List of Doctors characters (2000)

The original nine main characters.

The following is a list of characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors in 2000, by order of first appearance. In the first ever episode, viewers were introduced to the characters of Anoushka Flynn, Joanna Helm and Kate and Mac McGuire. Throughout the following episodes, Caroline Powers, Helen Thompson and Steve Rawlings were introduced. Rana Mistry and Ruth Harding later completed the final nine regular characters, as well as Mac's son Patrick later arriving, appearing on a recurring basis.

Anoushka Flynn

Anoushka Flynn played by Carli Norris,^[1] made her first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 19 May 2000.

Anoushka was the nurse at the surgery, and had relationships with both Steve Rawlings (Mark Frost) and Rana Mistry (Akbar Kurtha). Months later, she discovers she is pregnant with either Steve's or Rana's babies. She leaves the surgery the following day, to take care of the baby and start a new life. She was the first original Doctors cast member to leave.

Joanna Helm

Sarah Manners (pictured) said she had the "best storylines" whilst on Doctors.

Joanna Helm played by Sarah Manners, made her first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 1 June 2001.

Joanna was the receptionist at the surgery, the first that the surgery had.^[2] Joanna meets her grandmother Jessie (Marcia Ashton). Joanna looks at Jessie's medical records and finds out that Jesie is dying of a brain tumour. Jessie tells Joanna that she knows she is dying, and asks Joanna to help her die. Joanna helps Jessie die, and pretends to be upset when she is told that Jessie died overnight. However, when Jessie's nurse takes a look at how she died, she suspects foul play. Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy) was suspected on killing Jessie, however Mac is cleared. Due to the guilt, Joanna began taking drugs, stealing them from the surgery. She subscribed to more drugs, forging signatures of doctors at the surgery, and eventually took an overdose, nearly dying. She later confessed to the death of her nan, all part of an euthanasia pact, and was dismissed by Mac, on good terms.

Development

Joanna was described as "troubled" and "dippy".^[2] Manners also opined that Joanna caused "mischief".^[2] Wales Online described Joanna as "bubbly".^[3] According to Daily Mirror, Manners "won herself an army of male fans" as Joanna, as she was "flirty".^[4] Sunday Mail described her storylines, "She was involved in mercy killing, drug addiction and a suicide attempt to name but a few of her spicier plotlines".^[2][5] Manners said of this, "I got the best storylines in the world in Doctors, my nan died of a brain tumour then it came out I killed her. I went mad and was addicted to anti-depressants, forged signatures and tried to kill myself".^[2] When it was announced that Manners was to join Casualty after she had departed the show, the Sunday Mail said, "That spells trouble for everyone if her medical record is anything to go by" and similarly when Manners joined The Bill after she departed the show, The Metro said that Manners "rose to fame" whilst on the show.^[2][6]

Kate McGuire

Kate McGuire played by Maggie Cronin, made her first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 26 May 2006.^[7]

Kate is the wife of Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy) and set up "Riverside" with Mac. The two had a son named Ciaran (Tomas Hughes), but the two divorced when Kate fell in love with Father David Quinn (Richard Standing). However, David died in a car crash, and Kate therefore left the church. Ciaran was later kidnapped, however when he was returned, she regained her belief in the church. After a two-month gap, Kate returned to "Best Practice" as the new receptionist. Mac remarried his old wife, Julia Parsons (Diane Keen), as she became the new Practice Manager at the surgery. Kate and Julia became enemies as Kate still had feelings for Mac, which Julia knew about, but soon became friends.^[7] Kate met Dr Mike Miles (Michael J. Jackson) leaving to Ireland with him, where their relationship ended. Whilst in Ireland, Mac visited Ciaran and had an affair with her whilst there. Julia found out, ordering them to leave the surgery, and both depart to Ireland.^[7]

In the 2003 British Soap Awards, she was nominated for 'Best Actress' but Kacey Ainsworth who played EastEnders's Little Mo Mitchell won, and again in the 2004 British Soap Awards, but Suranne Jones who played Coronation Street's Karen McDonald won.^[8] In the 2003 BSA's, she was nominated for 'Villain of the Year' but Brian Capron who played Coronation Street's Richard Hillman won.^[8]

Mac McGuire

Dr. Brendan "Mac" McGuire played by Christopher Timothy, made his first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 26 May 2006.^[9]

Mac was twice-married, first to Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) in 1968, to whom he had three children, sons Patrick (Alan McKenna) and Liam (Tim Matthews), and daughter Samantha. The marriage lasted 25 years before he divorced her in 1993. In 1995, Mac got married to Kate (Maggie Cronin), with whom he had one son, Ciaran (Tomas Hughes), whose birth led to Mac becoming an alcoholic. This marriage only lasted seven years when in 2002, Kate had an affair with a priest, resulting in Mac having a heart attack. This near-death experience resulted in Mac confiding in Julia. Mac then remarried Julia in 2004, but only lasted three years, when they divorced in 2007. Mac became friends with Dr Peter Kendrick (Robert Cavanah), however Peter became depressed and soon committed suicide. On 26 May 2006, Mac left Letherbridge, moving to Ireland, after Julia orders him and Kate to leave when she discovers he had an affair with Kate.^[9]

Development and reception

Christopher Timothy (pictured) described Mac as "James Herriot grown older".

In the press release for Doctors in March 2000, Timothy was said to be "thrilled" to be on the show adding, "On set there's an amazing sense of drama and commitment from everyone around. People really want it to be a success".^[1] Described as a "old-fashioned and highly-respected physician who isn't afraid to speak his mind", Timothy added that Brendan (known to his colleagues as "Mac"), is "James Herriot grown older".^[1] In an interview with Sussex Life, Timothy stated of his time on Doctors that he loved "the dramatic standards achieved by the fast-paced series, despite the kind of squeeze on time and resources unheard of" adding, "The budget was a joke and the pressure more intense than anything I’d ever experienced. But it was six years of great fun and I got to direct, which I loved".^[10] When asked if he had picked up any medical knowledge from the role he said, "No, not really. I spent a week with a real vet in Yorkshire and a day with a real GP in his surgery but I didn’t really watch procedures. The actual procedures – how to take blood pressure and that sort of thing – I picked up as I went along".^[11] He added that; "Working in something like Doctors you learn your lines, you say the scene and then forget them because you then have to remember another scene, and another scene".^[11] Head of Drama Mal Young said Timothy sat in a consulatation room for a day, adding that people were "very good and mostly unfazed by the sight of an actor listening, they were very understanding, especially one woman who came in to talk about hormone replacement therapy!".^[1] TV Choice's Nick Fiaca commented that Julia had a "torrid time" with Mac.^[12] In 2010, producer Peter Eryl Lloyd was asked by Digital Spy if Mac was to return, in which he replied, "I don't know why we'd do that unless there was a very good reason. The show has moved on since Chris was with us so I don't think anyone would want the character back just out of nostalgia. But if it's motivated, if it has an impact on our characters and makes sense dramatically, then never say never".^[13] The British Theatre Guide, said Mac was "very successful".^[11]

In the 2003 British Soap Awards, Timothy was nominated for "Best Actor" but lost out to Brian Capron who played Coronation Street's Richard Hillman.^[8] Again, in 2004 and 2005, he was nominated for "Best Actor", but Shane Richie who plays EastEnders Alfie Moon won both of the 2004 and 2005 awards.^[8] In the 2006 awards, he was nominated for "Best Actor" but lost out to Ross Kemp who played EastEnders's Grant Mitchell.^[8] In the same 2006 awards, Timothy and Robert Cavanah who played Dr Peter Kendrick were nominated for "Best Storyline", in which Kendrick committed suicide, however Justin Burton (Chris Fountain) and Becca Hayton (Ali Bastian) affair in Hollyoaks won.^[14]

Caroline Powers

Dr. Caroline Powers played by Jacqueline Leonard, made her first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 1 June 2001. An experienced doctor, Caroline is involved in many cases such as when Noel Kenworth (Anthony Edridge) has had a vasectomy, however his wife, Karen (Karen Henthorn), still wants children. In May 2001, Caroline's mother, Jane (Stefanie Powers) arrives from America, with her soon to be husband David Wilde (Darren Day) arriving shortly after. Caroline started to have feelings for David. They kiss and Caroline admits her feelings to David, and the two have sex. On Jane's and David's wedding day, Caroline ran away with David, concluding the series.

Development

In a press release for the announcement of Doctors, it was stated that Leonard known for her role in EastEnders playing Lorraine Wicks, was cast in the role of Caroline.^[1] Leonard had taken a year off from acting, after previously caring for her sick mother,^[1] however Leonard started to worry that as she was "missing out on bigger roles, and she grew concerned that casting directors only saw her as Lorraine".^[15] She said, "The right job never seemed to come up, I went up for things like Coronation Street and always got down to the last few, but never quite got it, almost like my profile was too high", she finished in saying, "Doctors came along at exactly the right time", stating she felt "lucky" and that she is "the happiest I've been in a long time".^[15] She added, "There's a lot of humour on the set of Doctors, we're a good melting pot of people from all over, which reflects the cosmopolitan nature of the series".^[15] The BBC described her character as "demanding", Daily Mirror describes her as "hard-drinking" and "hard-talking",^[16] and Leonard said she is a "dark horse who is giving out a lot of signals, right from the very beginning".^[1]

Helen Thompson

Dr. Helen Thompson played by Corrinne Wicks, made her first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 16 December 2005.^[17]

Before the series began, Helen got married to a man called Phil (Mark Adams) with whom she had two children with, a son Dan (Joshua Prime) and a daughter Claire (Tara Coleman-Starr). In 2002, Helen became a widow when Phil was killed in a car crash. However, at the time of the crash she was in bed with colleague Marc Elliot (Tom Butcher), and was succumbed over guilt until she found out that Phil was also guilty, hiding the fact he had a second family. Helen and Marc set up "Best Practice" together and started a relationship. Over time, Helen started to dislike Marc and claimed she wasn't in love with him anymore. Due to this, Marc left to build orphanages in Kosovo. In 2004, Helen again fell in love with Dr. Jack Ford (Steven Hartley) and he proposed to her, with Helen agreeing. However, Jack was murdered by his former wife Ria (Mandana Jones), devastating Helen. The next year Marc returned with a new fiancé, Bella Forest (Sharon Maharaj). But both Marc and Helen realised that they were still had feeling for each other, so both Helen and Marc left Letherbridge to begin a new life together.^[17]

Development

Helen's character profile on the BBC website describes her as an "extremely capable doctor and well-liked by her patients and colleagues", but "despite being strong and confident, she sometimes found it hard to show her feelings".^[17] In November 2005, Digital Spy's Kris Green reported that Wicks would be departing from Doctors alongside Tom Butcher.^[18] Green commented that Helen has "been the unluckiest person in love for the last five years" and was glad that she was "finally" getting a "Prince Charming".^[18] Her final episode was an hour-long special.^[18] In real life, Wicks is married to Butcher,^[19] with Green commenting on this saying, "Interestingly, for Corrinne and Tom, it’s life imitating art as they are, in fact, a couple in ‘real world’ – I do sometimes find it hard to distinguish between the two…".^[18] Andrea Green who played Sarah Finch opined that her most memorable scene was "the very final scene of Doctors shot at Pebble Mill – it was with my friend Wicks", commenting that it was "weird".^[18]

Steve Rawlings

Dr. Steve Rawlings played by Mark Frost, made his first appearance on 26 March 2000 and last on 1 June 2001.

In the press release for Doctors it was revealed that actor Mark Frost would be playing Steve.^[1] Frost played Steve for 18 months, with Steve being called a "hard man" and a "baddie". Birmingham Post's Caroline Foulke said that Frost played "blokes that are naughty and shady" and that Steve would make "Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) look like pussycats".^[20]

Patrick McGuire

Patrick McGuire played by Alan McKenna, made his first appearance on 16 November 2000 and last on 16 March 2012.

Patrick, Mac McGuire's (Christopher Timothy) and Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) son, visits Mac in 2000. In 2003, he returns with his wife Sally (Zoë Tyler) and his sister Sam (Louise Howells). He stays for his father and mothers wedding before leaving. During the time that Patrick is absent, Julia and Mac split, and Mac moves to Ireland. Patrick returns in June 2010, when he becomes concerned about his mother’s health when she starts to act differently, with Julia thinking that Charlie Bradfield (Philip McGough) is Mac. He continues to look after Julia, after she is diagnosed with lyme disease.

Two months later he returns, with daughter Chloe (Siena Pugsley), taking Chloe to Julia's house. Patrick and Sally (now played by Jo-Anne Stockham), stay with Julia; experiencing problems with their marriage, which Julia notices. Julia discovers he is having an affair, after he is involved in a car crash, finding out that he was with a woman named Sian in the car. Although Patrick is unharmed, he tries to defend himself towards Julia, begging Julia not to tell Sally. She agrees as long as it never happens again.^[21] Patrick commits to his relationship with Sally, and along with her and Chloe, they leave.

However, after Julia comes back from holiday, she finds her house unlocked, with bottles and clothes littering her house. She figures out he is back with Sian, and orders him to explain.^[22] when Sally finds out about Patrick' affair, and that Julia knew about it, she takes Chloe and Patrick goes AWOL.^[23] Julia forces Sally and Patrick to sort out their differences, after it is affecting Chloe's behaviour, after they do, the three leave together. He appears once more when Julia is hospitalized after a car crash, after she recovers, he leaves.

Reception

In a poll conducted by Digital Spy, the five main soaps in the UK, EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors storylines were judged by viewers of the website, with the Doctors storyline of Julia finding out about Patrick being involved in a car crash, coming last with 0.9% of the vote.^[24] Again, in a poll conducted by Digital Spy, the Doctors storyline of Julia finding out about Patrick having another affair, coming last with 0.8% of the vote.^[23] Finally, the Doctors storyline of Julia hiding the secret of Patrick's affair from Patrick came last with 1.1% of the vote.^[25]

References

External links