March 5th 2024.
Katherine Dow Blyton, best known for her role as Harriet Finch on the popular ITV soap Emmerdale, recently opened up about her nearly 10-year stint on the show and her character's shocking departure. In a candid interview on the Soap From the Box podcast, the actress revealed how it felt to say goodbye to Harriet and reflected on her character's journey.
Katherine first joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2013 and played the feisty and unconventional vicar Harriet until her character's sudden and traumatic end in 2022. During the notorious Emmerdale storm, Harriet met her fate when she fell down a steep hill while searching for her daughter Amelia and became trapped under a quad bike. Despite being rescued by her friend Kim, a lightning bolt struck the bike and killed Harriet.
Now, almost two years after her character's heartbreaking death, Katherine has spoken about the overwhelming support she received from fans and how she felt about Harriet's final scenes. "I got so many lovely messages after Harriet died," she shared. "People were asking, 'Where's her funeral? Where's her body?' I just felt sorry for Harriet, it is what it is."
Reflecting on the conversation she had with producers that confirmed Harriet's departure, Katherine admitted that she was initially taken aback. "I went up and they basically said, 'We love Harriet and we're going to give her a good death'. I did sit there for ten seconds thinking, have I done something wrong? They say don't take it personally but it's impossible not to," she recalled. "I was taken aback. I tried to get out of the building, sat in my car and burst into tears because it was a shock."
Despite the initial shock, Katherine also admitted that she had been ready to leave the show for a while and was grateful that the decision was ultimately made for her character. She also spoke about Harriet's character arc, particularly her return to the police force after her breakdown and time as the village vicar. "Going back to being a policewoman on the beat at my age was, I think, a bit left field," she said. "For the first time in my nearly ten years, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin because it just felt wrong to me."
Katherine also shared her thoughts on the current state of soap operas, noting the trend towards sensational storylines and stunts rather than focusing on character development. "Everything seems to be very sensational now," she said. "When you watch the old episodes, it was very much character-based. You just think, why does everything have to be conflict, murder, affairs? You can have a character that's single or a happily married couple. I don't know whether soaps are a victim of their own success because there is a limit, when you're doing six episodes a week, what do you do to keep people interested?"
Despite her departure from Emmerdale, Katherine remains grateful for her time on the show and the opportunities it gave her. She also teased that she has some exciting projects in the works and is looking forward to what the future holds. Fans can keep up with Katherine and all the latest soap news by joining the Metro Soaps WhatsApp community for exclusive interviews, spoiler galleries, and must-watch videos.
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