Robert Sugden
| Robert Sugden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Karl Davies as Robert (2009) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emmerdale character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
Richard Smith (1986–89) Christopher Smith (1989–2001) Karl Davies (2001–09) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1986–2005, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 22 April 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 10 February 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
Richard Handford (1986) Anita Turner (2009) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
Mechanic (2001–05) Bartender (2004–05) Chef (2004–05) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Christopher Smith as Robert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Jacob Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, who appeared on the show regularly between 22 April 1986 and 3 October 2005. During that time he was first played as a baby by Richard Smith from 1986 and 1989 before the role was taken over by Christopher Smith from 1989 and 2001. In 2001, Karl Davies took over the role in order for the character to become involved in more adult storylines as he grew older. Karl Davies briefly reprised his role as Robert for one episode airing on 10 February 2009, when he returned for the funeral of his father and longest running character Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby).
Creation and development
The character of Robert Sugden was introduced as the son of Jack (Clive Hornby) and Pat Sugden (Helen Weir). He made his first on-screen appearance on 22 April 1986 as a baby. Initially played by Richard Smith, after three years on the show the character was recast and Christopher Smith took over the role. Christopher Smith remained in the role for twelve years between 1989 and 2001, making him the longest actor to play the character. However, when Smith played the character throughout the 1990s, he was only involved in small storylines, including his decision not to work on his father's farm and his stepmother Sarah's (Alyson Spiro) in 2000.
In May 2001, Christopher Smith was axed from the role after twelve years. ITV announced that they were casting an older actor in the role of Robert in order to involve him in more adult storylines. The character returned in August 2001, now played by Karl Davies. In September the same year, Smith sued Yorkshire Television for unfair dismissal from the role of Robert. However, Davies's reign as Robert Sugden increased the character's popularity as well as establishing the character as a sex symbol. Much of Davies's time on Emmerdale centred upon his long-standing feud with adoptive brother Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher), which was used by Emmerdale producers to compete with rival soap opera EastEnders. His popular relationships with Donna Windsor, Andy's wife Katie Sugden and Debbie Dingle, established him as a bad boy, but the storyline which saw him leave his love interest Elaine Marsden for dead in a car accident, led to him being described as "an out-and-out villain" by critics. In mid–2005 it was announced that either Robert or Andy Sugden or Max King (Charlie Kemp) would be killed in a car accident that would take place in October of that year. The decision to kill off one character came after actor Charlie Kemp quit the show and producers decided to have Karl Davies written out of the soap. The episode which took place on 2 October 2005 saw Max killed while in Andy's land rover, after he grabbed the wheel when Andy and Robert began driving towards each other at high speed after Andy thwarted Robert's plan to escape the village with Andy's daughter Sarah and Sarah's mother Debbie Dingle. The following episode saw Robert leave the serial to avoid trouble with the police.
Return (2009)
Karl Davies was asked to return to the show four years following his initial departure from the show, for one episode centred on the funeral of his on-screen father Jack Sugden, following the death of Jack's real-life portrayer Clive Hornby. Davies reprised his role as Robert on 10 February 2009, which saw him return to the village alongside grandmother Annie Brearly (Sheila Mercier), who had previously been absent from the show since 1996. Davies left the show soon after, and has since not expressed any interest in returning to the show.[1]
Storylines
1986–99
Robert is born on 22 April 1986 to Jack (Clive Hornby) and Pat Sugden (Helen Weir). He has two older siblings Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock), who is the product of a relationship his parents had as teenagers, and Sandie Merrick (Jane Hutcheson) from his mother's first marriage. When Robert is four months old, his mother is killed in a car crash. Later, when he is three years old, Jackie is killed in a shooting accident. Shortly after this, Sandie leaves the village and Robert has no further contact with his maternal family. Robert is left with his father who brings him up single-handed for the first two years of his life. However, Robert receives a new mother figure in Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard), whom Jack begins a relationship with in 1988 and later goes on to marry in May 1994. Robert's half-sister Victoria (Jessica Haywood) is born the same year.
In 1996, Robert befriends Andy Hopwood (Kelvin Fletcher), a boy the same age as him who was in the care of the local authority whilst his father Billy (David Crellin) is serving a prison sentence for robbery and manslaughter. Robert takes Andy to a local quarry where Andy traps his foot under a rock. Robert runs to get help and Biff Fowler (Stuart Wade) rescues Andy.
When Andy's grandmother (Beatrice Kelly) dies, Jack and Sarah decide to foster him and he comes to live with the Sugdens. Robert begins to resent Andy's presence after a while and is unhappy at having to share his home and belongings with another boy. Despite this, Robert defends Andy at school when they are bullied by Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth) and he ends up punching Donna. Donna tries to blame Robert for the bullying but is unsuccessful and she is suspended from school. After leading Donna astray, Robert and Andy take her joyriding in Leeds. This subsequently leads to a feud between the Sugden and Windsor families.
Robert's life is rocked when he discovers that his father is having an affair with Rachel Hughes (Glenda McKay) in 1997. Robert catches Jack and Rachel kissing, which leads to Jack ending the affair but Sarah finds out anyway.
2000–09
Robert's life seems to be back on track, but in 2000 his stepmother Sarah (now Alyson Spiro), has an affair with Richie Carter (Glenn Lamont), and she leaves Jack for Richie, taking Victoria with her. Robert sides with Sarah over his father but Jack is granted custody of him due to Sarah not being his biological mother. Robert stays with Kathy Glover (Malandra Burrows) and tells her of his intentions to leave home when he turns sixteen. On 16 November 2000, Robert returns to the farm to collect some belongings and discovers the barn is on fire. Sarah is in the barn at the time and is killed and Robert is devastated. Jack is arrested and charged with murder but is acquitted after a trial. Roberts discovers that Andy had started the fire and disgusted by this revelation, he leaves for Spain in May 2001 to stay with his grandmother Annie Brearly (Sheila Mercier), and her husband Amos (Ronald Magill).
Robert (now Karl Davies), returns in August 2001. Wanting rid of Andy from his family, Robert starts taunting Andy about his love life. He tries causing problems between Andy and his girlfriend Katie Addyman (Sammy Winward) but is unsuccessful. In September 2001, Robert and Andy go on a night out in Leeds with Katie, Donna Windsor, Ollie (Vicky Binns) and Marc Reynolds (Anthony Lewis), and Eve Birch (Raine Davison). After Andy is thrown out of a nightclub for being under age, the teenagers miss their bus home and Andy steals a car for them to drive home. On their way back they run over and kill their headmistress Barbara Strickland (Alex Hall). Robert suggests they cover their tracks and subsequently burn the car. However the truth eventually comes out. Marc is jailed and Robert and the other teenagers receive community service.
After Andy taunts him over not having a girlfriend, Robert loses his virginity to Nicola Blackstock (Nicola Wheeler), a 24-year-old woman, shortly after his sixteenth birthday. Nicola dumps him the following day when she invites him round to her house in order for him to discover her having sex with Syd Woolfe (Nathan Gladwell).
After leaving school, Robert gets a job working as a mechanic at Scott Windsor's (Ben Freeman) garage. After having sex with her in the back of his car, Robert starts dating Scott's sister Donna, who had previously bullied him and Andy at school. But feeling he is in need of more excitement in his life, he also starts secretly dating Elaine Marsden (Samantha McCarthy).
However, Donna finds out about Robert's cheating, and they temporarily separate. Robert subsequently continues his romance with Elaine, but in September 2003, he and Elaine are involved in a car accident while Robert is driving. Panicking and thinking that he is going to get into trouble, Robert flees the scene, leaving Elaine unconscious in the car alone fighting for her life. Robert manages to lie his way out of trouble, as Elaine has no recollection of how the accident happened. Robert is attacked at the hospital by Elaine's father Ronnie (Ray Ashcroft). In December 2003, Elaine and her family leave the village. Robert and Donna reconcile the same month.
Despite getting back together with Donna, Robert still feels he needs some excitement in his life, and he embarks on an affair with Katie, now Andy's fiance. Robert and Katie are caught out by Andy's half-brother Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor) in January 2004 when he sees them kissing in the garage. Katie threatens Daz in order to make him keep quiet, telling him he will be put into care if he says anything. Daz tells Andy but after Katie convinces him Daz is lying, he is returned to foster care. Victoria (now Hannah Midgley), also discovers the affair and Robert swears her to secrecy and after Katie threatens her she becomes too scared to talk and uses a puppet to speak through instead.
Feeling guilty, Katie ends the affair the day before she is set to marry Andy in February 2004, leaving Robert devastated. However, they later resume the affair after the wedding, even though Robert had recently reconciled with Donna. They intend to run away together, but they are eventually forced to tell Andy about the affair when he discovers Katie's farewell note, leaving him distraught. Donna is also devastated and outraged by the revelation and feels betrayed by both her boyfriend and best friend.
The aftermath of the affair leads to Andy waiting in Robert's caravan with a shotgun, in an attempt to kill them both. However, he accidentally ends up shooting Jack instead, leaving him fighting for his life. Robert initially is unforgiving towards Andy, but after realising that his father's situation is his fault, he forgives Andy and the pair embrace in the hospital. Jack survives the gunshot wound, but disowns Andy and he returns alone to Butler's Farm. Robert also continues his relationship with Katie.
In early 2005, Robert proposes to Katie and she accepts, and the pair plan to marry later in the year. However, Robert is seduced by Sadie King (Patsy Kensit), a woman sixteen years his senior. Robert and Sadie continue their affair behind Katie's back, and Robert believes that he will get away with it. However, Robert is seen kissing Sadie once again by Daz, who tells Andy who then confronts Robert in the garage and attacks him. He tries to force Robert to tell Katie about his affair with Sadie, but Robert insists that Andy is lying. Katie eventually discovers the truth for herself when she finds erotic text messages on Robert's phone from Sadie. Robert and Katie's relationship crumbles and Katie is comforted by Andy and they sleep together. After the breakdown of his relationship with Katie, Robert vows revenge on Andy, and helps Jimmy King (Nick Miles) and Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), both of whom have their own motives, set fire to the barn at Butler's Farm. Robert witnesses Jimmy and Cain beat up Andy, and stops them. Jimmy is then accidentally stabbed with a pitchfork by Daz while he is trying to protect Andy. Robert and Cain carry Jimmy away, and Jimmy survives after his brother Max (Charlie Kemp) patches him up at the vets. However, Robert is found out and thrown out by Jack, who disowns him and calls him a traitor.
Robert and Andy's feud is reignited by this, leading Katie to leave the village in June 2005. Wanting revenge on Andy, Robert begins a relationship with Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb), the mother of Andy's daughter Sarah (Lilly-Mae Bartley). Robert plans to run away with Debbie and Sarah to London, along with Max King who was leaving the village after poisoning cows belonging to the Briggs family for his father Tom (Ken Farrington). However, on the day of their planned departure in October 2005, Andy finds out about Robert and Debbie's plan and after forcing Debbie to tell him where Robert is waiting for her, he drives to the scene and confronts Robert and a fight breaks out. Max is forced to separate them and Robert tells Debbie that he doesn't care about her and was only interested in her because of Sarah and his intention to hurt Andy by taking his daughter away. Debbie leaves and returns to the village heartbroken.
Max then decides against going with Robert and he gets in his car and drives away. Max asks Andy to drive him to the railway station. Filled with rage, Robert turns his car round and accelerates, driving straight at Andy's Land Rover. Max panics and grabs hold of the steering wheel. The Land Rover goes off the road and rolls onto its roof. Robert stops his car and gets out to help. He pulls Andy from the landrover but before he can rescue Max, the Land Rover explodes and Max is killed. Jack arrives on the scene seconds after the accident and Robert tells him what happened. Jack telephones the emergency services and tells Robert to leave the village in order to escape a prison sentence. Jack also tells Andy to tell the police that he swerved to avoid a flock of sheep. Robert then gets into his car and drives away. He never sees his father again. Robert is last seen at a service station, ordering some food and tells the waitress that he intends on travelling whichever direction his car is pointing.
Four years later, Robert returns on 10 February 2009, the day of his father's funeral. Robert visits Butler's Farm, and ends up in a conversation with Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe), who is on her horse and mistakes Robert for an intruder. He explains that his father's funeral is taking place. Robert then watches Jack's funeral from a distance, and Andy, who had left the service after breaking down, sees him. Andy tries to persuade Robert to stay and run the farm, but Robert tells Andy that he doesn't belong in Emmerdale any more, before driving off. Robert then returns to his father's grave after nightfall, and lays a rose upon it, before leaving. After they go to the grave to say a final farewell to Jack, Andy sees the rose and tells Victoria that if Robert could have been at the funeral, he would have come.
Reception
Karl Davies, who was the third actor to portray Robert, received much praise from fans and critics for his portrayal of the character.
References
- ↑ "News - Emmerdale". ITV. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
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