Jade Anouka is a London-based actor and poet. Since graduating from the Guildford School of Acting, she has starred in stage and screen productions including Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Shakespeare trilogy, Channel 4’s Chewing Gum and the ITV drama Trauma. In 2016, she published a collection of poetry, Eggs on Toast, and last year gave a TEDx talk, Being Black, Being a Woman, Being “Other”. Anouka stars in a new six-part series Cleaning Up opposite Sheridan Smith on ITV from 9 January.
1. Restaurant
Nandine
This is in Camberwell, south-east London, near my house, so I go there a lot. It’s run by a Kurdish family – the mum does all the cooking – and the food is ridiculously good. They do mezes, böreks, baklavas and their breakfasts are the best ever. It’s really bright, so I often sit and work there and have coffee or go there with my dog because it’s right by a park. Every time I go I have to order something else. It’s out-of-this-world good, how they flavour their food. I recommend the full Nandine breakfast: that’s the one.
2. Music
Janelle Monáe
I saw her in a small venue in Manchester last year and she’s back this year, playing Wembley Arena. When I saw her it was hands down the best live music performance I have ever seen. And even though I fear something may be lost by seeing her at Wembley – it’s just so big! – I have to watch her again. She puts on such a great show. It’s theatre. It’s funny. It’s refreshing. It’s futuristic. She can really sing and, boy, can she dance. You feel like you are watching a music legend being formed before your eyes. Don’t miss it.
3. TV
All the David Attenborough documentaries are brilliant and I’m loving this series. I watched the lion one the other day. I knew nothing about the set-up of prides, where the leader of the pack is a female; it was fascinating to watch. I couldn’t believe that the lions were being poisoned by humans because there was no space for them to graze their cows. It’s hard to watch sometimes, but it’s so important. I particularly love the bit at the end where they follow the camera crew and show how they filmed it.
4. Place
Beckenham Place Park
This park is just a short drive from me and I take my dog there a lot. There’s a big mansion there that used to be the headquarters of a golf club, where you can now do yoga and art classes. It’s massive – so expansive and wide – and it’s on a hill, so you can sort of see forever. It’s beautiful all year round. I’ve heard that next spring they’re restoring a lake there for wild swimming and kayaking, so I can’t wait to go down there for that.
5. Theatre
I went to see this play when it was at the National last year, and I booked tickets for my family to see it at Christmas. It’s about the Jamaican funeral tradition that lasts nine nights. It shows Caribbean culture in London and it really resonated with me. It was so familiar – even the set looked like my aunt’s house. It’s so rare to see something that is a bit of your life on stage. I’m so glad it has been transferred to the West End, because it’s brilliant. It’s so funny – you will laugh until you cry.
6. Comedy
I’ve just seen his new Netflix show Son of Patricia and it’s brilliant. It’s very clever comedy. He manages to talk about big issues such as colonialism, empire, nationality and racism, but does it in such a funny way. He doesn’t alienate people, but then somehow he can laugh at everyone. And his impressions are amazing. There’s a particularly great sketch in his old Netflix show, Afraid of the Dark, where Obama goes to meet Nelson Mandela. It’s so good. He’s got their voices down to an absolute T.
