Ruby-May Martinwood, who first made her mark in BBC's Father Brown back in 2022, has been a regular fixture on the show ever since.

She portrays Brenda Palmer, the housekeeper of Father Brown (played by Mark Williams), a character with a troubled past involving petty crime and a stint in borstal.

Brenda first appeared in season nine as a murder suspect, before Father Brown uncovered the true culprit.

By season 10, Brenda had become a mainstay of the cast, with Martinwood featuring prominently in most episodes.

Fans of Father Brown are eager to learn more about Martinwood's other ventures, reports Gloucestershire Live.

From the tender age of five, she was part of the Hype Dance Company and later studied acting at the renowned Nottingham Television Workshop, which boasts alumni such as Samantha Morton, Line of Duty's Vicky McClure, and Felicity Jones.

Martinwood also honed her skills in musical theatre at Bird College.

Her first significant role was in the BBC and FX's dark period drama Taboo, where she played street urchin Winter alongside Tom Hardy's tormented James Delaney.

Unfortunately, Winter met a tragic end in Taboo, deeply affecting Delaney.

Her death could have further repercussions in the eagerly awaited second season of Taboo, currently in production.

After her stint in Taboo, Martinwood shone in BBC daytime soap Doctors and the short films Round My Way and Mr Wong's Lullaby. She nabbed a guest spot in the hit BBC crime series Death in Paradise as Layla Carpenter, sharing the screen with Ralf Little's quirky detective Neville Parker.

In the episode from season 11, Martinwood's character gets entangled in a murder investigation following the fatal shooting of a reggae rap artist. On the big screen, she featured in the hard-hitting British film RideBy, which delves into the harrowing world of female gang conflicts.

Martinwood is set to return as Brenda in the much-anticipated 13th season of Father Brown, with filming kicking off this year in the picturesque Cotswolds.

Sharing insights about playing Brenda, Martinwood expressed: "What I love most about playing Brenda is she is super down-to-earth, feisty, smarter than she knows, and so incredibly innocent yet always right on the money when it comes to investigating murders."

She added, "Also it's always fun to play character that's a little bit naughty and a little bit of a terror."

Martinwood also noted, "Brenda been through a lot and has quite a lot on her shoulders for how young she is, so it's always nice to show that side of her as well."

Father Brown is streaming on BBC iPlayer now