonight-at-830/ |website=ett.org |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126104342/https://ett.org.uk/our-work/tonight-at-830/ |archive-date=26 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tonight at 8:30 - casting announced |url=https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Theatre-Review/tonight-at-830-richmond-theatre/ |website=IndieLondon |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126110209/https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Theatre-Review/tonight-at-830-richmond-theatre/ |archive-date=26 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Robert Tanitch from ''British Theatre Guide'' praised Cudden's performance in the play.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tanitch |first1=Robert |title=Tonight at 8:30 |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/tonight-at-8-30-richmond-theatr-10233 |website=British Theatre Guide |date=11 June 2014 |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126104502/https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/tonight-at-8-30-richmond-theatr-10233 |archive-date=26 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Rhiannon McDowall from ''Manchester Evening News'' praised Cudden and Kirsty Besterman for providing "delightfully light accompaniment" in the final play of the show.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McDowall |first1=Rhiannon |title=Review: Tonight at 8.30 @ The Lowry, Salford |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/review-tonight-830-lowry-theatre-7362588 |website=Manchester Evening News |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126110207/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/review-tonight-830-lowry-theatre-7362588 |archive-date=26 November 2025 |date=3 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden guest-starred as Sylvia Carriere in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' in the episode originally airing on 26 March 2015.<ref name="Doctors 1">{{cite web |title=Surrogate Dad |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nxy8j |website=BBC One |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250910060733/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nxy8j |archive-date=10 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> She had a guest role in a series 18 episode of the British medical drama television series ''Holby City'', "The Hope That Kills", which originally aired in January 2016.<ref name="Holby">{{cite web |title=The Hope That Kills |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wb561 |website=BBC One |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250909063119/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wb561 |archive-date=9 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, it was announced that Cudden would play Christine in ''After Miss Julie'', which was initially performed at the Theatre Royal, Bath, that May before touring the UK.<ref name="Julie">{{cite web |last1=Bowie-Sell |first1=Daisy |title=Full cast announced for After Miss Julie |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/full-cast-announced-for-after-miss-julie_40349/ |website=WhatsOnStage.com |access-date=23 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251123210005/https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/full-cast-announced-for-after-miss-julie_40349/ |archive-date=23 November 2025 |date=3 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A writer from ''The Lady'' wrote that Cudden played her role with "knowing primness".<ref>{{cite web |title=After Miss Julie |url=https://lady.co.uk/after-miss-julie |website=The Lady |access-date=23 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251123205828/https://lady.co.uk/after-miss-julie |archive-date=23 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
From April to June 2017, Cudden played JD in ''Occupational Hazards'' at Hampstead Theatre.<ref name="Credits" /><ref name="Occupational 1">{{cite web |title=Occupational Hazards |url=https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2017/occupational-hazards#Cast |website=Hampstead Theatre |access-date=22 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251122151912/https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2017/occupational-hazards/#cast |archive-date=22 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The production was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4.<ref name="Occupational 2">{{cite web |title=Theatre on 4: Occupational Hazards |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tv91t |website=BBC Radio 4 |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251122152106/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tv91t |archive-date=22 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2018, it was reported that Cudden would portray Anne Boleyn in the new 35-minute play ''The Last Days of Anne Boleyn'' at the Tower of London, which revolved around Boleyn's imprisonment, trial and execution; the play ran twice a day from Fridays to Tuesdays between 6 May and 28 August 2018.<ref name="Anne">{{cite web |last1=Brooke |first1=Mike |title=Amy Cudden won't lose her head as Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London |url=https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/20960518.amy-cudden-wont-lose-head-anne-boleyn-tower-london/ |website=East London Advertiser |publisher=Archant |access-date=19 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251119205943/https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/20960518.amy-cudden-wont-lose-head-anne-boleyn-tower-london/ |archive-date=19 November 2025 |date=24 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Preview: The Last Days of Anne Boleyn, Tower of London |url=https://lovelondonloveculture.com/2018/04/25/preview-the-last-days-of-anne-boleyn-tower-of-london/ |website=Love London Love Culture |access-date=19 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251119210226/https://lovelondonloveculture.com/2018/04/25/preview-the-last-days-of-anne-boleyn-tower-of-london/ |archive-date=19 November 2025 |date=25 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, Cudden played Rachel Crabbe in ''One Man, Two Guvnors'', which was performed at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.<ref name="Two guvnors">{{cite web |last1=Cheesman |first1=Neil |title=Interview with Amy Cudden from One Man, Two Guvnors |url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/interviews/interview-with-amy-cudden-from-one-man-two-guvnors/ |website=LondonTheatre1 |access-date=19 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251119104422/https://www.londontheatre1.com/interviews/interview-with-amy-cudden-from-one-man-two-guvnors/ |archive-date=19 November 2025 |date=7 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden found the play humorous.<ref name="Two guvnors" /> Cudden guest-starred in a 2021 episode of ''The Girlfriend Experience''.<ref name="Girlfriend">{{cite web |title=State of Mind |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2067879/the-girlfriend-experience-3x09-state-of-mind |website=TV Maze |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930121029/https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2067879/the-girlfriend-experience-3x09-state-of-mind |archive-date=30 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, Cudden portrayed Sarah McLean in several episodes of the science fiction television series ''The Midwich Cuckoos''.<ref name="Cuckoos">{{cite web |title=The Midwich Cuckoos - Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-midwich-cuckoos/cast/1060159526/ |website=TV Guide |publisher=Fandom, Inc. |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930120653/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-midwich-cuckoos/cast/1060159526/ |archive-date=30 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, she briefly appeared in a scene in ''Am I Being Unreasonable?'', and later returned for two episodes in 2025.<ref name="Interview 1" /><ref name="Maze">{{cite web |title=Amy Cudden |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/people/80525/amy-cudden |website=TV Maze |access-date=20 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251020192924/https://www.tvmaze.com/people/80525/amy-cudden |archive-date=20 October 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The actress explained, "I was in a tiny scene in the first series, and Daisy May Cooper improvised a line calling me "Daniel Radcliffe", leading to me being brought back as 'Daniel Radcliffe's mum' in the second series because I apparently look like Harry Potter".<ref name="Interview 1" /> She considered the show to be like a family.<ref name="Interview 2" /> Cudden later guest-starred again on ''Doctors'' as a different character, Lisa Caldwell, in the episode originally airing on 6 November 2023.<ref name="Doctors 2">{{cite web |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title=Doctors spoilers: Zara Carmichael needs Kirsty's help |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-zara-carmichael-needs-kirstys-help |website=What to Watch |publisher=Future plc |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250910060621/https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-zara-carmichael-needs-kirstys-help |archive-date=10 September 2025 |date=31 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Finding Jacob |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s72c |website=BBC One |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250910061424/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s72c |archive-date=10 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden had a guest role in a 2023 episode of ''Father Brown'' as part of its tenth season.<ref name="Father Brown">{{cite web |title=The Wheels of Wrath |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0djqvmm |website=BBC One |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250910061742/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0djqvmm |archive-date=10 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, Cudden appeared in the first episode of two shows – British television drama series ''Mr Bates vs The Post Office'' and the American war drama miniseries ''Masters of the Air''.<ref name="Post">{{cite web |title=Episode 1 |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2704995/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office-1x01-episode-1 |website=TV Maze |access-date=2 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002223251/https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2704995/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office-1x01-episode-1 |archive-date=2 October 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Interview 1" /><ref name="Masters">{{cite web |title=Part One - Guest Cast |url=https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2659617/masters-of-the-air-1x01-part-one/cast |website=TV Maze |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930121123/https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2659617/masters-of-the-air-1x01-part-one/cast |archive-date=30 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Mr Bates vs The Post Office'' was Cudden's favourite television drama that she appeared in, and she said that she was "horrified" when she read the scripts, as she did not know much about the British Post Office scandal, which the show is based on.<ref name="Interview 2" /> That same year, it was announced that Cudden had been cast in the drama film ''Steve'', which was released the following year.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Eamonn |title=Casting announcements |url=https://www.eamonnbedford.com/2024/11/casting-announcements/ |website=Eamonn Bedford Agency |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251129194233/https://www.eamonnbedford.com/2024/11/casting-announcements/ |archive-date=29 November 2025 |date=5 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Credits 2" />
In the episode originally airing on 5 September 2025, Cudden debuted on the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as an unknown character.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Harriet |title=Coronation Street sneaks in a new character - but is she watching Lisa and Carla? |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a65995522/coronation-street-sneaks-in-new-character/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930122205/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a65995522/coronation-street-sneaks-in-new-character/ |archive-date=30 September 2025 |date=5 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden's character was soon revealed to be Becky Swain, the estranged wife of established character Lisa Swain, who had faked her death.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crutchley |first1=Joe |title=Coronation Street Becky Swain 'set for love interest' and it's not who you think |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/coronation-street-becky-swain-set-32494583 |website=Liverpool Echo |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930123849/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/coronation-street-becky-swain-set-32494583 |archive-date=30 September 2025 |date=17 September 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Coronation Street">{{cite web |last1=Soni |first1=Divya |title=Coronation Street Coronation Street airs game-changing Becky Swain twist - here's what happens next |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a66012759/coronation-street-becky-swain-twist/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930122318/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a66012759/coronation-street-becky-swain-twist/ |archive-date=30 September 2025 |date=8 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Cudden called joining the soap "incredible", adding, "''Coronation Street'' is a monolith of British TV, my mum remembers watching the first episode with her own mum. All the things I wanted when I was 17-18 and decided to be an actor – to tell stories, be different people, connect with people – are happening. I'm genuinely blown away and so happy."<ref name="Interview 1" /> Before being cast on the soap, Cudden had received a request to send in a self-tape for a character who matched Becky's description, although the names were disguised.<ref name="Interview 1" /> She then did an in-person chemistry read with Myers, and Cudden was later called in to do a different scene showing a different side to the character due to Becky being "complicated".<ref name="Interview 1" /> She said of the experience, "This was more intimidating with a full camera crew. It explored a darker side of the character and the chemistry with the two other significant people she'd be interacting with."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Denby |first1=Laura |title=Coronation Street newcomer teases Becky Swain's "dark side" after fake death bombshell |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/coronation-street/coronation-street-becky-swain-dark-side-fake-death-lisa-carla-newsupdate/ |website=Radio Times |publisher=Immediate Media Company |access-date=25 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251125195246/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/coronation-street/coronation-street-becky-swain-dark-side-fake-death-lisa-carla-newsupdate/ |archive-date=25 November 2025 |date=8 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Two weeks later, she was playing Roblox with her son and had to stop the game when her agent called her to tell her she had received the role; Cudden then told her son, who "rolled his eyes" and went back to playing the game.<ref name="Interview 1" /><ref name="Interview 2">{{cite magazine|title=You ask...they answer! Amy Cudden |magazine=Inside Soap |date=8–14 November 2025 |issue=45 |pages=52–53}}</ref> Afterwards, Cudden only told her mother, husband and a few close friends that she had been cast as Becky, as she wanted to keep Becky's debut a secret for viewers, explaining, "It would have felt very disrespectful to give the secret away".<ref name="Interview 1" /> The actress also initially assumed that the part was a guest role and did not think that she would receive it.<ref name="Interview 1" /> The actress spoke to producer Kate Brooks about Becky's character and revealed that she contributed to the characterisation.<ref name="Interview 1" /> Cudden described working with the cast as one of the "biggest privileges" of being part of the job and praised them for being "fabulous and so supportive with any questions".<ref name="Interview 1" />
To prepare for the role of Becky, an undercover police officer, Cudden listened to some podcasts for research.<ref name="Interview 2" /> Cudden has said that she loves filming in the street set of the soap.<ref name="Interview 1" /> She also added that she loves to do stunts.<ref name="Interview 1" /> Following Cudden's debut, viewers of the soap speculated that she would remain on ''Coronation Street'' for months to come, as they believed that they spotted her jacket in a picture of Cudden's co-star Channique Sterling-Brown.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sansome |first1=Jessica |title=Coronation Street fans rumble Becky Swain's 'future' after star drops filming 'clue' |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/coronation-street-fans-rumble-becky-32497487 |website=Manchester Evening News |publisher=Reach plc |access-date=30 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930123538/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/coronation-street-fans-rumble-becky-32497487 |archive-date=30 September 2025 |date=17 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The following month, Becky was confirmed by the soap's producer, Kate Brooks, to be a villain that would try to cause trouble for Lisa's relationship with Carla Connor (Alison King).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kilkelly |first1=Daniel |title=Coronation Street confirms major new villain as Becky's dark side is revealed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69009422/coronation-street-spoilers-becky-new-villain/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=12 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012220325/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69009422/coronation-street-spoilers-becky-new-villain/ |archive-date=12 October 2025 |date=12 October 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2025, it was announced that Cudden would also play Becky in ''Corriedale'', a crossover episode between ''Coronation Street'' and ''Emmerdale''.<ref name="Corriedale">{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Harriet |title=Corriedale officially confirms John Sugden's return - and full cast of 41 characters |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a69739424/corriedale-john-sugden-return-full-cast/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=19 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219050907/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a69739424/corriedale-john-sugden-return-full-cast/ |archive-date=19 December 2025 |date=16 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Super soap' Corriedale gives special audience first glimpse of 'mind-blowing' episode |url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2025-12-16/super-soap-corriedale-teases-second-trailer-for-mind-blowing-episode |website=ITVX |publisher=ITV |access-date=19 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219050537/https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2025-12-16/super-soap-corriedale-teases-second-trailer-for-mind-blowing-episode |archive-date=19 December 2025 |date=18 December 2025}}</ref> The one-off episode will air on 5 January 2026.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=Lewis |title=Emmerdale and Coronation Street crossover reveals full cast as villainous John Sugden return confirmed |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/emmerdale/corriedale-emmerdale-coronation-street-crossover-cast-list-full-newsupdate/ |website=Radio Times |publisher=Immediate Media Company |access-date=19 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219050630/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/emmerdale/corriedale-emmerdale-coronation-street-crossover-cast-list-full-newsupdate/ |archive-date=19 December 2025 |date=16 December 2025}}</ref> At the screening for the episode, Cudden explained that she featured heavily in the special and that she reached "peak villain".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderton |first1=Joe |title=Coronation Street star addresses calls for Becky Swain to be caught out |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69798103/coronation-street-becky-swain-caught-out/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=4 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260104182938/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69798103/coronation-street-becky-swain-caught-out/ |archive-date=4 January 2026 |date=17 December 2025}}</ref> Cudden's last appearance as Becky occurred in the episode originally airing on 12 January 2026.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kilkelly |first1=Daniel |title=Coronation Street's Becky saga declared "over" as her fate is finally revealed |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69973806/coronation-street-spoilers-becky-saga-declared-over/ |website=Digital Spy |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=12 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260112211810/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a69973806/coronation-street-spoilers-becky-saga-declared-over/ |archive-date=12 January 2026 |date=12 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Michael |title=Coronation Street airs major exit in Carla Connor and Lisa Swain story in early ITVX release |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/coronation-street/coronation-street-becky-swain-amy-cudden-exit-itvx-newsupdate/ |website=Radio Times |publisher=Immediate Media Company |access-date=12 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260112211848/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/coronation-street/coronation-street-becky-swain-amy-cudden-exit-itvx-newsupdate/ |archive-date=12 January 2026 |date=12 January 2026}}</ref>
Cudden has also appeared in adaptations of the plays ''Plasticine'' (at the Southwark Playhouse), ''Messiah'', ''Everyman'', ''Macbeth'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Pillars Of The Community'', ''The Tempest'', ''The Rover'' and ''Woyzeck'', in addition to the television shows ''The Bill'' and ''Crimson Knights'' and the short films ''Deep Sleep'', ''Speed Dating'', ''4.48 Psychosis'' and ''Gone Far Away''.<ref name="Credits">{{cite web |title=Cast Announced for Occupational Hazards |url=https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/news/2017/march/cast-announced-for-occupational-hazards/ |website=Hampstead Theatre |access-date=24 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251124174621/https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/news/2017/march/cast-announced-for-occupational-hazards/ |archive-date=24 November 2025 |date=22 March 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Credits 2">{{cite web |title=Amy Cudden |url=https://www.eamonnbedford.com/pdf/Amy%20Cudden.pdf |website=Eamonn Bedford Agency |access-date=26 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126183851/https://www.eamonnbedford.com/pdf/Amy%20Cudden.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> She also was a voice artist in the 2025 audiobook ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Full-Cast Edition)''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Every single voice you hear in Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions |url=https://www.harrypotter.com/news/every-single-voice-you-hear-in-harry-potter-the-full-cast-audio-editions |website=HarryPotter.com |access-date=24 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251124181425/https://www.harrypotter.com/news/every-single-voice-you-hear-in-harry-potter-the-full-cast-audio-editions |archive-date=24 November 2025 |date=30 October 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to acting, Cudden has taught and directed at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has held the "Joint Head of Screen, Audio and Innovation" position there.<ref name="LAMDA" /> She has also directed adaptations of ''Tartuffe'', ''Pentecost'' and ''The Rover''.<ref name="LAMDA">{{cite web |title=Amy Cudden |url=https://www.lamda.ac.uk/amy-cudden-0 |website=London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |access-date=25 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251125193653/https://www.lamda.ac.uk/amy-cudden-0 |archive-date=25 November 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Personal life== Cudden has a husband, and a son born in 2014 or 2015.<ref name="Interview 1" /> Three weeks after she married her husband, Cudden had to go away for an acting job, which she found difficult.<ref name="Two guvnors" /> She has said that she enjoys touring and discovering new places but not being away from her husband.<ref name="Two guvnors" /> She has described herself as "lucky, bookish, snoozy" and "incredibly cosy"; she has joked that she would be a bear if she could.<ref name="Two guvnors" /><ref name="Interview 2" /> She enjoys writing, spending time with her family and going for walks with her dog in the woods, and is a fan of science fiction.<ref name="Interview 2" /> Cudden's dream role would be Ellen Ripley in ''Alien''.<ref name="Interview 2" />
==Acting credit== ===Filmography=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}} |- | {{unknown}} | ''Crimson Knights'' | Corin | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Speed Dating'' | Sandra | Short film | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Casualty'' | DS Pierce | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''4.48 Psychosis'' | She | Short film | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Gone Far Away'' | Emily | Short film | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | 2008–09 | ''Casualty'' | Molly | 3 episodes (series 23) | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Casualty" /> |- | 2009 | ''Deep Sleep'' | Fiona | Short film | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | 2009 | ''The Bill'' | Susie Hughes | Guest role (2 episodes) | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits" /> |- | 2011 | ''Doctor Who'' | Anita | 1 episode ("Let's Kill Hitler") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Doctor Who" /> |- | 2011 | ''Vera'' | Grace Bishop | 1 episode ("The Crow Trap") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Vera" /> |- | 2011 | ''PhoneShop'' | Stalker | 1 episode ("It's Training Men") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Phoneshop" /> |- | 2015 | ''Doctors'' | Sylvia Carriere | 1 episode ("Surrogate Dad") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Doctors 1" /> |- | 2016 | ''Holby City'' | Michelle Lavers | 1 episode ("The Hope That Kills") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Holby" /> |- | 2017 | ''Theatre on 4: Occupational Hazards'' | JD | Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Occupational 2" /> |- | 2021 | ''The Girlfriend Experience'' | Sensor Tech | 1 episode ("State of Mind") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Girlfriend" /> |- | 2022 | ''The Midwich Cuckoos'' | Sarah McLean | Recurring role | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Cuckoos" /> |- | 2022, 2025 | ''Am I Being Unreasonable?'' | Liz | Guest role (2 episodes) | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Maze" /> |- | 2023 | ''Father Brown'' | Agnes Morris | 1 episode ("The Wheels of Wrath") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Father Brown" /> |- | 2023 | ''Doctors'' | Lisa Caldwell | 1 episode ("Finding Jacob") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Doctors 2" /> |- | 2024 | ''Mr Bates vs The Post Office'' | Issy Hogg | 1 episode ("Episode 1") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Post" /> |- | 2024 | ''Masters of the Air'' | Marjorie | 1 episode ("Part One") | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Masters" /> |- | 2025 | ''Am I Being Unreasonable?'' | Daniel Radcliffe's mum | Guest role (1 episode) | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Interview 1" /> |- | 2025 | ''Steve'' | Claire | Drama film | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | 2025–26 | ''Coronation Street'' | Becky Swain | Regular role | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Coronation Street" /> |- | 2026 | ''Corriedale'' | Becky Swain | One-off special episode | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Corriedale" /> |}
===Theatre=== {| class="wikitable" ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Production ! scope="col"| Role ! scope="col"| Venue ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- | {{unknown}} | ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' | {{n/a}} | Maddermarket Tour | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''The Metamorphosis'' | Greta | Maddermarket Tour | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''The Rover'' | Moretta/Valeria | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Macbeth''/''Much Ado About Nothing''/''The Tempest'' | Various | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' | {{n/a}} | Blenheim Palace | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Two guvnors" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Messiah'' | Mary/Mary Magdalene/Disciple | Born Again Theatre | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Everyman'' | God | Bretton Hall | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' | Chicken | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Two guvnors" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Pillars Of The Community'' | Lona | Oxford School of Drama | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Plasticine'' | Natasha | Southwark Playhouse | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | {{unknown}} | ''Woyzeck'' | Marie/Journeyman 2 | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Credits 2" /> |- | 2012 | ''Shallow Slumber'' | Dawn | Soho Theatre | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Shallow" /> |- | 2012 | ''The Village Bike'' | Becky | Crucible Theatre | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Bike" /> |- | 2014 | ''Tonight at 8.30'' | Ensemble cast | Several locations | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Tonight" /> |- | 2016 | ''After Miss Julie'' | Christine | Various | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Julie" /> |- | 2017 | ''Occupational Hazards'' | JD | Hampstead Theatre | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Occupational 1" /> |- | 2018 | ''The Last Days of Anne Boleyn'' | Anne Boleyn | Tower of London | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Anne" /> |- | 2019 | ''One Man, Two Guvnors'' | Rachel Crabbe | The Theatre Royal Haymarket | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Two guvnors" /> |- |}
==Directing credits==
* ''Tartuffe''<ref name="LAMDA" /> * ''Pentecost''<ref name="LAMDA" /> * ''The Rover''<ref name="LAMDA" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|3248587}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cudden, Amy}}
Category:Living people Category:21st-century English actresses Category:Actresses from Essex Category:Actresses from Norfolk Category:Actresses from Norwich Category:Alumni of Bretton Hall College Category:Alumni of the Oxford School of Drama Category:English film actresses Category:English soap opera actresses Category:English stage actresses Category:English television actresses Category:English theatre directors Category:Instructors of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Category:Year of birth missing (living people)