Tameka Empson


Tameka Lydia Empson is an English actress and comedian. She appeared as one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show 3 Non-Blondes. In 2009, she began portraying the role of Kim Fox in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Career

As well as her television work, Empson has appeared in a number of films. In 1996, she appeared in the film Beautiful Thing as Leah Russell, the next-door neighbour of the main characters. Empson worked alongside Linda Henry, both of whom would eventually join the cast of EastEnders; in 1998 she appeared as the love rival to the main character in the film Babymother. Empson is an experienced theatre actress having performed as Billie in the original cast of Our House, a musical featuring songs from the ska/pop band Madness, which premiered at The Cambridge Theatre in October 2002 and ran on until August 2003. She has since been a mainstay of the Hackney Empire annual pantomimes.
In 2008, Empson appeared in the BBC sitcom Beautiful People and in the ITV1 thriller Whitechapel. In 2009, she joined the cast of EastEnders, playing Kim Fox, the half-sister of Denise Fox. As a result, she has won several awards including an Inside Soap award in 2012 for "Funniest Female Performance". She took maternity leave from EastEnders and returned to screens August 2014. On 16 July 2019, it was announced that Empson would be temporarily leaving the series, with her return set to air in 2020. Empson confirmed on Loose Women that the break was her maternity leave for her second child, and that she did not deliberately keep it a secret, but that she "just wanted to enjoy it".
Empson is a regular performer at the Hackney Empire starring in the theatre's annual pantomime since 2004; she has also starred in Anansi and the Magic Mirror and has a live sketch and comedy show with Choice FM DJ Kat B. She has also voiced Tickbird in Tinga Tinga Tales, and Jojo's mother in the series JoJo & Gran Gran. On 22 August 2016, Empson was revealed as a contestant participating on the Strictly [Come Dancing series 14|fourteenth series] of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Gorka Márquez. They were the second couple to leave the competition. In 2019, she appeared on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice to raise money for Comic Relief. Later that year, she appeared as a panellist on The Apprentice: You're Fired!, and voiced the role of Pearl the Police Horse on the Disney Channel (British and [Irish TV channel)|Disney Channel] series 101 Dalmatian Street.
In 2025, Empson appeared as a contestant on the first series of The Celebrity Traitors. Empson competed as a Faithful but was ultimately the second player to be banished in episode 4. When asked how she would summarise her experience on the Traitors in three words she said, "Amazing. Stressful. Brilliant.".
Empson was awarded the Honorary Game Changer Award by the Comedy Women [in Print Prize] in 2025, "in recognition of Tameka’s work which sits across all areas of comedic input from writing, curating a TV series, comedic acting and ‘being herself’ but always with wit at the forefront."

Filmography

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResult
2011The British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2011Inside Soap AwardsFunniest PerformanceWon
2012British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2012Inside Soap AwardsFunniest FemaleWon
2013Inside Soap AwardsFunniest FemaleWon
2014Inside Soap AwardsFunniest Female
2015British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2015TV Choice AwardsBest Soap ActressNomitated
2015Inside Soap AwardsFunniest FemaleWon
2016British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2016Inside Soap AwardsFunniest FemaleWon
20172017 British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2017Inside Soap AwardsFunniest Female
2018Inside Soap AwardsFunniest Female
20192019 British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceNomitated
2019Inside Soap AwardsFunniest FemaleNomitated
2021Inside Soap AwardsFunniest PerformanceNomitated
2021I Talk Telly AwardsBest Soap Partnership Nomitated
20222022 British Soap AwardsBest Comedy PerformanceWon
2022Inside Soap AwardsBest Comic Performance
2022I Talk Telly AwardsBest Soap Partnership Nomitated
2023TVTimes AwardsFavourite Soap ActorNomitated
2023I Talk Telly AwardsBest Soap Partnership Nomitated
2025Comedy Women in Print PrizeHonorary Game Changer AwardWon