She was one of the most beloved characters on British TV in the noughties, earning plenty of award nominations and a legion of fans. Now, she’s making a grand return.
After shooting to fame at just 13 years old in the 2002 series The Story of Tracy Beaker, which was so popular it spawned five spin-off shows, the now 35-year-old is reprising her iconic role for one episode only.
But just who is the actress we’re talking about? You might have guessed that it is, of course, Dani Harmer, aka the one and only Tracy Beaker.
BBC announced that the star will be reprising her role in the spin-off series, The Dumping Ground, this January, as well as directing her own episode.
The series, which has been running since 2013, is set in a children’s home and follows the lives of the young people who live there, often exploring difficult and drama-filled storylines.
Sharing her excitement, Dani told the series network BBC that it is ‘good’ to be back playing the character who has been a part of her life for over 20 years, and admitted that while it’s only a one-off cameo, she would happily play Tracy ‘forever’.
She added: ‘This series of The Dumping Ground will not disappoint, we’ve got some fantastic storylines and some incredibly talented actors joining the cast. The team do such an amazing job nurturing them and they have really supported me behind the camera too, it’s such a special production to be working on.’
‘I loved being behind the scenes for an episode – it was very different being sat in the director’s chair but I enjoyed every single second of it… it felt like that was where I was meant to be!’
Dani is no stranger to jumping in and out of the role of Tracy. After the original series wrapped in 2006, she went on to reprise her role in 2010 for Tracy Beaker Returns, earning herself a Bafta nomination along the way.
The actress also played the Jacqueline Wilson-inspired character in the 2011 series The Tracy Beaker Survival Files, the 2021 mini series My Mum Tracy Beaker and The Beaker Girls.
Dani’s career hasn’t been isolated to playing the fictional character though, she has also dabbled in music, signing a £3million record deal with Universal Group in 2008 and recording her debut album Superheros, however it was never released and she returned to acting.
Elsewhere, she has competed in Strictly Come Dancing, coming fourth place with her professional dance partner Vincent Simone in 2012.
While Dani has spent most of her career in front of the camera, it seems her cameo on The Dumping Ground also marks the start of her journey behind the camera, with BBC confirming she will not only direct her episode but also support young actors in the show.
It may come as no surprise to fans of the show, as the North East filmed series has long been known to work on ‘nurturing new British talent and backing the best of homegrown storytelling’ according to the broadcaster.
The Dumping Ground series 13 airs Friday, 17 January, on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
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