Amanda Redman has spoken of her concern at worsening levels of homelessness and what she considers a lack of humanity towards those less fortunate in society.
The three-time BAFTA-nominated actor told how she is seeing more rough sleepers than ever on the streets of London, where she has lived for more than 40 years after growing up in Brighton. And she admits she has also been left upset by seeing protests and hostility towards migrants, including those who have made the desperate decision to risk their lives by travelling across the Channel on dinghies.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Amanda, 68, said: “I don’t think as a young person, I was really aware of homelessness. You can’t help but be now for all sorts of socio-political reasons.
“It’s something that just wasn’t there when I first moved to London, it just wasn’t there. And now it is, and you can’t avoid it. And not just in central London, I think, also, on the outskirts and in the suburbs, everywhere. It seems to be a growing thing.”
Amanda, who was awarded an MBE for services to drama and charity in 2012, has supported a number of organisations, including Ealing Soup Kitchen, which helps increasing numbers of homeless people with food and other services.
Official statistics from earlier this year showed a record number of people slept rough on the streets of England in 2025, representing the fourth year in a row that numbers have risen. An estimated 4,793 people spent the night in tents, doorways and parks on a single night in autumn 2025, up 3% year on year, and overtaking the previous peak of 4,751 in 2017.
Amanda is now hoping new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who vowed to end the problem after visiting homeless shelter The Passage last Monday, can make a difference.
She said: “Good for him that he’s decided to do something about it and let’s wait and see with fingers crossed. If Andy Burnham is true to his word, then good luck to him, I think that would be amazing, wouldn’t it? But it’s a big thing to combat.”
Amanda has previously travelled across the world supporting charities, including the British Red Cross and World Vision, in a bid to bring global attention to vulnerable children and adults, including following natural disasters.
Speaking about violent anti-immigration protests against migrants to Britain, including outside hotels, Amanda said: “I think we’re in a very bad time at the moment. It saddens me hugely to see the lack of humanity towards people who have lost everything and in a way that we can’t possibly comprehend.
“You’ve got to be bloody desperate to do what they do to get somewhere, and who would blame them, you know? It really upsets me.”
Amanda, who became a grandmother 18 months ago when her daughter Emily gave birth to a little girl called Cora, added: “It must be awful. I mean there’s people with little ones. The idea of my baby granddaughter being put through that is just so horrifying… awful. I’d like to see people show more humanity. In the end, we’re all citizens of the world.”
Amanda has enjoyed an illustrious career, which has included her playing Diana Dors in The Blonde Bombshell, Deedee Dove opposite Ray Winstone in gangster flick Sexy Beast, lottery winner Alison in At Home With the Braithwaites and Lydia Fonseca in The Good Karma Hospital.
She remains one of Britain’s favourite actors, but is also now trying her hand at directing an immersive Shakespeare production at London’s historic Middle Temple. Her production ‘Walk the Bard’ will transform the legal library’s hidden gardens into a live theatrical adventure, including six curated scenes from Shakespeare’s most treasured plays over three days next month.
The audience will be wearing audio headsets as they move through the gardens, where the actors, including a classic Shakespearean fool, work around them in the venue, said to be where Tweltfh Night was first performed in front of Queen Elizabeth I.
Amanda said: “I came up with this idea of a promenade around the theme of love, where we have a sort of generic type Shakespearean fool, who takes the audience round to different parts of the garden and then popping out from behind the bushes and behind the trees are the characters and all these different plays.
“I don’t think it’s been done like that before, so it’s quite exciting. It’s a new challenge, directing. I’ve directed for years at my theatre school, but I’ve never done professional productions before, so this is the first time doing that.
“It’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of hard work, but I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. It is very different to doing TV. What you get back from the audience, the feedback is incredible. You don’t get that back from a camera. In theatre, things go wrong and you have to deal with that and audiences often love that actually, because then they really do feel part of it.”
As well as working, the mum-of-one, who bravely went public about suffering nine miscarriages and two ectopic pregnancies in her 40s and 50s, is also enjoying being a grandmother, which she says feels very different to being a mum.
Amanda said: “It’s fabulous, I love it. I didn’t think I would, but I do with every bit of me, it’s fantastic. It’s different from being a parent – for a start you can give them back. So I get the best bits and as a result of that, actually, you’ve got more time to play with them and to give them your attention.
“You’re not the mum having to worry about everything. If she wants to fling food or whatever all over my kitchen, I don’t care. I would have done as a mum!”.
Asked if she would like to see her follow in her footsteps by becoming an actor, she said: “My daughter says over her dead body would she become an actor! But I would want her to do whatever her heart and her passion dictates to her, and I’ll support her 100% with whatever it is.”
To buy tickets to Walk the Bard, visit here
