Franklyn Ward

'' Doctors'' is a British medical soap opera which began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 March 2000. 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, as well as its sister surgery located at a nearby university campus. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in ''Doctors'' in 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the programme's executive producer, Will Trotter. Akono Mezu ( Emmanuel Idowu) made his debut in January, as well as Malcolm (Jeremy Swift) and Paula Malone (Tracey Childs), the parents of Cherry Clay (Sophie Abelson). Mandy Marquez (Danielle Henry) is introduced a month later as a love interest for Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield), as well as a friend of Jimmi Clay's ( Adrian Lewis Morgan), Franklyn Ward ( Steven Meo). Joe Granger Carmichael is born in February to parents Daniel (Matthew Chambers) and Zara (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh). Martin Miller (Miles Anderson) debuts in April as a love interest for Julia Parsons (Diane Keen), and Howard Bellamy (Ian Kelsey) debuts in May as the new practice manager of the Mill. Jas Khella (Vineeta Rishi) arrives in August as a police surgeon. Emma Reid (Dido Miles), Valerie Pitman (Sarah Moyle) and Chris Reid ( Nathan Wright) are all introduced in October, as well as Al Haskey (Ian Midlane} a month later.

Akono Mezu

Akono Mezu, portrayed by Emmanuel Idowu, first appeared on 13 January 2012 and made his final appearance on 3 February 2012. Jane Rackham from the '' Radio Times'' stated that Akono "certainly had an eyebrow-raising introduction to the staff at the Mill yesterday", saying it was a "brave decision to let Jack give him a taste of student life", but it was unfortunate that "the first person they met was Jack’s uni friend Sarah".

Akono appears when the church asks Mrs Tembe (Lorna Laidlaw) if she would give Akono a home whilst he studies at Letherbridge University. She welcomes Akono staying, as they are both Christians. He is given a tour of the university by Jack Hollins (Nicolas Woodman), though begins to question whether he wants to stay in England when he sees Jack's friend Sarah Trevllin (Kate Malyon) drunk. He begins to question his beliefs as he learns of Sarah's history of rape and that she is missing her university lectures, and considers returning to Nigeria. Akono begins to develop feelings for Mrs Tembe, though she does not feel the same way about him. Later on, Akono kisses her. Mrs Tembe is shocked by this, and asks Akono to move out.

Malcolm and Paula Malone

Malcolm Malone and Paula Malone, portrayed by Jeremy Swift and Tracey Childs, are Cherry Clay's (Sophie Abelson) parents, who arrive for Cherry's wedding to Jimmi Clay ( Adrian Lewis Morgan). The couple first appeared on 31 January, before departing on 14 February 2012, after the wedding was over.

Although the two first appear when they are invited to the wedding by Cherry, Paula phones Cherry three months earlier to tell her that Cherry's and Jimmi's wedding venue is burning down. Whilst Cherry and Paula go dress shopping, Malcolm and Jimmi stay at the house, drinking beers. Malcolm gets drunk, telling Jimmi all about Paula, and how because of her Malcolm had to give up his punk rock career. Malcolm then makes Jimmi promise that Cherry does not turn into another Paula, before he falls asleep. Paula and Cherry return home, to find Malcolm asleep and punk rock music playing, much to Paula's disgust. Cherry starts to have second thoughts about the wedding, but is persuaded by Paula that they are just nerves. Jimmi begins to realize the similarities between Cherry and Paula, and panics whilst at a dinner with the two and Malcolm, telling them that he has been married before to Eva Moore ( Angela Lonsdale) and about how she was presumed dead. Paula and Malcolm are shocked by this, telling Cherry that they cannot let her marry Jimmi. However, after much persuasion from Cherry, they both attend the wedding, before leaving.

Mandy Marquez

Mandy Marquez, portrayed by Danielle Henry], first appeared on 10 February 2012 and made her final appearance on 7 October 2014. Mandy was introduced as a love interest for Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield). Mandy is introduced as a bridesmaid to Cherry Clay, Cherry Malone (Sophie Abelson). Freya later begins to develop feelings for Mandy, and the two meet up. The following week, Freya takes part in a football game, and Mandy comes to watch. When Mandy gets there, the team is a player short, so Mandy is asked to play. They win, and Mandy asks Freya back to her house.

Development

Mandy begins a relationship with Freya. Lloyd told Katy Moon of '' Inside Soap'' that he believed Freya needed to grow up and have a "mature relationship" with meaning. He added that Freya's crush on Cherry and her fling with Kevin Tyler ( Simon Rivers) were a direct result of Freya searching for stability. However, Mandy is left to contend with Freya's prevailing feelings for Kevin. Corfield opined that the dynamic of the three characters was "glorious" and that Mandy is not sure where she fits in. Freya reassures Mandy, but "there's still such a pull towards Kevin" which she fails to hide. Corfield revealed that Freya and Mandy's romance would face problems in future episodes. Freya is "useless" in relationships because she is "petrified" that something will go wrong as she has never been treated well. While Corfield felt that the pair setting up home was moving too fast, in the long-run it would benefit Freya. She added that Freya would mess things up "quite wonderfully" which sets the scene of the relationship that will not run smoothly. It was noted that a ''Doctors'' storyline never usually develops without problems. Like Corfield; Henry also believed Freya's "love-hate relationship" with Kevin could cause issues.

Although, their relationship has positive traits which help Freya. Mandy is characterised as "honest" and "very upfront", which works out well for the indecisive Freya. Mandy's "straight-down-the-line" attitude and dislike to overcomplicate a situation; results in her just wanting to be with Freya. Mandy does not foresee the possible problems that Freya does. In one storyline, Freya promotes her blog on a radio station and gets ridiculed for her bisexuality. Mandy interrupts the broadcast to help Freya, which sets the theme of Mandy acting as her support network. Henry later told Kilkelly that she thought ''Doctors'' did a "really good job" of making their character's sexuality incidental. She branded the realism of their lesbian relationship a rare occurrence on television - adding that they made a departure from the stereotypes and dramatisation associated with gay characters, adding "I think Doctors have done a really good job ..I think Mandy and Freya's sexuality is just incidental a lot of the time - they're just two people who have a lot in common and really love each other. At the core of it, that's the most important thing". Freya and Kevin were revealed to be involved in a fire storyline leading to them both being seriously injured. After an argument with Kevin, Freya goes around to his house to find it on fire. Freya decides to enter the building in an attempt to save Kevin. Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy said that there would be a "shock ending" to the episode which would leave an "agonising" three-week wait to see if they survive. He later reported that Kevin survives the blaze, but Freya dies in hospital leaving Mandy "grief-stricken". However, despite the departure of Corfield, producer Peter Eryl Lloyd confirmed that Henry would stay in the show adding that she is "a great addition to the cast", and that she has "made an impression in her own right". He also teased that Mandy has got "some great storylines coming up".

Franklyn Ward

Franklyn Ward, portrayed by Steven Meo, first appeared on 10 February 2012 and made his final appearance on 1 November 2012. Franklyn is Jimmi Clay's ( Adrian Lewis Morgan) friend. On 23 October, Franklyn returned for six episodes, and departed on 1 November 2012. Franklyn appears for the wedding of Jimmi Clay to Cherry Clay (Sophie Abelson). Once the wedding is over, Franklyn leaves. Months later, Franklyn returns after the news that Jimmi has split from Cherry, as she cheated on Jimmi with Daniel Granger (Matthew Chambers). Franklyn does drinking games with Jimmi to cheer him up, and the two end up laughing about Cherry. Two days later, Franklyn applies for a job at the Mill, working as a security guard, alongside List of Doctors characters (2010)#Barry Biglow (David Perks). Franklyn sprays "scum" over Daniel's car with shaving foam. Barry suspects Franklyn did the graffiti, however Franklyn blames it on Valerie Pitman (Sarah Moyle). Barry sends a picture of Daniel's car to Jimmi. The following day, Barry questions Franklyn about the graffiti, but he once again blames it on Valerie, persuading Barry that he has an alibi for when the crime was committed.

Joe Granger Carmichael

Joe Granger Carmichael, portrayed by Oliver Falconer from February 2017, is the son of Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh) and Daniel Granger (Matthew Chambers), who is born on 13 February 2012. When Zara goes into premature labour, Joe is delivered by Cherry Clay (Sophie Abelson). Zara and Daniel decide to call the baby Joe, after Daniel's uncle, Joe Fenton (Stephen Boxer).

Joe's half sister, Izzie Torres (Bethan Moore), stays in Letherbridge with Joe and his parents, and takes him out for a day, and Daniel and Zara believe they are missing. When Daniel begins dating Becky Clarke, Joe is confused by their relationship but takes a shine to Becky. Izzie tells Joe that Daniel has poor taste for women, and that he should get used to his parents fighting for Joe's love. When Daniel and Zara are invited to an online safety assembly, they insist they are busy. Al Haskey (Ian Midlane) disagrees with their trust in Joe, so he pretends to be a young girl called Pixie. He chats with Joe online, and asks him to send personal details, to which Joe does. He then educates Joe on the dangers of the internet, and what not to do online. When Joe meets new classmate Ozzy Bashara (Deen Mohammed) who is fasting for Ramadan, Joe decides he wants to fast too. Zara explains that he is not a Muslim, so he does not have to fast, but he refuses to listen. Zara and Daniel eventually persuade Joe to not fast, after he cannot wait until sundown for food. When Daniel discovers that Joe has been using voice assistant Harper (voiced by Tyrone Huggins) to do his homework for him, he confiscates it.

Development

Speaking to Digital Spy, Dermot-Walsh talked about how she prepared for Zara's labour scenes saying, "It was very daunting, really - especially as we know that so many people watching ''Doctors'' are people who are staying at home with their children. It will be fresh in their memories, so I didn't want to do it wrong! But of course, when you start researching, you discover that it's different for every woman - and if you ask people about giving birth, everybody will say something different. I've been preparing for it for a long time, though, as it's what my character has wanted ever since she came into the show. That was nearly three years ago, so to finally get the thing that I've played her as wanting for so long was quite emotional to shoot." On calling the baby Joe, she said, "I think it's really appropriate, because Daniel's father figure was Joe Fenton (Stephen Boxer), who was on the show for years and was the patriarch of Doctors for a long time. So that's a very significant name for Daniel, and I think it's very loving of Zara that she doesn't insist on calling the baby something like Lysander or Demetrius - as she'd teased him that she would!" Dermot-Walsh also stated that it has been "amazing" working with babies. The character of Joe departed in August 2012, as Dermot-Walsh was expecting a baby and left to go on maternity leave. Producer Peter Eryl Lloyd said that Zara's exit storyline would air in August 2012 and would take Joe with her. However, Zara and Joe will return in the "festive season", adding that "she has to take Joe with her and have a reason to come back".

Casting

Twins Emily and Lewis Whitehead initiated the role of Joe, making their first credited appearance on 14 February 2012; the episode following Joe's birth. The Whitehead twins appeared in 8 episodes before the role was taken over by Harrison and Lily-Sue Horbury. The Horbury twins made their first appearance on 12 March 2012, and continued to play Joe for 28 episodes until 24 August 2014. During this time, Joe was also played by twins Olivia and Oscar Wilson for 5 episodes and River Mahjouri for 1. The Horbury twins departed the role when actress Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh left the show for her maternity leave. During Dermot-Walsh's leave, Joe made three appearances; each time played by a different child. Nathaniel Arthur Stocks assumed the role on 1 October 2012, George Black on 21 December 2012 and Corey and Luka Donnelly on 31 January 2013. When Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh returned to the role of Zara Carmichael, Joe was recast to twins Kori and Kaiden Leigh Miles, who made their first appearance on 9 April 2013. The Miles twins stayed with the show until 28 January 2015, appearing in a total of 28 episodes. On 18 March 2015, Roman Law made his first appearance in the role. With the recast to Roman Law, the character was aged up by one year as the actor is approximately 12 months older than the character (born February 2011). The role of Joe was again recast in 2017, with Oliver Falconer assuming the role on 27 February 2017.

Martin Millar

Martin Millar portrayed by Miles Anderson, first appeared on 3 April 2012 and made his final appearance on 18 May 2012. Martin is introduced as a love interest for Julia Parsons (Diane Keen). Martin first appears when Julia parks her car in front of his garage, so he has to move the car. Martin asks Julia out on a date, though at first she declines, she later goes with Martin, and the two begin a relationship. Julia worries that Martin is hiding things from her, so her and Elaine Cassidy (Janet Dibley) set a trap for him, so that if he is hiding things, they'll find out. Elaine begins talking to Martin, saying that her name is Alicia. She comes on to him, but he rejects her, so Elaine phones up Julia to confirm that Martin does love her. The next day, Imogen Hollins ( Charlie Clemmow) asks Julia if she has googled Martin. She does so, and finds out that Martin is an arsonist. Julia confronts him about this, though he states that a former employee accused him of this, as he had just been fired by Martin. He is not sure whether Julia trusts him.

A week later, Julia phones Martin to apologise. The two go on a date, but Martin sees Elaine. As she does not want Martin to know who she really is, Elaine and Julia pretend that Elaine is Alicia and that the two have never met. The three have dinner together, joined by Barry Biglow (David Perks), who has feelings for Julia. Elaine explains the circumstances to Barry, missing out the fact that Julia is on a date with Martin. Barry later finds out, running out the restaurant. Martin runs after him, and accidentally pushes him in the river. Barry then tells Martin that 'Alicia' is really Elaine, Julia's colleague, which leaves Martin angry. Martin later reveals that he has had five wives, and that he had a daughter with his third, Sarah. Julia is stunned by this, and rejects Martin. She meets up with Martin again, but when Martin says that he wants to retire and move to Wales, she once again rejects him, as she does not want this. He tries to persuade Julia to come to live with him to Wales, though she once again declines. They keep arguing about this, and whilst they are, their car crashes with another vehicle, and they are both knocked unconscious. Martin and Julia survive, and the two embrace. Julia's son Patrick ( Alan McKenna) arrives, wanting to take her to his house, so she can recover. However, after thinking about whether or not she wants a future with Martin, she decides she does, and goes to live with him in Wales.

Development

Martin was brought into the soap to coincide with the departure of Julia, after Keen made the decision to leave the soap after nine years. Digital Spy said of Martin's first appearance; "Fans should also keep an eye out for a possible new love interest for Julia when she gets to know garage owner Martin Millar in a few weeks' time. It sounds like there's lots on the way for Julia in the next few weeks". Keen said of Martin's and Julia's relationship; "She's fighting it all the way, because she's had so many disastrous relationships in her life, so now she tends to take the negative point of view towards how something will turn out. Martin's really great because he won't take any nonsense and he's not taking no for an answer. He's forcing Julia to really give it a shot, and she needs that. She's obviously very attracted to him, too, so they could be very good together". Of the car stunt she said that it was filmed "on a mad, stormy, windy, rainy day". She called the stunt "phenomenal" and "amazing" saying, "In the end the scenes looked incredible because of that. It was very exciting for everybody, as we don't often get to do stunts like that on ''Doctors''".

Doctor

"Doctor", portrayed by John Dalziel, appeared on 15 May 2012. Dalziel made a cameo appearance, therefore his character was not named, nor was he credited for his role. Dalziel, often known as "JD", is a DJ for Free Radio Coventry & Warwickshire. He appears when he rushes to the aid of Bazza Rogers (Nason Crone). Of his role, Dalziel commenter, "It was exciting to be on the set of one of the country's biggest soap operas. I'd say that my interpretation of the character was very convincing but I certainly wouldn't fancy being a real doctor, there would be far too much blood".

Howard Bellamy

Howard Bellamy, portrayed by Ian Kelsey, first appeared on 28 May 2012, where he is introduced as the practice manager of the Mill Health Centre. His storylines in the programme included suffering from bulimia, his on-off relationship with colleague Emma Reid (Dido Miles) and dealing with the miscarriage of their child together. After a brain aneurysm, Howard dies, and made his last appearance on 26 October 2015. In 2013, Kelsey was nominated for Best Comedy Performance at the 2013 British Soap Awards, and received a longlist nomination for Sexiest Male. Later that year, he was longlisted for Best Daytime Star at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards. The next year, he was longlisted for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards, and was shortlisted for Best Daytime Star at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards later that year. Then at the 2016 British Soap Awards, he was nominated for Best On-Screen Partnership alongside Reid.

Jas Khella

Dr. Jas Khella, portrayed by Vineeta Rishi, first appeared on 21 August 2012 and made her final appearance on 23 November 2013. Jas appears at the Mill when the surgery are holding interviews for a new employee. Jas is interviewed by Heston Carter (Owen Brenman) and Howard Bellamy (Ian Kelsey), and the interview proves successful. Jas arrives at the Mill later on, and is surprised to see her friend Kevin Tyler ( Simon Rivers) working there, knowing him from medical school. Jas asks Kevin if she can sleep at his house as she is struggling for cash. Kevin refuses at first, but laters agrees. Jas is displeased that the job at The Mill is only temporary, so begins to look for other jobs. Jas finds a job as a waitress, and begins working there, making a friendship with colleague Grace Jacobs (Naomi Battrick). She later moves into a bedsit. Grace suffers an allergic reaction, causing Jas to use her medical skills to save Grace. Jas later quits her job, not being able to be a doctor and waitress at once.

The character and casting of Rishi was announced on 11 August 2012. Jas was described as "honest" and "refreshing". Jas has a connection to already established character Kevin Tyler. Producer Peter Eryl Lloyd had previously said in an interview that a "young female doctor" would be arriving, saying that Jas would be involved in a "big, dark storyline" where Jas "will take us into that rather dark world, from a female perspective". Rivers said that they would form a "relationship" saying that, "As the new character Jas has come into the show and she's an old medical friend of Kevin's, we've got a relationship forming there, where there's a bit of banter!" She was also recently involved in a storyline where she was being stalked. She originally thought it was her colleague, Al Haskey (Ian Midlane), but it was revealed to be a patient of hers, Gus Harper (Neil Haigh).

Grace Jacobs

Grace Jacobs, portrayed by Naomi Battrick, first appeared on 5 September 2012 and made her final appearance on 1 October 2013. Grace is Jas Khella's (Vineeta Rishi) colleague at a café she works at as a waitress. Upon her return in October, the BBC
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