This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(March 2021) |
Brenda Walker | |||||||||||||||||
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Emmerdale character | |||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Lesley Dunlop | ||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2008–2025 | ||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 4953 2 April 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
Classification | Present; regular (departing) | ||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Keith Richardson | ||||||||||||||||
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Brenda Walker is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale , played by Lesley Dunlop. She made her first appearance on 2 April 2008. She was introduced as the adoptive mother to Gennie Walker (Sian Reese-Williams). In 2013, Brenda was diagnosed with a brain tumour, one of the character's biggest storylines. On 8 November 2024 it was announced that Brenda would be leaving the soap after 16 years with her final scenes set to air in the new year. [1]
On her ITV character profile, Brenda is described as "a fun-loving, bubbly character" who leaves people speechless with certain things she says. [2] She is also billed as "caring, dizzy, fun, [and] generous". [2] It states that due to being involved with Bob and the café, she is "connected to many areas of Emmerdale". [2] Having been diagnosed with a brain tumour, Brenda realises that the important things in life are "family, friendship, love, honesty and humour". [2] The profile adds that Brenda likes Emily Brontë and wearing hats, and dislikes "fuss". [2]
Brenda first appears when she visits Gennie in hospital. She is friendly with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) only to recoil when she learns he was responsible for the accident. After Gennie recovers, Brenda goes home. When Gennie gets to know her biological father Shadrach Dingle (Andy Devine) and his family, Brenda is upset. Brenda returns and is concerned by the way Gennie has changed. Gennie refuses to go home with Brenda, who affirms that she will stay until Gennie changes her mind. Gennie gets a job at Eric Pollard's (Chris Chittell) factory, and Brenda begins working at the Post Office/Café in the village, working for Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw). Bob moves in with his son Jamie Hope (Alex Carter) and their former in law Terry Woods (Billy Hartman) which they rent out his flat so Brenda rents it for her and Gennie. Brenda and Bob initially clash when Brenda tries to remodel the café, but Brenda soon develops feelings for Bob. When Bob realises her feelings, he decides to fix her up with Terry Woods (Billy Hartman). Brenda is reluctant, but to convince Gennie that she had no feelings for Bob, she kisses Terry. Brenda then becomes more interested in Terry. When they begin a relationship, Brenda becomes concerned that Terry's young son T.J. Woods (Connor Lee) does not like her, as he frequently interrupts them. Brenda tries bribing him but stopped when Terry opens his lunch box one day and found it packed with sweets. Douglas Potts (Duncan Preston) and Brenda work on a project for the children of the village. Known as Emmerdale Explorers and funded by Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe), they come up with various games and crafts.
After Terry dies in a fire, Brenda starts a relationship with Bob and is given a granddaughter after Gennie gives birth to her and her fiancé Nikhil Sharma's (Rik Makarem) baby, Molly. Brenda is diagnosed with a brain tumour after losing concentration at the wheel of a car and almost running over rival Val. The doctors advise Brenda to have surgery, but she refuses, much to Gennie's anxiety. Brenda decides not to tell Bob, but confides in his friend Dan Spencer (Liam Fox), leading to Bob thinking that Brenda is having an affair with Dan, and the two men coming to blows outside the café. Brenda reveals that she has a brain tumour, and Bob tells her he will stand by her no matter what. Brenda decides not to have surgery, but after constant nagging from Gennie to have it, Brenda agrees. Nikhil and Gennie bring the date of their wedding forward, which angers Brenda and she tells Gennie that she will not be attending. Brenda also decides not to have surgery to remove the cancer. This leaves Gennie heartbroken, and at the altar just as she is about to marry Nikhil, she has a change of heart, saying she does not want to get married without her mother there. Brenda does eventually attend, but collapses and suffers a seizure whilst there. She is rushed to hospital, but she is told she will be fine. Afterwards, Brenda tells Gennie that she will have surgery.
Brenda goes to hospital to have her brain tumour removed, with Gennie, Bob, Nikhil and Dan waiting anxiously. The wait proves too much to Gennie, revealing to Nikhil that she wishes she never pushed Brenda to have surgery. Brenda survives the operation, but has to wait a few weeks before she is told whether the cancer has fully been removed. Brenda is told by the hospital that the cancer could be reoccurring, which unnerves Brenda. She undergoes chemotherapy in the hope that the tumour will not return, but is devastated when her hair starts falling out. She pleas with Gennie to shave all of her hair off, which leaves both Brenda and Gennie distraught. Brenda is reluctant to show Bob her head, but Bob reassures a worried Brenda that he will always love her, with or without hair, so she reveals her head, and the pair passionately kiss. Bob later proposes to her, which she accepts. After their wedding, Brenda and Bob are at the Woolpack where the police, along with Debbie and Jai appear. They tell them, Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) and Nikhil that Gennie has died. They reveal that Gennie was in a car accident at the time, but really Chas' serial killer fiancé Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) suffocated Gennie after her crash as she overheard him admitting to killing Carl King (Tom Lister) the previous year. Following this, Brenda becomes good friends with Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton).
On 8 November 2024, after 16 years in Emmerdale, it was announced that Brenda would be leaving the soap. [1] Her departure announcement followed that of Dunlop's co-star Roxy Shahidi, who plays Leyla Harding. [3] A source told The Mirror: "There have been so many exits recently and the talk is of more. With people like Lesley and Roxy potentially in the mix, nobody feels safe." [3] They continued: "The show has grown a lot bigger in recent years but soaps are expensive to make. It’s inevitable saving money means losing people – but it’s a huge shame all the same for those involved, their friends and colleagues." [3]
Lesley Jane Dunlop is an English actress, known for her role as Brenda Walker in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Her other roles include Anna Kirkwall in Where the Heart Is and Zoë Angell in May to December.
Viv Hope is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Portrayed by Deena Payne, the character first appeared on 10 August 1993, and remained until 13 January 2011, becoming one of the longest-serving characters, after nearly 18 years in the show; her tenure is currently the seventeenth-longest in the history of the show.
Valerie "Val" Pollard is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Charlie Hardwick. She made her first screen appearance in the episodes broadcast on 1 February 2004. Val was introduced as the sister of established character Diane Sugden. She later married Eric Pollard. Hardwick took a three-month break from Emmerdale to appear in a play and the character left on 10 February 2012. Val returned in June 2012 and was surprised to learn that Eric had begun in a relationship with Brenda Walker. She moved into Diane's pub after her marriage breakdown and helped to run it while Diane was away visiting her daughter.
Katie Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Sammy Winward. She made her first screen appearance on 18 July 2001 and Winward's casting was announced a week prior. The character was introduced as a love interest for Andy Sugden and their relationship was a focus point for most of the character's tenure. Winward took maternity leave in 2005, returning the following year. Katie's later stories include relationships with Adam Barton and Declan Macey, the latter whom she marries. Writers placed Katie in danger in 2012 when she is involved in a mineshaft accident. Winward announced her decision to leave the series in November 2014 and Katie was killed-off, making her final appearance on 9 February 2015.
Jamie Hope is a fictional character in "Emmerdale", a British soap opera broadcast on ITV, portrayed by actor Alex Carter. The character debuted on the show on 16 February 2006 and made his final appearance on 21 May 2010. Carter's departure from the series was motivated by his decision to explore new professional opportunities beyond the soap opera.
Terry Woods is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Billy Hartman. He was one of the longest-serving characters in the show up until he was killed off alongside Viv Hope in early 2011, after 16 years.
Bob Hope is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Tony Audenshaw. Prior to playing Bob, the actor had previously made a guest appearance in the show as a security guard. Bob was introduced as a hosiery salesman and love interest for Viv Windsor. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 September 2000. Bob is portrayed as having a happy-go-lucky, cheeky persona, and is Emmerdale's most married character with seven marriages to five women. His storylines have included marriage, divorce, fatherhood, adultery and homelessness plus the deaths of his children Dawn Woods in 2006 and Heath Hope in 2024.
Genesis "Gennie" Walker is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Sian Reese-Williams. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 April 2008. Reese-Williams announced her departure from the show on 11 May 2013, and she made her last appearance on 26 July 2013.
Nikhil Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Rik Makarem. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 September 2009. Makarem's departure from the soap was announced on 16 May 2013, and Nikhil made his screen exit on 20 August 2013. Makarem reprised the role in September 2015 and Nikhil returned on 29 October 2015. However, it was confirmed that his return would only be temporary and he departed on 19 February 2016.
Donna Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was originally played by Sophie Jeffery until 1997. Actress Verity Rushworth took over the role in 1998. She made her first appearance in the show on 31 August 1993. Donna departed on 30 January 2009. At the time of her departure, Donna was the third longest running character on Emmerdale. It was announced on 8 January 2014 that Rushworth had decided to reprise her role as Donna for five months. She returned on 19 March 2014 and it was revealed that Donna was terminally ill with lung cancer. Donna committed suicide on 14 August 2014, after throwing herself and Gary North from a multi-storey car park to her death, but made her final appearance the following day, on 15 August 2014.
On 17 October 2012, a live episode of the British soap opera Emmerdale was broadcast, marking the 40th anniversary of the first episode in 1972. The episode was broadcast at the usual time of 7 pm on ITV. For the 40th anniversary live episode, Emmerdale announced that a character would die, and that character was Carl King, who was hit with a brick by his love rival Cameron Murray. The episode also featured a wedding and two births. Behind-the-scenes footage was also included.