Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

which began broadcasting on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

on 26 March 2000. Set in the fictional

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Riverside Health Centre, a fictional

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

doctor's surgery A doctor's office in American English, a doctor's surgery in British English, or a doctor's practice, is a medical facility in which one or more medical doctors, usually general practitioners (GP), receive and treat patients. Description Doct ...

. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in ''Doctors'' in 2000, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the programme's executive producer,

Mal Young Mal Young (born 26 January 1957) is a British television producer, screenwriter and executive producer. Career Mersey TV Young began his career in graphic design. At age 27 he began working in television, on the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brooks ...

. The original nine regular characters to be introduced in ''Doctors'' were

Mac McGuire ''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 Riverside Health Centre, a fi ...

(

Christopher Timothy Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

Steve Rawlings ''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 Riverside Health Centre, a fi ...

(

Mark Frost Mark Frost (born November 25, 1953) is an American novelist, screenwriter, film-and-television producer and director. He is the co-creator of the mystery television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and was a writer and executive story ...

), Helen Thompson (

Corrinne Wicks Corrinne Wicks (born 26 April 1968) is an English actress, notable for playing Dr. Helen Thompson in the BBC daytime soap opera ''Doctors'', from 2000 to 2005, and Ella Hart in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', from 2010 to 2011. Early life Wi ...

Rana Mistry '' 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 Riverside Health Centre, a ...

(Akbar Kurtha),

Caroline Powers ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British Medical drama, medical soap opera which began broadcasting on BBC One on 26 March 2000. Set in the fictional West Midlands (region), West Midlands town of Leth ...

(

Jacqueline Leonard Jacqueline Jackie Leonard is a Scottish actress. She is known for playing Sarah Preston in the ITV drama ''Peak Practice'' from 1993 to 1996, Lorraine Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1996 to 1997, Dr. Caroline Powers in the BB ...

Kate McGuire ''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 Riverside Health Centre, a fi ...

(

Maggie Cronin Maggie Cronin is an Irish actress and playwright. The short film '' The Shore'' directed by Terry George, in which she appears with Ciarán Hinds, Conleth Hill and Kerry Condon, won the Academy award in the Short Film, Live Action category at 84t ...

Anoushka Flynn ''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 Riverside Health Centre, a fi ...

(

Carli Norris Carli Jo Norris (born 23 June 1974) is an English actress, known for her roles as Anoushka Flynn in ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors'', Martha Kane in ''Hollyoaks'' and taking over the role of Belinda Peacock in ''EastEnders''. Career In Ju ...

Ruth Harding ''Doctors'' is a British medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encomp ...

(

Yvonne Brewster Yvonne Jones Brewster (née Clarke; born 7 October 1938) is a Jamaican actress, theatre director and businesswoman, known for her role as Ruth Harding in the BBC television soap opera ''Doctors''. She co-founded the theatre companies Talawa in ...

) and

Joanna Helm ''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 Riverside Health Centre, a fi ...

(

Sarah Manners Sarah Manners (born 25 August 1975) is an English actress and entrepreneur known for her roles in ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty, Strictly Come Dancing,'' The Bill, ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors'' and creating her Pilates app, Pilates On ...

). Later in the year,

Patrick McGuire Patrick McGuire may refer to: *Patrick McGuire (footballer) (born 1987), English footballer *Pat McGuire (politician), Illinois State Senator *Patrick McGuire, an American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient * Patrick McGuire (''Doctors''), a charac ...

( Alan McKenna) was introduced.

Mac McGuire

Dr. Brendan "Mac" McGuire, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made his last appearance on 26 May 2006. Mac is twice-married, first to

Julia Parsons Julia Parsons (also McGuire) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Diane Keen. She made her first appearance on 13 January 2003, and departed the show on 18 May 2012, after nine years of appearing in the ser ...

(

Diane Keen Diane Keen (born 29 July 1946) is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Fliss Hawthorne in the Granada sitcom ''The Cuckoo Waltz'' and Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera ''Doctors''. She also appeared in Nescafé advertisements from 19 ...

) in 1968, to whom he had three children, sons

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

( Alan McKenna) and Liam ( Tim Matthews), and daughter Samantha. In 1995, Mac marries

Kate Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

(

), with whom he has one son, Ciaran (Tomas Hughes), whose birth led to Mac becoming an alcoholic. This marriage only lasted seven years when in 2002, Kate has an affair with a priest, resulting in Mac having a heart attack. The near-death experience resulted in Mac confiding in Julia. Mac then remarries Julia in 2004, but the pair divorce in 2007. Mac becomes friends with Dr Peter Kendrick (

Robert Cavanah Robert Cavanah is a Scottish stage and film actor, writer, director and producer. Biography Robert Cavanah was born in Edinburgh. He attended James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh followed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dra ...

), however Peter became depressed and soon committed suicide. On 26 May 2006, Mac leaves Letherbridge, moving to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, after Julia orders him and Kate to leave when she discovers he had an affair with Kate.

Development and reception

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". Described as an "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 James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to Engl ...

grown older". 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". 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". 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". Head of Drama Mal Young said Timothy sat in a consultation 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!". ''

TV Choice ''TV Choice'' is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. In 2010, producer Peter Eryl Lloyd was asked by

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

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". ''The British Theatre Guide'', said Mac was "very successful". At the 2003

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...

, Timothy was nominated for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

, but lost out to

Brian Capron Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', f ...

who played ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

Richard Hillman Richard Charles Hillman is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Brian Capron. He first appeared on 20 June 2001 and became the show's main antagonist until his eventual departure on 14 March 20 ...

. Again, in 2004 and 2005, he was nominated for Best Actor, but

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

who plays ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned to ''EastEnders'' on 21 September 2010, following the ...

won both of the 2004 and 2005 awards. In the 2006 awards, he was nominated for "Best Actor" but lost out to

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

who played ''EastEnders'' Grant Mitchell. In the same 2006 awards, Timothy and

who played Dr Peter Kendrick were nominated for "Best Storyline", in which Kendrick committed suicide, however

Justin Burton Justin Burton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Chris Fountain. Justin arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, the Burton fami ...

(

Chris Fountain Christopher Ryan "Chris" Fountain (born 3 September 1987) is an English actor and DJ. He is known for his roles as Damien Jones in Emmerdale, Justin Burton in ''Hollyoaks'' and as Tommy Duckworth in ''Coronation Street''. Early life Fountai ...

) and

Becca Hayton Becca Dean (also Hayton) is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Ali Bastian. She first appeared on-screen on 19 September 2001 and departed on 16 February 2007. Storylines Becca arrived as an undergradua ...

's (

Ali Bastian Alexandra Louise Bastian (born 27 February 1982) is an English actress, known for her roles as Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', Sally Armstrong in the ITV drama series ''The Bill'' and Becky Clarke in the BBC soap opera '' ...

) affair in ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...

'' won.

Steve Rawlings

Dr Steve Rawlings, portrayed by Mark Frost, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made his last appearance on 1 June 2001. In the press release for ''Doctors'', it was revealed that actor Frost would be playing Steve. Frost played Steve for 18 months, with Steve being called a "hard man" and a "baddie". ''

Birmingham Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a s ...

'' Caroline Foulke said that Frost played "blokes that are naughty and shady" and that Steve would make "

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...

) and Grant Mitchell (

) look like pussycats".

Helen Thompson

Dr. Helen Thompson, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 16 December 2005. Before the series began, Helen married Phil (Mark Adams), with whom she had two children, a son Dan (Joshua Prime) and a daughter Claire (Tara Coleman-Starr). In 2002, Helen becomes a widow when Phil is killed in a car crash. However, at the time of the crash, she is in bed with colleague Marc Elliot (

Tom Butcher Thomas Alfred Butcher (born 29 June 1963) is an English actor. He was born in Stamford. Biography Acting career Television Butcher is best known for playing PC Steve Loxton in ''The Bill'' from 1990 to 1997 (with a one-off return in 1999), ...

), and is riddled with guilt until she discovers that Phil was also guilty, hiding the fact he has a second family. Helen and Marc set up "Best Practice" together and start a relationship. Over time, Helen grows to dislike Marc and claims she is not in love with him anymore, and Marc leaves to build orphanages in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. In 2004, Helen falls in love with Dr. Jack Ford (

Steven Hartley Steven Hartley (born 12 August 1960, in Shipley) is an English actor who has appeared in television, film, and theatre. Early life Hartley grew up in Yorkshire. He was a successful amateur boxer for York and Yorkshire in the late 1970s and ...

) and he proposed to her, with Helen agreeing. However, Jack is murdered by his former wife Ria (

Mandana Jones Mandana Jones is an Anglo-Iranian actress best known for her role as prisoner Nikki Wade on the British television series, '' Bad Girls''. Biography Mandana Jones was born on 26 February 1967 to a Welsh father and an Iranian mother. She is th ...

), devastating Helen. The next year, Marc returns with a new fiancé, Bella Forest (Sharon Maharaj). However, Marc and Helen realise that they still have feelings for each other, so the pair leave Letherbridge.

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". In November 2005, ''

'' Kris Green reported that Wicks would be departing from ''Doctors'' alongside Tom Butcher. 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 Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...

". Her final episode was an hour-long special. In real life, Wicks is married to Butcher, 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...".

Andrea Green Andrea Green is a British actress and presenter. She is known for her role as Sarah Finch in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'', for which she was awarded Best Newcomer at the 2005 British Soap Awards. Prior to this, Green was a continuity pre ...

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".

Rana Mistry

Dr. Rana Mistry, portrayed by Akbar Kurtha, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made his last appearance 1 June 2001. Rana is a general practitioner, who gets into a relationship with

(

). Anoushka cheats on Rana with

(Mark Frost), and when she gets pregnant and does not know who the father is, she leaves Letherbridge.

Caroline Powers

Dr. Caroline Powers, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 1 June 2001. An experienced doctor, Caroline is involved in many cases, such as when Noel Kenworth (Anthony Edridge) has a vasectomy, however his wife, Karen (

Karen Henthorn Karen Henthorn (born 1963) is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her ...

), still wants children. In May 2001, Caroline's mother, Jane (

Stefanie Powers Stefanie Powers (born November 2, 1942) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart on the mystery television series ''Hart to Hart'' (1979–1984), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

) arrives from America, with her soon to be husband David Wilde (

Darren Day Darren Day is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles. Early life Day's paternal grandfather was a support act to George Formby in the days of music hall. Day undertook drama classe ...

) arriving shortly after. Caroline starts to have feelings for David, and the two have sex. On Jane and David's wedding day, Caroline runs away with David.

Development

In a press release for the announcement of ''Doctors'', it was stated that Leonard, known for her role in ''

'' playing

Lorraine Wicks Lorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jacqueline Leonard between 2 April 1996 and 14 November 1997. Storylines Lorraine first arrives in Albert Square in April 1996 when she comes in se ...

, was cast in the role of Caroline. Leonard had taken a year off from acting, after previously caring for her sick mother, 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". She said, "The right job never seemed to come up, I went up for things like ''

'' 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". 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". The

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

described her character as "demanding", ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' describes her as "hard-drinking" and "hard-talking", and Leonard said she is a "dark horse who is giving out a lot of signals, right from the very beginning".

Kate McGuire

Kate McGuire, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 26 May 2006. Kate is the wife of

(

) and set up Riverside with him. The two had a son, Ciaran (Tomas Hughes), but they divorced when Kate fell in love with David Quinn (

Richard Standing Richard Standing is a British actor. Standing has appeared on the TV series '' Holby City'', '' Coronation Street'', and ''The Grand''. He played the part of Danny Hargreaves in Coronation Street from 1999–2001. He also was in ''Doctors''. S ...

). However, David dies in a car crash, and Kate leaves the church. Ciaran was later kidnapped, however when he was returned, she regained her belief in the church. After a two-month gap, Kate returns to "Best Practice" as the new receptionist. Mac remarries his ex-wife,

(

), as she becomes the practice manager at the surgery. Kate and Julia become enemies as Kate still had feelings for Mac, which Julia knows about, but the pair soon become friends. Kate meets Dr Mike Miles (

Michael J. Jackson Michael J. Jackson is an English actor. Early career Jackson studied at the University of London and then joined repertory theatre in Sheffield, followed by Coventry, Birmingham and Edinburgh. He appeared in several theatre productions ear ...

) and moves to Ireland with him. Whilst in Ireland, Mac visits Ciaran and has an affair with her whilst there. Julia finds out, ordering them to leave the surgery, and both depart to Ireland. At the 2003 British Soap Awards, Cronin was nominated for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

, but

Kacey Ainsworth Kacey Ainsworth (born 19 October 1968) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Little Mo in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Cathy Keating in ITV drama ''Grantchester''. Early life Ainsworth trained at the Royal Centr ...

who played ''

Little Mo Mitchell Maureen "Little Mo" Slater (previously Morgan and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kacey Ainsworth from 18 September 2000 to 26 May 2006. Little Mo originally appeared with a turbulent marriag ...

won, and again in the 2004 British Soap Awards, but

Suranne Jones Sarah Anne Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence as Karen McDonald in ''Coronation Street'' between 2000 to 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered h ...

who played ''

'' Karen McDonald won. In the 2003 British Soap Awards, Cronin was also nominated for

Villain of the Year The British Soap Award for Villain of the Year is an award presented annually by the British Soap Awards. Unlike the awards for Best Actress, Best Actor and Best British Soap, the award is voted for by a panel, like the award for Best Newcomer ...

, but

who played ''Coronation Street''

won.

Anoushka Flynn

Anoushka Flynn, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 19 May 2000. Anoushka is a nurse at the Riverside Medical Practice. On her BBC profile, Anoushka is described as pushy and provocative. Her simultaneous relationships with colleagues

(

) and

(Akbar Kurtha) are noted in the profile. Her affairs leas to Anoushka getting pregnant; since she does not know who the father is, Anoushka resigns from her job and begins a new life elsewhere in order to care for her baby. This was due to not wanting to suffer "inevitable blame and investigations". After making her final appearance on 19 May 2000, Anoushka became the first original character to leave ''Doctors''.

Ruth Harding

Ruth Harding, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 30 April 2001. When the team decide to participate in a lottery syndicate, Ruth agrees to buy the ticket. The numbers match and they win, but nobody pays her for their part in the ticket, so she claims the money and leaves Letherbridge.

Joanna Helm

Joanna Helm, portrayed by

, first appeared on 26 March 2000, and made her last appearance on 1 June 2001. Joanna is a receptionist at the surgery, the first that the surgery had. Joanna meets her grandmother Jessie (

Marcia Ashton Marcia Ashton (born 1 July 1932 in Sheffield, England) is an actress best known for her soap opera roles as Lily in ''Compact'' and as Jean Crosby in ''Brookside''. She has made numerous other television appearances including; ''EastEnders'', '' ...

), and when she looks at Jessie's medical records, she finds out that she 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.

(

) is suspected of killing Jessie, but he is later cleared. Due to the guilt, Joanna begins taking drugs, stealing them from the surgery. She subscribes to more drugs, forging signatures of doctors at the surgery, and eventually takes an overdose, nearly dying. She later confesses to the death of her nan, all part of an

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

pact, and is dismissed by Mac.

Development

Joanna was described as "troubled" and "dippy". Manners also opined that Joanna caused "mischief". ''

Wales Online Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...

'' described Joanna as "bubbly". According to ''

'', Manners "won herself an army of male fans" as Joanna, as she was "flirty". ''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". 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". When it was announced that Manners was to join ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' 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 ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' after she departed the show, '' The Metro'' said that Manners "rose to fame" whilst on the show.

Patrick McGuire

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

's (

) and

(

) son, visits Mac in 2000. In 2003, he returns with his wife Sally (

Zoë Tyler Zoë Tyler (born 7 July 1970) is an English singer, actress, voice coach, West End performer, and reality television show judge. She is also a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Early career Tyler was born in Birmingham and educat ...

) 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

. 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 ''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 fictiona ...

(

Philip McGough Philip McGough is a British actor with many appearances on UK television and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Personal life In an interview with The Mirror in 2001, McGough revealed he had trained as a monk between the ages of 14 ...

) is Mac. He continues to look after Julia, after she is diagnosed with

lyme disease Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...

. 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. 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. when Sally finds out about Patrick' affair, and that Julia knew about it, she takes Chloe and Patrick goes

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

. 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, ''

'', ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'', ''

'' 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. 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. Finally, the ''Doctors'' storyline of Julia hiding the secret of Patrick's affair from Patrick came last with 1.1% of the vote.

Other characters

References

{{Doctors

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

*, Doctors