In July 2006, she appeared in an episode of the new "Doctor Who" series, and the producers were so impressed with her performance that they offered her the role of Martha Jones on the show's upcoming third season, debuting on the 31st March 2007.Brought up in North London, UK, by her Iranian mother and Ghanaian father on the Woodberry Down estate in Manor House with her older sister, Leila, and younger brother, Dominic. Her mother, Azar, and her father, Osei, separated when she was a child.Along with John Barrowman , Eve Myles , Gareth David-Lloyd and Naoko Mori , she is one of only five actors to play the same character (Martha Jones) in both "Doctor Who" (2005) and "Torchwood" (2006).Childhood hobbies were martial arts, gymnastics and horse riding.Her secondary school was Our Lady's Convent in Amhurst Park, Stamford Hill and she attended the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington during the summer of 1996.Graduated in 2000 with BA Honours in Performing Arts and Drama from Middlesex University. Also took theatre courses at Radford University in Virginia, USA in 1998.Ranked #16 on Wizard magazine's 'Sexiest Women on TV' list (March 2008).