BBC - Asian Network - Silver Street The Residents

Jodie Howard
Played by Vineeta Rishi

DOB: 7th August 1975
FAMILY : Her father is Mani Ray Jodie's mother Stella died in 2003. Cousin is Vinnie Mukherjee.
LIVES: in a terraced house backing onto the canal.
WORK: Jodie runs The Pump Works a café on the canalside.
CHARACTER: Jodie is confident and self-sufficient. She's a good listener and can be trusted to keep a secret, but she never reveals her own. She's scared of relying on others, and it takes her a long time to make close friends. She feels as if she has a point to prove to her father - now she has finally found him.

STAR SIGN : Leo

Jodie

"Yeah, I suppose you could say I was seeking out my roots by moving here. Mum died seven years ago now, and she spent quite a bit of her life before she had me in this place. Mum was amazing really - brought me up all on her own, and I never wanted for anything. Now I'm going to prove just what a good job she did. That's why I bought the café - to prove I can make something of myself without anyone else's help, just like she did. She always said I had a good head for business.

Now I've found Mani, my dad, I'm really starting to discover my roots, my spiritual Indian roots with his help. It was difficult at first as I had a lot of anger and resentment about the way he abandoned me and my mum. But we've worked things out now and I'm really happy that he's in my life at last..."

"Some of my mates probably thought I was selling out by moving to this "regeneration" area on the canal, but they don't need to worry - I'm not going to start going all conventional or anything, it wouldn't really be me. No, the plan was to save a bit of this area for the locals. I wanted the café to become a sort of meeting place where everybody's welcome - especially those people who feel like they never fit in anywhere else; people a bit like me. With Kuljit's studio there as well it's turning into a real haunt for the local musos, which Dad really likes."