List Of Doctors Characters Introduced In 2003–2004
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Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'' 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
which began broadcasting on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
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 and the Best Practice, two fictional
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
doctor's surgeries. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in ''Doctors'' in 2003 and 2004, 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 '' Broo ...
. January 2003 saw the introduction of George Woodson ( Stirling Gallacher) and her husband Ronnie ( Seán Gleeson), as well as
Julia Parsons Julia Parsons (also McGuire) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Diane Keen. She was introduced as the ex-wife of Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy) who begins working as a receptionist at the Riverside H ...
( Diane Keen). In April 2003, Ben Jones joined the cast as Greg Robinson. He was followed by Akemnji Ndifornyen, who joined in February 2004 as
Nathan Bailey Nathan Bailey (died 27 June 1742), was an English philologist and lexicographer. He was the author of several dictionaries, including his '' Universal Etymological Dictionary'', which appeared in some 30 editions between 1721 and 1802. Bailey' ...
, the estranged son of
Ben Kwarme Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...
(
Ariyon Bakare Ariyon Bakare () (born 1971) is an English actor, writer and director. He is known for his extensive work across theatre, television, and film. In 1998, he became the first Black man to play a lead role in a BBC period drama, portraying Mehuru ...
).
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 presen ...
then joined as receptionist
Sarah Finch Sarah Finch is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Andrea Green. She was introduced in the fifth series of the soap, making her first appearance on 10 May 2004. Sarah works as a receptionist and is initiall ...
in May 2004.
Tasha Verma Tasha is a primarily English-language feminine given name of Slavic origin, a shortening of Natasha, which means 'Christmas Day'. Notable people with the given name include: * Tasha Alexander (born 1969), American author * Tasha Baxter (born 1981) ...
( Shabana Bakhsh) began appearing in October 2004. Additionally, multiple
other characters Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...
appeared throughout the two years.


George Woodson

Dr. George Woodson, portrayed by Stirling Gallacher, first appeared on 7 January 2003 and made her final appearance on 27 March 2009. Shortly after her introduction, the soap introduced her husband, lawyer Ronnie Woodson ( Seán Gleeson). The same year as her casting on ''Doctors'', Gallacher fell pregnant, but writers chose not to write her pregnancy into the soap as they felt that the Woodsons were not ready to have a child. Three years later, the couple have a daughter,
Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...
(Jessica Gallagher). George gets
post-natal depression The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to last for six to eight weeks. There are three distinct phases of the postnatal period; the acute phase, lasting for six to twelve hours after birth; the ...
and believes that Ronnie is a better parent, returning to work early. However, when Bracken falls ill, George rushes to be with her. Gallacher announced her decision to leave ''Doctors'' in 2009 to pursue other roles, with George leaving alongside her on-screen family. Gallacher and Gleeson won the award for Best On-Screen Partnership at the 2007 British Soap Awards. The following year, their character's car crash and the following aftermath was nominated for Spectacular Scene of the Year, as well as Best Storyline. Gallacher also received a nomination for Best Actress.


Julia Parsons

Julia Parsons (also McGuire), portrayed by Diane Keen, first appeared on 13 January 2003 and made her initial final appearance on 18 May 2012. Keen reprised her role for three episodes in March 2020 as part of ''Doctors'' 20th anniversary celebrations. Julia was introduced to Riverside Health Centre as a medical receptionist working alongside ex-husband
Mac McGuire Dr.Brendan "Mac" McGuire is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Christopher Timothy. Series creator Mal Young introduced Mac as one of the nine original regular characters on the soap. He works as a general p ...
(
Christopher Timothy Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a British actor and narrator. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in '' All Creatures Great and Small'', Mac McGuire in the BBC One daytime soap opera '' Doctors'' and Ted Murray in the BBC ...
). The pair reconcile their relationship and eventually get married, which Julia ends when she finds him kissing his ex-wife
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 f ...
( Maggie Cronin). She forces the pair to leave and takes over the surgery, now renamed the Mill Health Centre. Julia eventually leaves Letherbridge with
Martin Millar Martin Millar is a Scottish writer from Glasgow who is now resident in London. Under the pseudonym Martin Scott he has authored the Thraxas series of fantasy novels, for the eponymous inaugural volume of which he won the World Fantasy Award fo ...
(
Miles Anderson Miles Anderson (born 23 October 1947) is a British stage and screen actor, born in the colony of Southern Rhodesia, who has appeared in television serials both in the United Kingdom, and North America. He appeared as Alistair the photographer ...
). For her portrayal of Julia, Keen was annually nominated for the
British Soap Award for Best Actress The British Soap Award for Best Actress was an award presented annually by the British Soap Awards from its inception in 1999 until 2019. Alongside British Soap Award for Best Actor, Best Actor, the award was voted for by the public. ''EastEnde ...
between the 2005 and 2010
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 (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...
. She was nominated for Best Actress again in 2012. Julia's car crash was also nominated for the Spectacular Scene of the Year award at 2013 ceremony. Keen won in the Actress category at the 2008
RTS Midlands Awards The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
. The character was also selected as one of the "top 100 British soap characters" by industry experts for a poll ran by ''
What's on TV ''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC. Overview ''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and com ...
'', with readers able to vote for their favourite character to discover "Who is Soap's greatest Legend?"


Ronnie Woodson

Ronnie Woodson, portrayed by Seán Gleeson, first appeared on 17 January 2003 and made his final appearance on 27 March 2009. Ronnie was introduced shortly after the soap had introduced his wife, George ( Stirling Gallacher). An experienced solicitor, Ronnie is often seen working with his clients and is "the first person anyone turns to", but is as committed to his family as he is to his job. On his
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
profile, Ronnie was described as "very laid back and a little naïve". It noted that although he enjoys his job, he is always trying to get in on bigger cases by "keeping his ear to the ground" at local police stations since he sees himself as a big criminal lawyer. Although Ronnie is initially against the idea of having children, he settles into fatherhood when George has their daughter,
Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...
(Jessica Gallagher). In 2009, it was announced that Gleeson had made the decision to leave ''Doctors'', as well as Gallacher. Their exits aired together, as well as that of their on-screen daughter's. Peter Lloyd, the series producer on ''Doctors'', was saddened by the Woodson's exit since he was "sad to see such vivid characters go". After Ronnie is offered and accepts a job in Shanghai, he, George and Bracken move to China. For his portrayal of Ronnie, Gleeson was nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor in 2007, as well as the award for Sexiest Male. At the same ceremony, himself and Gallacher won the award for Best On-Screen Partnership. In 2008, he received another nomination for Best Actor.


Greg Robinson

Dr. Greg Robinson, portrayed by Ben Jones, first appeared on 30 April 2003 and made his final appearance on 13 April 2007. Greg was introduced as a gay doctor at the Riverside Health Centre. He also works as a force medical examiner. On Ben's
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
profile, he was described as "a charming, energetic personality" who never stops making jokes. After money problems, practice manager
Julia Parsons Julia Parsons (also McGuire) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Diane Keen. She was introduced as the ex-wife of Mac McGuire (Christopher Timothy) who begins working as a receptionist at the Riverside H ...
( Diane Keen) comments that she could do with an insurance job. Riverside is soon set on fire and Greg informs the police of her comment. She is put into custody, but it transpires that Ria Ford (
Mandana Jones Jane Mandana Jones (born 26 February 1967) is a British-Iranian actress. She is known for her role as prisoner Nikki Wade in the series '' Bad Girls''. Early life From West London, Jones was born on 26 February 1967 to a Welsh father and an I ...
) did it. Greg apologises, but is sacked by Julia and
Mac McGuire Dr.Brendan "Mac" McGuire is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Christopher Timothy. Series creator Mal Young introduced Mac as one of the nine original regular characters on the soap. He works as a general p ...
(
Christopher Timothy Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a British actor and narrator. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in '' All Creatures Great and Small'', Mac McGuire in the BBC One daytime soap opera '' Doctors'' and Ted Murray in the BBC ...
) until they reverse their decision. Greg meets Rico Da Silva ( Felix D'Alviella), a travel writer, in
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
and the pair have a fling. Rico then unexpectedly arrives in Letherbridge and the pair continue their relationship, eventually getting married. Their wedding was the first same sex wedding on
British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...
. His father is uncomfortable with Greg's sexuality and their wedding, but his mother is "always supportive" of him. Greg is shocked and devastated to learn that Rico has fathered a child as a favour to his friend, Jess Butler (
Matilda Ziegler Matilda Ziegler (born 23 July 1964) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in ''EastEnders'', Irma Gobb in '' Mr. Bean'', and Pearl Pratt in '' Lark Rise to Candleford''. Television and film career Ziegler's first sc ...
). His child, Charlie (Shane Burke), eventually leaves to live with his mother in Denmark, which makes Greg happy. However, Rico admits that he wants to leave to be with his son and Greg ends their marriage. Greg eventually realises that he has made a mistake and leaves Letherbridge to reconcile with Rico.


Nathan Bailey

Nathan Bailey, portrayed by Akemnji Ndifornyen, first appeared on 16 February 2004 and made his final appearance on 13 June 2005. Ben was introduced as a receptionist at the Riverside Health Centre, as well as the estranged son of
Ben Kwarme Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...
(
Ariyon Bakare Ariyon Bakare () (born 1971) is an English actor, writer and director. He is known for his extensive work across theatre, television, and film. In 1998, he became the first Black man to play a lead role in a BBC period drama, portraying Mehuru ...
). 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. Nathan's backstory involves being adopted as a child and being brought up by a couple who owned a pub. After finishing his
A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
s, Nathan decided to trace his real parents, which led him to Ben. On his
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
profile, Nathan was described as "always polite" and it noted his charm with the patients and the ladies of Riverside. During his tenure, he had a
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
with
Sarah Finch Sarah Finch is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Andrea Green. She was introduced in the fifth series of the soap, making her first appearance on 10 May 2004. Sarah works as a receptionist and is initiall ...
(
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 presen ...
) and then begins a relationship with her friend,
Tasha Verma Tasha is a primarily English-language feminine given name of Slavic origin, a shortening of Natasha, which means 'Christmas Day'. Notable people with the given name include: * Tasha Alexander (born 1969), American author * Tasha Baxter (born 1981) ...
( Shabana Bakhsh), who he gets pregnant. Their relationship, which was already suffering prior to her pregnancy, ends and he is relived when Tasha decides to have their baby adopted. However, Ben makes him face up to his responsibilities and offer to support Tasha. After Nathan and Ben are critically injured in an explosion at Riverside, they leave Letherbridge to go travelling together.


Sarah Finch

Sarah Finch, portrayed by
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 presen ...
, first appeared on 10 May 2004 and made her final appearance on 13 April 2006. She was introduced as a receptionist at the Best Practice. Her
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
profile described Sarah as bright, but noted that she never applied herself at school which led to a lack of qualifications. It also described her as "bubbly and full of life", stating how "she would never shut up and her mouth often got her into trouble". When 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 initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
's Kris Green how herself and her character are alike, Green said she had accidentally given Sarah her "strange sense of humour". She added: "I like to think she's very under-estimated and her humour often misunderstood". Green revealed her departure to Digital Spy in November 2005, with her completing filming a month later. She cited her reasons for leaving as wanting a new challenge, but declared she would miss playing Sarah. She was asked how she would like Sarah's exit storyline to go, but Green already knew the planned story. She said: "I can’t give anything away. I just hope Sarah Finch leaves having made her mark and with an audience left feeling sad to see her go." For her role as Sarah, Green won the
British Soap Award for Best Newcomer The British Soap Award for Best Newcomer is an award presented annually by the British Soap Awards. The award is voted for by a panel. ''EastEnders'' is the most awarded soap in the category, with nine wins. ''Emmerdale'' is the only current so ...
in 2005. At the same
ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...
, she was nominated for Sexiest Female. She was nominated for Sexiest Female again in 2006.


Tasha Verma

Tasha Verma, portrayed by Shabana Bakhsh, first appeared on 5 October 2004 and made her final appearance on 6 April 2005. Bakhsh secured the role after being axed from the
BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
soap opera ''
River City ''River City'' is a Scottish television soap opera created by Stephen Greenhorn which has been broadcast on BBC One Scotland since September 2002. Since 2019, the show has aired episodes a day earlier on the new BBC Scotland channel. Set in ...
''. On her
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
profile, Tasha was described as "a bit square" who was often misunderstood. It also noted her "dry sense of humour and great smile". Tasha has a brief relationship with
Nathan Bailey Nathan Bailey (died 27 June 1742), was an English philologist and lexicographer. He was the author of several dictionaries, including his '' Universal Etymological Dictionary'', which appeared in some 30 editions between 1721 and 1802. Bailey' ...
( Akemnji Ndifornyen). However, just before she plans to their relationship, she discovers that she is pregnant with his baby. She informs Nathan that she does not expect support from him and plans to have the baby adopted; Nathan attempts to convince her to reconsider but she stays firm. In an episode broadcast in March 2005, a masked intruder sets fire to gas cylinders in the reception area of the Riverside Health Centre, setting off a massive explosion. Tasha is knocked unconscious and gets trapped inside. She discovers afterwards that she has lost her baby, and wracked with guilt, she leaves Letherbridge to move back in with her parents.


Other characters


References

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
*, Doctors *, Doctors {{DEFAULTSORT:List of Doctors characters (2003-2004)