On 28 June 2010, Lady Benjamin was introduced to the House of Lords as a life peer nominated by the Liberal Democrats.

Floella Benjamin has discussed the racist experiences she had when arriving in Britain as an immigrant, such as with neighbours and at school.

[3] After a spell as a stage actress in West End musicals, she began presenting children's television programmes in 1976, notably Play School for the BBC.

Benjamin has appeared in Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Black Mikado and The Husband-In-Law, as well as several pantomimes.

Her television credits include Angels, Within These Walls, Crown Court, The Gentle Touch and Dixon of Dock Green.

[5] Between 2007 and 2011, she guest-starred in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures as Professor Rivers of the Pharos Institute in the stories The Lost Boy, The Day of the Clown, The Eternity Trap, and Sky.

She also narrated three "making-of" documentaries on the Doctor Who DVD boxed set The Black Guardian Trilogy.

"[7] She featured in the 2023-24 New Year's Eve fireworks display in London, reciting the poem "In This World" by the late Benjamin Zephaniah as part of the segment celebrating the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush.

Benjamin's 20th book, a memoir, Coming to England, about moving from Trinidad, was published in 1997, and is now used to teach modern history to young people.

Benjamin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting.

She is president of the Elizabeth R Commonwealth Broadcasting Fund and a governor of the National Film and Television School.

[18] In the 2010 Dissolution Honours List, she was appointed a Liberal Democrat life peer, being created Baroness Benjamin, of Beckenham in the County of Kent on 26 June 2010.

In her maiden speech, she spoke of choosing Beckenham to reflect the legacy of her mother and father, and the importance of childhood.

She is deservedly a national treasure and we can’t wait to celebrate the impact of her work to date on 12th May at the BAFTA Television Awards.

[citation needed] Benjamin is a patron of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, having lost her mother to the disease in 2009.