| Phyllis Dobbs | |
|---|---|
| Life on Mars character | |
Noreen Kershaw as Phyllis Dobbs in Life on Mars |
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| First appearance | Life on Mars: Episode 2, series 1 |
| Portrayed by | Noreen Kershaw |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Police Officer Manchester and Salford Police (1973) |
| Title | Woman Police Constable (WPC) |
| Nationality | British |
WPC Phyllis Dobbs is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars. The character is portrayed by Noreen Kershaw, whereas in the American version the character does not exist except for a very minor capacity.
The character does not appear in Life on Mars' spin-off, Ashes to Ashes and no reference is made to the whereabouts or status of the character, however due to the nature of the world in which Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes are set, is likely that Phyllis has moved on to the next life and was already dead in the real world.
The character eventually forms a friendship with fellow WPC, Annie Cartwright. Phyllis, despite being a woman, is regarded by other characters as "one of the lads", and socialises with them in the pub after work which is the "male domain". In a time of social upheaval and women being treated as inferiors to men, Phyllis's no-nonsense attitude earns respect with the male fraternity because they know that, whatever rank they are, she won't tolerate their disrespect. Inappropriate comments to her or her friends may provoke a rude comment or a clip around the ear, as DC Chris Skelton learnt the hard way after he insulted her.
Dobbs is usually seen to in keeping with rules. However, in "Wrongful Death" after a prisoner had died when DS Ray Carling assisted by DC Chris Skelton forced him to eat cocaine, Phyllis fabricated the prisoners charge sheet to show that a doctor had been called for, when in fact one had not by Annie Carwright after DS Carling had given her a specific order not to.
She encourages Sam to act on his feelings toward Annie.[1]
WPC Dobbs' usual role at the police station is manning the front desk, allocating cells to arrested prisoners, and performing welfare checks on them. She exercises some power in this - in "The New World", she allocated a prisoner who had annoyed her to a cell where someone had previously been sick.
Her approximate analogue in Ashes to Ashes is Sergeant Viv James.
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