Marsha Thomason was born and raised in Manchester, England. Her love for acting began after watching the musical Bugsy Malone. Soon after, aged twelve, she joined Oldham Theatre Workshop, where she performed many diverse stage plays, including 'Our Day Out' by Willy Russell and 'Peace' by Aristophones. What began as a hobby soon helped her achieve her first professional acting job at the age of fourteen, when she starred in 'The 8:15 from Manchester' (BBC 1). Marsha took 'A' levels in English Language, Media Studies and Theatre Studies before studying for her BA in English at Manchester Metropolitan University. Whilst at university, Marsha won the role of Janice Lafferty in Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement (1996) (TV) alongside Helen Mirren, and later the same year, she appeared in Brazen Hussies (1996) (TV) with Julie Walters and Robert Lindsay. Many parts followed, including Sally in the BBC's popular series, "Pie in the Sky" (1994).