Ambika Mod

Ambika Bhakti Mod is an English actress, comedian, and writer born on October 2, 1995. She gained widespread recognition for her leading roles in television drama series, most notably the BBC medical drama This Is Going to Hurt and the Netflix romantic miniseries One Day. In addition to her screen work, she has established a background in live comedy performance, short films, and audio productions.

Mod was raised in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, by her parents, who are Indian immigrants. She attended Dame Alice Owen's School before studying English Studies at St Mary's College, Durham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Durham, she performed sketch comedy with the Durham Revue, serving as the troupe's president in 2017 and taking part in the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She also studied acting at Theatrix Performing Arts of St Albans and performed regularly at The Free Association improv theatre in London. Early in her career, she worked daytime as a personal assistant at Condé Nast while pursuing comedy at night.

After appearing in short films including Fair Bnb, Granddaughter, The Sacrifice, and Pet Name, Mod secured her television breakthrough in 2022. She was cast as struggling junior doctor Shruti Acharya opposite Ben Whishaw in the BBC series This Is Going to Hurt. Her performance earned widespread critical acclaim, a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress, and selection for the 2022 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, through which she gained actress Emma Thompson as a mentor.

In 2024, Mod starred as Emma Morley alongside Leo Woodall in the Netflix miniseries One Day, adapted from David Nicholls' novel. Although she initially declined the audition due to the emotional toll of her previous role, her performance received critical acclaim and marked a significant breakthrough in her career. Upon release, One Day became Netflix's most-watched series globally for that week. Mod noted the personal importance of her casting as a South Asian woman in a primary romantic lead role.

Mod continued to expand her acting profile with several screen and audio projects in 2025. She appeared in supporting roles in the action feature films Black Bag and Sacrifice, and played a journalist investigating a missing child in the Disney+ thriller series The Stolen Girl. She was also cast in the second season of Netflix's Black Doves and joined the cast of the Harry Potter audio adaptation series as Nymphadora Tonks.

Throughout her career, Mod has been recognized for her performances and advocacy regarding industry representation. In 2024, she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list, Time's TIME100 Next list, and was named Breakthrough of the Year at the Harper's Bazaar UK Women of the Year awards. She has also received honors from British GQ, Elle, and The Sunday Times. In September 2025, Mod signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine, committing not to collaborate with Israeli film institutions implicated in genocide and apartheid.