Tamzin was propelled to national fame in 1998 with her role as Mel Owen in Eastenders, a role she has reprised several times since her initial departure in 2002, with the most recent being in 2019. Besides being a soap legend, Tamzin has worked steadily as a presenter and narrator, and will be best known recently for starring as DCI Sasha Miller in New Tricks. She joins the cast of Ridley Road as Barbara Watson, the owner of the hair salon where Vivien gets a job when she arrives in London. In the show, Barbara has witnessed racism first-hand towards her son, who is mixed-race.