Pearl Ladderbanks
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| Emmerdale character | |
|---|---|
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| Mrs Pearl Ladderbanks | |
| Portrayed by | Meg Johnson |
| Duration | 2003- |
| First appearance | 30 July 2003 |
| Last appearance | -- |
| Date of birth | 18th March 1938 |
| Status | Widowed |
| Home | Jacob's Fold |
| Family | Frank and Owen |
Pearl Ladderbanks (née Hartbourne) is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Meg Johnson.
[edit] About Pearl
Flamboyant pensioner Pearl Ladderbanks made quite an impression of Beckindale when she arrived.
Loud and bawdy, Pearl immediately got the attention of Len Reynolds and Jarvis Skelton, and was branded a trollop by prim Edna Birch.
While Pearl was quick to set her cap at Len, he took some persuading to see she was the right woman for him. Eventually they got together and Len proposed to Pearl while they sat in church one day. She accepted - after taking some time to think about it - and the couple settled down together.
But while it looked like they were heading for a happy-ever-after, Len and Pearl’s relationship was about to be tested to the limit as she was hiding a terrible secret. Her son Frank Bernard Hartbourne, who she claimed was a financial advisor, was released from prison - after serving time for rape.
When Len found out the truth, he was horrified and it looked like the relationship might be over. But soon he realised the pain Pearl had been through and agreed to stand by her.
Having nowhere else to go, Frank was invited to Beckindale by a reluctant Pearl. When news of his arrival was announced in the local paper, the villagers went crazy and turned against Pearl and Len in their droves. Only vicar Ashley Thomas and their loyal friend Edna stood by them.
Frank was subsequently beaten up by Scott Windsor after a misunderstanding involving Scott's sister Donna. Frank then left Beckindale.
Devastated, at being treated so shabbily by their neighbours, the couple decided to leave Emmerdale for good. But, after much soul searching, they decided to stay and try and rebuild bridges with those who slighted them.
When she started working at Pollard’s factory, Pearl soon got close to fellow seamstresses Del Dingle and Val Lambert. She’s further delighted when her grandson Owen – the child of her rapist son Frank – arrives in the Dales to visit. Owen is living in Hong Kong with his mother and Pearl is put in a difficult position when he asks to visit his father’s grave.
However, despite the drama, Pearl and Owen form a close bond and as soon as he leaves, she starts to plan a trip to Hong Kong. But traveling half way across the world is going to cost so Pearl and Len go on an economy drive to try and raise the cash.
Having started using the Internet to e-mail Owen, Pearl stumbles upon a get rich quick scheme and invests. For ages she’s convinced the money is going to start flowing and is horrified when it becomes clear she’s been taken for a mug.
By this time Pearl has started to get into financial difficulties as she tries to cover the cost of convincing her friends to invest to. She borrows money off Pollard to try and right the balance but only ends up spiraling even further into debt.
When Len finds out the mess she’s got herself into, he’s horrified but helps pay it off and thinks the matter is resolved. However, he doesn’t know that Pollard is blackmailing Pearl and that now she owes even more cash.
Horrified by the mess she’s in it looked like Pearl was running out of options. She left the village in disgrace without anyone knowing, leaving behind her engagement ring and a letter for Len.
After weeks of not knowing where she was Pearl was found in a pub in Leeds working as a barmaid under a false name - Irene. When her boss confronted her after she her picture in the paper Pearl told him the whole story and tried convincing her to ring home. While in Leeds Pearl ran into Daz Eden, who was bruised up after a beating from his Mum's boyfriend. After much talking between the two the both returned to Beckindale with Daz receiving a welcoming visit from his family and friend. Unfortunately the same wasn't the same for Pearl except for her loyal friends Edna and Danny.
Over time Pearl has managed to regain the trust of many of the villagers of Emmerdale and the love of her husband Len who she is now living with. Pearl works for the Kings at Home Farm as their housekeeper, she got this position after Edna vouched for her to Tom King. When Tom King was murdered on Christmas day Pearl was in Home Farm looking for him and although she is not a suspect herself she is a key witness to the murder of her employer.
When Pearl overheard Kelly Windsor speaking to Jimmy King about his alibi Pearl realised that she had seen Kelly in the house on the night of the murder meaning that she definitely couldn't have been with Jimmy at the time that Tom was killed thus undermining his alibi. After confronting Kelly with this information Pearl was intimidated and blackmailed by Jimmy in an attempt to make sure she would not go to the police.
Pearl naively thought that Eric Pollard was being her friend and helping her after the death of her beloved Len Reynolds and she returned the favour by baking cakes for him - The truth came out when Jasmine Thomas told Pearl that he had been deceiving and swindling her all along and herself and her friends Edna Birch, Duke Woods and Alan Turner were livid and said that he was a 'Bully and a coward'.
When Douglas Potts was grieving for his grandson Daniel in February 2008, he felt he had no one to turn to, and Pearl listened to his problems. Edna and Betty were concerned about her intentions toward Douglas and at the Woolpack gathering held after Daniel's memorial service, Edna advised Pearl against going to see how Douglas was doing. Pearl quickly realised what Edna was implying and furiously told her she had a filthy mind.
Pearl began dating Joe Jacobs, after initially deciding he was too fresh. She also started a syndicate with Betty, Edna, and Edna's sister Lily, filling out various contests in magazines. She won two cruise tickets, and Betty and Lily competed for her affections. When she saw Joe again, they convinced her he only cared about the ticket. The next day, he learned why she'd walked out on him and told her he'd spent most of his career at sea, he had no desire to ever go on the water again. Pearl decided to give the other ticket to Vera Washington, whom she disliked, and this would stop Betty and Lily from feeling hurt at being left out. Instead, they were both annoyed with her, and she again doubted her plans. They soon found out the truth and began competing over the ticket again. Eventually, she chose Lily, but Lily was so controlling that Joe dropped a suitcase on her foot to make sure she couldn't go. Betty was no longer interested, so Pearl, realising Joe had strong feelings for her, gave him the other ticket.
[edit] Family
- Husband: Ted Ladderbanks (deceased)
- Son: Frank Bernard Hartbourne
- Grandson: Owen Hartbourne
