List of Doctors characters introduced in 2001–2002
Last updated
Doctors logo.
Doctors is a Britishmedicalsoap opera which began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 March 2000.[1] Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Mill Health Centre and the Campus Surgery (based at local University), two fictional NHSdoctor's surgeries. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in Doctors in 2001 and 2002, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the programme's executive producer, Mal Young. Nurse Faith Walker (Eva Fontaine) was introduced in May 2001. She was followed by three more regulars who were simultaneously introduced in September 2001; doctors Ben Kwarme (Ariyon Bakare) and Jude Carlyle (Natalie J. Robb) and receptionist Katrina Bullen (Tabitha Wady). Tom Butcher joined the cast in November 2001 as doctor Marc Eliot. Then, in September 2002, Laurence Penry-Jones and Ela Kay joined the cast as doctor Oliver Berg and receptionist Carolina Shaw, respectively. Additionally, multiple other characters appeared throughout the two years.
Faith Walker, portrayed by Eva Fontaine, first appeared on 11 May 2001 and made her final appearance on 19 June 2006. Faith was introduced as a talkative and kind nurse at the Riverside Health Centre. Faith's BBC Online profile described her as "a talented and popular nurse" who had a "disastrous love life".[3] Her romances see her embark on a short-lived relationship with Rana Mistry (Akbar Kurtha), have a one-night stand with Marc Eliot (Tom Butcher) as well as being hurt when Ben Kwarme (Ariyon Bakare) cannot commit to her. She is then raped by Liam McGuire (Tim Matthews) and has an abortion after she falls pregnant with his baby.
Faith falls in love with a fireman called Jerry and the pair eventually married. After getting into debt and losing their home, they both take second jobs. Jerry gets involved with a drugs gang and is shot and killed in a siege at Riverside. She is compensated by the gang for his death and Faith manages to clear her debts. Later, Faith is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and is told she will eventually lose her eyesight. Eventually unable to do her job, she hands her job over to Michelle Corrigan (Donnaleigh Bailey).[4] Faith falls in love with a man named Paul, and after finding out that she was pregnant, they leave to travel the world before her eyesight fails.[3]
Dr. Ben Kwarme, portrayed by Ariyon Bakare, first appeared on 3 September 2001 and made his final appearance on 13 June 2005. Ben was introduced as a general practitioner at the Riverside Health Centre who had been working there for six weeks prior to his onscreen debut.[6] Ben's BBC Online profile described him as "a dedicated doctor with a colourful love life and a fiery temper".[7] Shortly after joining the practice, Ben begins a relationship with Faith Walker (Eva Fontaine) but could not commit to her. After she is raped by Liam McGuire (Tim Matthews), he defends her and is almost charged for assault after he attacks Liam. On a night out with Faith, Ben disturbs an intruder and beats him up. The burglar presses charges for grievous bodily harm, but Ben evades conviction.
Ben has an affair with colleague Kali Hamanda (Nicole Arumugam); however, their relationship is "put under strain as Kali is involved in a shocking accident".[8] He later has a short-lived relationship with another colleague, Oliver Berg (Laurence Penry-Jones). Oliver tries repeatedly to ask Ben out, who declines his advances, but the pair eventually do get into a relationship. Shortly after getting together, Oliver's flatmate, receptionist Carolina Shaw (Ela Kay), dies in an oil tanker explosion and Oliver leaves Letherbridge.[9]
Ben later forms a romantic attraction to Jude Carlyle (Natalie J. Robb), who he proposes to after he learns that she is pregnant with a baby with Down's syndrome, wanting to support them both. Jude declines his proposal, knowing that she does not truly love Ben.[10] In 2004, writers introduced Nathan Bailey (Akemnji Ndifornyen) as the estranged son of Ben. He initially hides his identity, wanting to get to know Ben first, but after he reveals himself as Ben's son, the pair form a "a difficult and tempestuous relationship" which evolves to be a close relationship.[7] Ben eventually leaves Letherbridge with Nathan when the pair go travelling.[7]
Katrina Bullen, portrayed by Tabitha Wady, first appeared on 3 September 2001 and made her final appearance on 22 May 2002. Katrina was introduced as a receptionist that was hired at the Riverside Health Centre following Joanna Helm (Sarah Manners) and Candy Williams (Leanne Wilson) departing. She comes into the practice wanting to take charge and make numerous changes, such as having a noticeboard full of staff photos, which annoys Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy). She also lectures Dr. Jude Carlyle (Natalie J. Robb) on the importance of seeing patients as quickly as possible to save time, who responds by saying that she will not rush with patients for Katrina's sake.[6]
Dr. Jude Carlyle, portrayed by Natalie J. Robb, first appeared on 3 September 2001 and made her last appearance on 19 March 2004. Jude originates from a working class, Glasgow background and had experience as a police surgeon prior to her being hired at the Riverside Health Centre. Her BBC Online profile stated that Jude has wild impulses and is "attracted to the dark and the dangerous".[10] Also prior to her arrival, she had been married twice but sees both marriages as big mistakes. The second marriage lasted six weeks when Jude discovered her husband having sex with her sister, Beth (Valerie Gogan).[10]
Jude's exit storyline sees her cheat on her boyfriend with his father and she gets pregnant. When the man's wife discovers the affair, she pushes Jude down the stairs. The baby is unharmed but she later learns that they have Down's syndrome.[10] When Ben Kwarme (Ariyon Bakare) learns of the baby's diagnosis, he proposes to Jude to support the pair of them. However, she knows that she does not love him and rejects him.[7] She later moves back to Glasgow to be with her family.[10]
Years after her exit from Doctors, Robb admitted that she did not know how she coped on the series due to the medical terminology. She surprised herself when her brain "managed to take in all the information of the doctor jargon".[13] However, she used her knowledge and experience from Doctors when she came into contact with a pregnant woman in labour who had collapsed and was bleeding. On the experience, Robb explained: "She was really panicking about losing the baby, obviously. For some reason, maybe because of Doctors, I was very calm."[14]
Dr. Marc Eliot, portrayed by Tom Butcher, first appeared on 5 October 2001 and made his final appearance on 16 December 2005. His BBC Online profile explained that prior to his arrival in Letherbridge, Marc was a major in the Royal Army Medical Corps and served in Kosovo. Upon his hiring at the Riverside Health Centre, he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The profile described him as a "highly ambitious" ambitious character and noted that he has plans to take over Riverside.[15] However, after he learns that Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy) does not plan to retire, he enlists Helen Thompson's (Corrinne Wicks) help in setting up a rival practice, Best Practice.[15]
Marc has a one-night stand with Faith Walker (Eva Fontaine) and their interactions become awkward. However, after she is raped by Liam McGuire (Tim Matthews), she turns to Marc for support and he helps her. Marc also has a one-night stand with Helen on the night of her husband's death. The two decide to stay friends and when Marc is accused of raping a patient, Helen secures the evidence which exonerate him from the accusations. Marc and Helen eventually begin a romantic relationship, but when Marc is asked by his brother Robert (Josh Neale) to help build orphanages in Kosovo, Helen insists that he goes as it will benefit him. Marc returns over a year later with a new fiancé, but he soon realises that he still loves Helen. Helen tells Marc that the love is requited and the pair move to Leeds together.[15]
Oliver Berg
Dr. Oliver Berg, portrayed by Laurence Penry-Jones, first appeared on 2 September 2002 and made his final appearance on 13 June 2003. His backstory involves coming from a Jewish family in Nottingham and studying at Bristol University Medical School. He starts at the Riverside Health Centre as a doctor with Ben Kwarme (Ariyon Bakare) as his mentor. Oliver's BBC Online profile stated that Ben is "enthusiastic and full of ideas but his inexperience often trip him up".[9] Oliver is gay, which the team discover when he kisses a drunk, sleeping Ben.[9] He is in a relationship with physiotherapist Alex North (Tim Downie), but Oliver's romantic feelings for Ben cause the pair to split up. Oliver tries repeatedly to ask Ben out, who declines his advances, but the pair eventually have a strong friendship. Oliver then meets Best Practice’s locum, Greg, who receptionist Carolina Shaw (Ela Kay)has feelings for and invites to live with them. It turns out that Greg is gay, and has a relationship with Ollie behind Carolina’s back. When she discovers this, she moves out. Shortly after, Carolina dies in an oil tanker explosion. Feeling ridden with guilt, Oliver leaves Letherbridge.[9]
Carolina Shaw
Carolina Shaw, portrayed by Ela Kay, first appeared on 18 September 2002 and made her final appearance on 12 June 2003. Carolina was introduced as a receptionist at the Riverside Health Centre and is the flatmate of Oliver Berg (Laurence Penry-Jones). Carolina does not get off to a good start with Faith Walker (Eva Fontaine) after they both audition for a charity show and Carolina wins the part. Kay said "there is a horrible tension between them when Carolina turns up at the surgery."[16] An Inside Soap writer stated that Carolina was hiding something and Kay revealed that her character had a secret daughter, who she gave birth to when she was fifteen. Kay said that Carolina regrets getting pregnant, but did not regret having her daughter. She added that viewers would know Carolina's secret, but her colleagues at the surgery would not.[16] At the 2003 British Soap Awards, Kay was nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer, as well as the award for Hero of the Year. In an interview with Worcester News, Kay's mother confirmed that Kay was set to depart from the cast of Doctors at the end of May 2003, but did not specify any of her exit details.[17] Carolina dies in scenes aired on 12 June 2003 after sustaining injuries caused by an oil tanker explosion.[9]
Leigh's (Barbara Drennan) teenage daughter. She disagrees with her mother's decision to marry Steve Rawlings (Frost), since she is upset for her father. She is again upset when Leigh informs her that they are all moving to Nottingham, but later comes around to the decision.
A receptionist who briefly works at Riverside to cover the absence of Joanna Helm (Sarah Manners). Once Joanna returns, the pair do not get on and compete to be the most favoured receptionist. However, when Candy's boyfriend comes into Riverside in a bad way, Joanna helps the pair of them and they become friendly with each other.
Faith's (Eva Fontaine) mother. When she learns that Faith is beginning a relationship with Rana Mistry (Akbar Kurtha), she reacts with racism and says that the two cannot have a interracial relationship.
Jude Carlyle's (Robb) fiancé. He sees her hugging her ex-husband on the doorstep, since Jude is comforting him about her decision to never see him again. Pete confuses it for cheating and refuses to believe Jude, leading to their breakup. However, they reconcile their relationship after Pete defends her to an angry patient.
George Kwarme
7 September– 3 October 2001
Robert Phillips
Ben's (Ariyon Bakare) father. The pair have an estranged relationship and are shocked to learn that they are both working in Letherbridge.
Richard Miles
14 September– 21 May 2002
Martin Ledwith
Jude Carlyle's (Robb) ex-husband. He arrives back info her life when he learns that she is getting married and is adamant that they should get back together. However, she refuses to be in contact with him again.
Bobbi Trent
26–28 September 2001
Sally Humphreys
Katrina Bullen's (Wady) childhood best friend. When she arrives at Riverside for vaccinations to travel the world for a year, Katrina accidentally reads the medical records of Bobbi's father. She learns that her father is set to die within the next year and Katrina feels desperate to inform Bobbi, so that she does not miss his death.
Mavis Ryder
3 October 2001– 6 October 2003
Elaine Donnelly
A temporary receptionist who is hired due to Katrina Bullen's (Wady) suspension. Upon her arrival, she is rude to the doctors, especially to Ben Kwarme (Bakare). Her blunt attitude is called out by Fiona McGuire (Hilary Drake). Ben hears her being nasty to a patient and threatens that if she does it again, he will advise her agency not to give her any more job roles.
Fiona McGuire
4 October 2001
Hilary Drake
Mac McGuire's (Timothy) sister. She arrives in Letherbridge to meet his and Kate's (Cronin) newborn son, Ciaran (Phoebe Wood).
The sister of Jude (Robb). She arrives in Letherbridge and spies on Jude whilst she is out drinking with her Riverside colleagues. She confronts her, but Jude tells her to leave. It transpires that while the pair were travelling in Bolivia together, Beth killed a man that was trying to harm Jude.
Pat Eliot
29 October– 2 November 2001
Clare Owen
Marc's (Tom Butcher) adoptive mother who tries to phone him at Riverside due to her poor health. She has a heart attack. After being kept in hospital, she dies with Marc by her side. Marc learns following her death that he was adopted.
A man that Katrina Bullen (Wady) met in Nottingham at a 50s music night. He works in the navy and returns to see her every six months for a weekend of fun. However, she learns upon a visit that he has met a woman he plans to marry.
A friend of Marc Eliot's (Butcher) who introduces him to Riverside as a locum doctor. Due to his poor attitude and lack of attention he pays to patients, he is sacked after a day.
A physiotherapist at Riverside and the original partner of Dr. Oliver Berg (Laurence Penry-Jones)
Related Research Articles
Doctors is a British medical soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 26 March 2000, and concluded on 14 November 2024. Filmed in Birmingham and set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff of both an NHS doctor's surgery and a university campus surgery, as well as the lives of their families and friends. Initially, only 41 episodes of the programme were ordered, but due to the positive reception, the BBC ordered it as a continuing soap opera. Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004; production then relocated to the BBC Drama Village, where it filmed until 2024. Episodes are filmed three months prior to transmission. The show was typically broadcast Mondays to Thursdays at 2:00 pm on BBC One, as well as having classic episodes broadcast on Drama. It took three annual transmission breaks across the year: at Easter, during the summer and at Christmas.
Ariyon Bakare is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC One soap opera Doctors as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime television series Good Omens and Carnival Row, and the BBC One and HBO series His Dark Materials. Prior to this, Bakare made appearances on British dramas such as The Bill, Casualty, and Holby City.
Natalie Joy Robb is a Scottish actress and singer. She played the roles of Gemma Clewes in EastEnders, Trish McDonald in the Scottish Television soap opera Take the High Road (1990–1999) and Jude Carlyle in the BBC soap opera Doctors (2001–2004). Since 2009, she has portrayed the role of Moira Barton in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Her other television roles include Dream Team (2000–2001) and The Bill (2004–2005).
Imogen Hollins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Charlie Clemmow. Before her first appearance, Imogen is mentioned by her on-screen mother Karen ; Clemmow watched the episode and wrote a letter to the BBC asking if they would be casting actresses for the role of Imogen. She made continued contact with the BBC and was eventually invited to audition for Imogen, and despite having no agent, she was cast in the role and made her first appearance on 4 August 2009. She is introduced as the daughter of Karen and Rob Hollins and the sister of Jack Hollins.
Winifred Tembe is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Lorna Laidlaw. She is introduced on 5 January 2011 as a new receptionist at the fictional Mill Health Centre as a replacement for Ruth Pearce. Despite initially being introduced as Mrs Tembe, she later reveals her forename to be Winifred. In April 2016, Mrs Tembe's role within Doctors changed as she becomes the practice manager. On 8 January 2019, it was announced that Laidlaw was to leave Doctors after 8 years. Mrs Tembe's exit storyline saw her move away with Gordon Clement to Newcastle after accepting a new job working as a manager for a children's charity. Laidlaw's final scenes aired on 13 February 2019.
Valerie Pitman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Sarah Moyle. Valerie was introduced as a temporary receptionist at the fictional Mill Health Centre on 15 October 2012. Valerie is depicted as a kind, nosy and humorous character who enjoys getting involved in other people's lives. Her backstory involves growing up as an only child with no friends who dresses differently to other people, so since she feels like an outsider, she is desperate to be part of a unit of loved ones. Moyle was originally contracted on the soap as a recurring character, but after a positive reaction from viewers, she was promoted to a regular cast member. One of the storylines that accredited to her popularity was an issue-led storyline that saw Valerie diagnosed with hodgkin lymphoma. Moyle felt honoured to be given the storyline and found it interesting to play the storyline from a comedic perspective.
The second series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 2 October 2000 and 1 June 2001. It consisted of 116 episodes, a large increase on the initial 41 episodes ordered for the first series. The series saw the departures of five regulars introduced in the first series, while Eva Fontaine joined the cast as Faith Walker.
The third series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 3 September 2001 and 22 May 2002. It consisted of 129 episodes. The series saw multiple castings due to a large amount of cast exits in the previous series. These included new regulars Ariyon Bakare, Tabitha Wady, Natalie J. Robb, Tom Butcher, Nicole Arumugam and Tim Downie, amongst other recurring cast members. Wady and Arumugam departed from their roles at the conclusion of the series. The series received an average of 2.5 million viewers.
The fourth series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 2 September 2002 and 13 June 2003. It consisted of 154 episodes. An increase in episode output saw an increase in the core cast, with six regulars cast for the series: Laurence Penry-Jones, Ela Kay, Stirling Gallacher, Diane Keen, Seán Gleeson and Ben Jones. Penry-Jones and Kay departed their roles at the end of the series, as well as Tim Downie leaving midway. The series received an average of 2.5 million viewers.
The fifth series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 1 September 2003 and 14 June 2004. It consisted of 182 episodes. The series saw Natalie J. Robb leave her role as Jude Carlyle after three years on the series. She was followed by original cast member Maggie Cronin, who departed from her role as Kate McGuire. It also saw the castings of two new receptionists: Akemnji Ndifornyen as Nathan Bailey), who also doubled as the estranged son of established Ben Kwarme, and Andrea Green as Sarah Finch. The series five episode "Say a Little Prayer" also became Doctors' first win at the British Soap Awards, claiming the Best Single Episode accolade in 2004. Finch then won the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer a year later for her role as Sarah.
The sixth series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 6 September 2004 and 6 April 2005. It consisted of 139 episodes. Unlike all previous series, no new regular characters were introduced, but instead, four new recurring cast members featured alongside the established regulars. These were: Shabana Bakhsh, Sean Arnold, Steven Hartley and Mandana Jones, all of whom departed in the series.
The seventh series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 18 April 2005 and 13 April 2006. It consisted of 185 episodes. Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Mill Health Centre, a fictional NHS doctor's surgery. This was the first series of Doctors to have Will Trotter as executive producer, following the resignation of original executive producer Mal Young at the end of the previous series.
The eighth series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 24 April 2006 and 13 April 2007. It consisted of 185 episodes. Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Mill Health Centre, a fictional NHS doctor's surgery. The series saw the departure of the last remaining original cast member when Christopher Timothy quit his role as Mac McGuire. Fellow original Maggie Cronin reprised her role as Kate McGuire to aid in his exit storyline. Alongside Timothy, numerous other regulars departed in the series, which resulted in the castings of new regular cast members Donnaleigh Bailey, Stephen Boxer and Martha Howe-Douglas.
Michelle Corrigan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Donnaleigh Bailey. She first appeared in the episode broadcast on 8 June 2006 when she is hired at the fictional Mill Health Centre to replace Faith Walker, who has retinitis pigmentosa. The BBC described Michelle as an enthusiastic and confident character who "rattles cages and shout the odds". Despite her teasing and michevious ways, Michelle is shown to be skilled with patients and has good instincts.
1 2 Dominic Keavey (director); Veronica Henry (writer) (3 September 2001). "Face Value". Doctors. Series 3. Episode 1. BBC. BBC One. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
