Katy was born in Guildford and grew up in London, daughter of sportswriter and campaigner J.L. Manning OBE. She trained as a dancer which ended with a devastating car accident aged 15. After a two-year recovery Katy visited her family in New York where she was offered a five-year contract with MGM but with parental advice decided it wiser to learn her craft. Katy attended The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts.

To touch lightly on Katy’s long career which has spanned three countries over 55 years. Katy began in Television with ‘Softly Softly Taskforce’, this was followed by the groundbreaking series for ITV written by John Braine ‘Man At The Top ‘. She was given the juvenile lead of Julia opposite Kenneth Haigh. While making this Katy was chosen from several hundred hopefuls to play Josephine Grant in ‘Doctor Who’ with the unforgettable Jon Pertwee. After three fantastic years Katy left ‘Doctor Who’, whereupon the brilliant, innovative Director Douglas Camfield cast her in two very different and edgy roles. In ITV’s ‘Armchair Theatre – The Golden Road’(shown a few years ago at the BFI as part of an important 70’s Drama season) and then as the drug addicted teen Joanne in the BBC series ‘Target’ with Patrick Mower.

This was followed by her first film written by Michael Pertwee, ‘Don’t Just Lie There Say Something’ as little Miss Damina, Starring Brian Rix, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims and Joanna Lumley. And for BBC Wales comedy series ‘Are you making any Money?’ starring Stan Stennett MBE.

Her stage debut was Stanley Eveling’s ‘Union Jack and Bonzo’ at the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival, directed by the renowned Director Michael Ochrent for which she won best newcomer in a fringe production. At the same time Katy was commuting back to the BBC to host an arts and crafts programme ‘Serendipity’.

Katy was then cast in the coveted role of Louise starring opposite Derek Nimmo in smash hit ‘Why Not Stay for Breakfast?’ at the Apollo Theatre for 3 years.  This was followed by Marion in ‘There’s a Girl in my Soup’ directed by its writer Terrence Frisby and starring Gerald Flood and Lawrence Payne, and ‘So who needs Men?’ at the New London Theatre. Katy then joined The Young Vic Theatre Company as Ophelia in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ and a trilogy of Tom Stoppard plays ‘The Real Inspector Hound’, ‘Rosencrantz and ‘Guildenstern are Dead’ and ‘If You’re Glad, I’ll Be Frank’.

At Chichester festivals she performed in ‘Out of the Blue’, ‘Duet for Two’ and ‘V. E . Night’, which was also a first to be taped in a BBC Studio with a live audience. Katy has toured extensively around the UK with plays including ‘Doctor in the House’ with Jimmy Edwards, Lionel Blair and Hugh Lloyd; ‘The Monkey Walk’, ‘Odd Man In’ with Colin Baker and Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Bedroom Farce’.

Katy then became a mother of twins, Georgie and J.J., and for their health reasons went to Sydney, Australia for a few months but ended up staying for twenty years!

Starting a whole new career there, beginning with ‘The Odd Couple’ with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, Simon Gray’s ‘Otherwise Engaged’ with Martin Shaw, ‘See How They Run’ with Andrew Sachs plus at The Sydney Opera House she played Elvira in ‘Blithe Spirit ‘, Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘How the Other Half Loves’ and Rita in ‘Educating Rita ‘.

Katy returned to London’s West End for ‘Run for your wife’ with Bernard Cribbins, David McCallum and Eric Sykes at the Criterion Theatre. Then back to Australia to appear as Dotti in ‘Noises Off’, ‘Mother’s Day’ where she met her partner of many years, Aussie Icon Barry Crocker MBE. Next came ‘Hot Taps ‘,’The Removalists’ by David Williamson, Australia’s most successful and prolific playwright. Touring across Australia with plays such as ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ with Gordon Kaye and ‘The Slippery Slope’.

As a director Katy directed ‘Banjo’ at Sydney Opera House written and Starring Barry Crocker, ‘Shirley Valentine’ and the big musical ‘Eureka ‘. Then Katy took on a huge challenge in playing nine characters including Bette Davis in a true story about Bette ‘Me and Jezebel’ directed by Barry Crocker which toured Australia.

Katy voiced multiple commercials and several animated features. She won two European awards for the character of 10-year-old Gloria in ‘Gloria’s House’ and voiced the puppy Oakie in feature animation of ‘Oakie’s Outback Adventure’.  She filmed ‘Frog Dreaming’ with Henry Thomas and won Best supporting actress at the Melbourne film festival in ‘When Darkness Falls’. Katy was also the voice of UKTV and hosted a little interview show with guests including Sir Lenny Henry, Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Robson Greene, Cleo Laine, Petula Clark, Basil Brush and many more. Katy then returned to London, where her heart always was, with the one woman show ‘Me and Jezebel ‘performing at the New End Theatre Hampstead then onto The Edinburgh Festival for a critically acclaimed run at the Gilded Balloon.

Then back to our screens forty years on as Jo Jones in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’ alongside the wonderful Elisabeth Sladen and the then current Doctor Matt Smith, written by the masterly Russell T.Davies . Her short films include ‘Memoriia’, ‘The Power of One Coin’and Feature Horror ‘Harry Paine’.

Theatre has included ‘Nobody’s Business’ at the Kings Head London, Agatha Christie’s ‘A Murder is Announced’, ‘Death by Fatal Murder’, ‘Keeping up With the Jones’ at the Greenwich theatre and Edinburgh Festival at the Pleasance theatre with Susan Penhaligon. Also, in Edinburgh ‘An Evening with Katy Manning’ and ‘Secret Secrets’.

Katy’s extensive audio work for the excellent Big Finish productions, apart from numerous audio dramas as both Jo Grant and Jo Jones, includes ‘Dracula’, ‘Torchwood’ with co-stars such as Sir Derek Jacobi, Jemma Redgrave, Jon Culshaw and Tim Treloar. She played both Jo and the evil Mother Nothing with John Barrowman and ‘Dorian Gray’ written by Gary Russell, directed by Scott Hancock starring Alex Vlahos. Most recently playing The Ice Warrior Queen for a Second Doctor box set. For over 20 years Katy has voiced the unstoppable & unpredictable time traveling Iris Wildethyme, working with Colin Baker Peter Davison Sylvester McCoy & more.

Plus, the one woman play Katy wrote and performed briefly on stage while living in New York and LA during the 90s titled ‘Not a Well Woman’, complete with 26 characters, directed by Nicholas Briggs now available on CD and Spotify.

For over 20 years Katy has voiced writer Paul Magrs’ extraordinary mysterious Time Traveller ‘Iris Wildethyme’ alongside some star-studded casts including, Hugh Skinner, Derek Fowlds, David Benson, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Peter Davison. She has also just read a trilogy of Iris Wildethyme books by Paul Magrs with over 50 character voices.

For Bafflegab productions she was in ‘Bakers End’ with Tom Baker, Diane Morgan and David Benson written by Paul Magrs and won the New York Radio Drama Award. This was then followed by ‘Bakers End’ with Colin Baker and ‘Vince Cosmos’ starring Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Katy has written her first non-charity short story for the book ‘Doctor Who Origin stories’ released by BBC and Penguin Random House Press.

She has completed three ‘Doctor Who’ Blu Ray Box sets with lovely shorts written Pete McTighe for Jo Jones and her Professor husband Cliff Jones. Plus, several appearances on ‘ Behind the Sofa’

Katy also appeared briefly in ‘ The Power of The Doctor ‘ then a beautiful story by Phil Ford with Daniel Anthony in’ Tales from The Tardis ‘.

Katy is clocking up the miles on regular trips back to her family in the USA and to Australia to be with her Twins J.J. and Georgie, her first  grandchild and partner Barry and much missed dogs.