List of Doctors characters (2011)
Doctors is a British medical soap opera which began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 March 2000.[1] Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Mill Health Centre, a fictional NHS doctor's surgery, as well as its sister surgery located at a nearby university campus. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in Doctors in 2011, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the programme's executive producer, Will Trotter. Mrs Tembe (Lorna Laidlaw) arrived in January as a receptionist, with lecturer Lucy Vaughn (Joanne Farrell) began appearing in February, as well Angie Briggs (Den Woods). Dafydd Llewellyn (Richard Corgan) appeared in March as a friend of Jimmi Clay's (Adrian Lewis Morgan), as well as security guard Ryan Murphy (Kaine Barr). General practitioners Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield) and Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers) made their debuts in May. Receptionist Lauren Porter (Alexis Peterman) debuts in August, as well as forensics specialist Harrison Kellor (James Larkin). Marina Bonnaire (Marian McLoughlin) began appearing in August as a love interest for Heston Carter (Owen Brenman).
Mrs Tembe[]
Winifred Clements (also Tembe), portrayed by Lorna Laidlaw, made her first appearance on 5 January 2011 as a new receptionist at The Mill, as a replacement for Ruth Pearce (Selina Chilton). Despite initially being introduced as Mrs Tembe, she later reveals her forename to be Winifred. In April 2016, Mrs Tembe's role within Doctors changed, as she becomes the Practice Manager. On 8 January 2019, it was announced that Laidlaw was to leave Doctors after 8 years. Mrs Tembe's exit storyline saw her move away with Gordon Clement (Steven Elder) to Newcastle after accepting a new job working as a manager for a children's charity. Laidlaw's final scenes aired on 13 February 2019. Laidlaw was named Best Actress at the 2012 RTS Midlands Awards.[2] In August 2017, Laidlaw was longlisted for Best Daytime Star at the Inside Soap Awards.[3] She made the viewer-voted shortlist.[4] On 6 November 2017, Laidlaw won the Best Daytime Star accolade, which is the first Inside Soap Award to be won by Doctors.[5]
Lucy Vaughn[]
Lucy Vaughn, portrayed by Joanne Farrell, first appeared on 11 February 2011, and made her last appearance on 25 February 2011. Lucy is the lecturer of Jack Hollins (Nicolas Woodman), and the pair have a short relationship. Unaware to Jack, Lucy is married, but said they are in a stale marriage.
Angie Briggs[]
Angie Briggs, portrayed by Den Woods, first appeared on 17 February 2011, and made her last appearance on 14 April 2011. She attends a party that her old friend, Karen Hollins (Jan Pearson), also attends. She encourages Karen to date other men when Karen and her husband Rob Hollins (Chris Walker) are separated.
Dafydd Llewellyn[]
Dafydd Llewellyn, portrayed by Richard Corgan, first appeared on 4 March 2011, and made his last appearance on 17 March 2011. Dafydd is the childhood friend of Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan). Dafydd travels the world, and never decides to settle down. He flirts continuously with Cherry Malone (Sophie Abelson), regardless of her saying she didn't feel the same way. Dafydd tries to get Jimmi to pay for a holiday to Spain for him, but Cherry finds out, and Jimmi ends the friendship.
Ryan Murphy[]
Ryan Murphy, portrayed by Kaine Barr, first appeared on 7 April 2011, and made his last appearance on 17 May 2011. Ryan is a security guard who sees Imogen Hollins (Charlie Clemmow) attempt to steal bracelets. He tells her that she must go on a date with him, or he will tell the police what she did. It was later revealed on their date that he likes making pottery and he doesn't get on with his father, as he is an alcoholic.
Freya Wilson[]
Dr. Freya Wilson, portrayed by Lu Corfield, made her first appearance on 11 May 2011, and departed Doctors on 18 June 2012 after dying in a house fire. Following the character's death, Corfield went on to play the role of her sister, Lois Wilson, in 2014. For her portrayal of Freya, Corfield received a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2012 British Soap Awards.[6] At the 2012 Inside Soap Awards, Corfield was nominated for Best Daytime Star.[7] Alison Slade from TVTimes said that Corfield was a strong contender for the accolade because Freya had been a "breath of fresh air".[8] A columnist for AfterEllen said that Freya's sexuality was true to life and not "likely to be straight-forward". They hoped that Doctors would explore the Freya, noting that it would be the "first time" the series had developed a bisexual character.[9] Corfield received "a lot" of letters from viewers telling her that Freya is a positive role model.[10] Henry said that she often received "really positive feedback" via Twitter regarding Freya and Mandy's relationship.[11]
Kevin Tyler[]
Dr. Kevin Tyler, portrayed by Simon Rivers, first appeared on 11 May 2011, and made his last appearance on 30 October 2014. Kevin first arrives for job interview at The Mill, where he meets Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield); they instantly dislike each other. Kevin is mentored by Daniel Granger (Matthew Chambers).
Lauren Porter[]
| Lauren Porter | |
|---|---|
| Doctors character | |
| Portrayed by | Alexis Peterman |
| First appearance | "Skin Deep" 5 August 2011 |
| Last appearance | "The Show Must Go On" 20 September 2011 |
| Introduced by | Will Trotter |
| Classification | Former; recurring |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Receptionist |
| Home | Letherbridge |
Lauren Porter, portrayed by Alexis Peterman, first appeared on 5 August 2011, and made her last appearance on 21 September 2011.
After Mrs. Tembe (Lorna Laidlaw) leaves on holiday, Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) contacts a daughter of an old friend, Lauren. On her first day, she immediately attracts the attention of all the staff, particularly Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers), but only disdain from Dr. Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield). Kevin instantly takes interest in Lauren, and tries to win her over by offering her dinner, but she turns him down. In August 2011, a patient waiting to see Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan) brings her pet rat to the surgery for comfort, which scares Kevin away. Lauren agrees to look after the patient's rat, placing it in a box, feeding it bread. Later, Lauren catches a homeless man named Dennis (Andy Devine) washing his hands and feet in the toilets at The Mill. Freya has words with Lauren after she makes a stereotypical judgement of Dennis. Lauren later agrees to see if Dennis has checked into a homeless shelter Freya recommended. However, she goes home and later tells Freya that Dennis hadn't followed her advice. Lauren continued to bully Imogen Hollins (Charlie Clemmow), annoy Kevin and clash with Imogen's mother Karen (Jan Pearson) when she finally confronted her over her antics. But her lover, Harrison Kellor (James Larkin), was furious when she gleefully admits that she has been cheating on him, and eventually murdered Lauren in a rage by strangling her to death with a tea towel.
Harrison Kellor[]
| Harrison Kellor | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors character | |||||
| Portrayed by | James Larkin | ||||
| Duration | 2011–2012 | ||||
| First appearance | "Evidence of Things Not Seen" 11 August 2011 | ||||
| Last appearance | "Hello and Goodbye" 21 September 2012 | ||||
| Introduced by | Will Trotter | ||||
| Spin-off appearances | Fallout: Parts 1–5 | ||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Crime Scene Investigator | ||||
| |||||
Dr. Harrison Kellor, portrayed by James Larkin, first appeared on 11 August 2011, and made his last appearance on 21 September 2012. Harrison is a forensics specialist at Letherbridge police station. He begins a relationship with Elaine Cassidy (Janet Dibley), but after admitting that he is married, his marriage and relationship with Elaine both end. Having given Jack Hollins (Nicolas Woodman) work experience in his forensics laboratory, he starts up a new relationship with receptionist Lauren Porter (Alexis Peterman). When he finds out that Lauren had a relationship with Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers), he murders her by strangling her with a tea towel, and is then sent to prison.
Return[]
In August 2012, it was announced that Larkin had reprised his role.[12] Larkin appeared in a week of episodes airing on the Red button, as Harrison changes his plea for Lauren's murder to not guilty.[12] Elaine will be in "shock" and Alex Redmond (Stuart Laing) asks for help from Elaine, "which puts her in a difficult position".[12] A statement said, "Discovering that Alex's wife went missing after an affair with Harrison, Elaine is forced to consider that he may have killed other women too. Plagued by phone calls from Harrison in prison, will Elaine be able to confront her former lover and resist his charms?".[12] Series producer Mike Hobson finished in saying, "Lauren's murder was one of Doctors most popular storylines, and this Red Button event picks up on one of the show's most chilling villains, building across the week to a dramatic conclusion".[12] The first episode is to air on 17 September.[12] His return will also serve as the exit storyline for Elaine.[13]
Marina Bonnaire[]
| Marina Bonnaire | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Marian McLoughlin | ||||||
| Duration | 2011–2012 | ||||||
| First appearance | "Making Your Bed" 25 October 2011 | ||||||
| Last appearance | "The Fool" March 5, 2012 | ||||||
| Introduced by | Will Trotter | ||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Occupation | Health visitor | ||||||
| Home | Letherbridge | ||||||
| |||||||
Marina Bonnaire, portrayed by Marian McLoughlin, first appeared on 25 October 2011, and made her last appearance on 5 March 2012.
It was announced in spring 2011 that a new health visitor was to join the cast later on in the year. In August, it was confirmed that McLoughlin was to play the role. She was introduced to be the love interest of long-standing regular, Dr. Heston Carter (Owen Brenman). Marina is well-liked by most staff, especially Heston whom she is in a relationship with. Because of her relationship with Heston, receptionist Mrs. Tembe (Lorna Laidlaw) becomes jealous of her, as she too has feelings for Heston. In November 2011, she moved into Heston's house, to her son's disapproval.
During their relationship, Marina became violent and dispassionate towards Heston, and had very short temper. A culmination of all these things led to Heston deciding to end the relationship. He asked Marina to leave the house, so she ended up back at her son's place in the hope she could stay. However, he saw that she was in the wrong, and told her she had landed herself in this mess.
References[]
- ^ Timblick, Simon (17 March 2020). "Doctors spoilers: Happy 20TH ANNIVERSARY, Doctors!". What's on TV. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Daniel Kilkelly (28 November 2012). "'Doctors': Lorna Laidlaw celebrates RTS success - video". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ Harp, Justin (22 August 2017). "Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks all make the Inside Soap Awards longlist". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (31 October 2017). "Inside Soap Awards 2017 shortlist revealed – which Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks stars are up for prizes?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (6 November 2017). "Emmerdale wins best soap at the Inside Soap Awards for the third year running". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (5 April 2012). "British Soap Awards 2012: Full viewer and panel shortlist revealed". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (9 July 2012). "Inside Soap Awards 2012 - longlist nominees in full". Digital Spy. (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^ Slade, Alison (28 April – 4 May 2012). "I want to win it for dad!". TVTimes. 216 (18): 16, 17.
- ^ "Great LezBritain: Lu Corfield plays doctor". AfterEllen. (Logo). 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Moon, Katy (18–24 February 2012). "Secrets of Doctors". Inside Soap (7): 38.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (23 April 2012). "'Doctors' star Danielle Henry talks Mandy, Freya, more - interview". Digital Spy. (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Kilkelly, Daniel (29 August 2012). "'Doctors' lines up Red Button specials for Harrison return". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (3 September 2012). "'Doctors': Three departures confirmed". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- 2011 in British television
- Lists of Doctors (2000 TV series) characters
- Television characters introduced in 2011