Zara Carmichael

Dr. Zara Carmichael is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh.[1] Zara was introduced as the new general practitioner at The Mill on 4 June 2009, and remained a regular until April 2012 when Walsh left to go on maternity leave. She returned for a brief appearance in December 2012, before returning full-time in February 2013. In September 2015, Dermot Walsh left again to go on maternity leave. She returned full-time from March 2016 onwards. Zara has been involved in a number of different storylines including being kidnapped, dealing with early menopause, the birth of her son, her on-off relationship with Daniel Granger (Matthew Chambers), and her feud with stepdaughter Izzie Torres (Bethan Moore). For her portrayal of Zara, Walsh won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the 2015 RTS Midlands Awards.

Zara Carmichael
Doctors character
Portrayed byElisabeth Dermot Walsh
Duration2009–present
First appearance"Red Letter Day"
4 June 2009 (2009-06-04)
Introduced byWill Trotter
ClassificationPresent; regular
Profile
OccupationGeneral practitioner
Business partner
HomeLetherbridge

Storylines

Zara first appears in June 2009 when Heston Carter (Owen Brenman), Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) and Lily Hassan (Seeta Indrani) are interviewing for a new GP. Zara arrives at The Mill and is introduced. Daniel Granger (Matthew Chambers) flirts with her, and Zara turns up at Daniel's apartment. The pair have sex, but Zara ends the relationship right after, stating that they needed to get it out of the way before they could work together.[1] After being kidnapped with Jack Hollins (Nicolas Woodman), the pair have sex.[1] After an ongoing affair, eventually Jack told his dad, Rob Hollins (Chris Walker) that he had been in a relationship with Zara. Karen Hollins (Jan Pearson) confronted Zara, and as she was doing this, Zara bent over to pick something up and Karen noticed her underwear was the same of what she found weeks ago in Jack's room.[2] Karen gets very angry and calls Zara a "slut, whore and paedophile", and the pair have a fight in reception.

Zara begins a relationship with Matthew (Nicholas Shaw) and when his mother, Judith, (Caroline Langrishe) arrives in Letherbridge, she thinks that Zara is familiar with her and knows her from somewhere else. Zara denies this, but it is later revealed that they have met previously. Zara asks Daniel to use his charm on Judith when she comes for Botox treatment in his clinic. Afterwards, Zara asks Daniel to seduce Judith and have sex with her, to which he declines this immediately. After months of dates and casual sex, Zara and Daniel become a couple. Zara then starts having hot flushes and menopausal symptoms, and realises she is undergoing early menopause. Zara believes Daniel wants to end the relationship a couple of days later, so she ends it first. Daniel traps Zara in her office and they get back together. Daniel and Zara try IVF, and are left devastated when they discover it has not worked and she is not pregnant. Zara begins showing the signs of pregnancy, and Daniel rushes out to a chemist; when he returns, Zara is sitting on the bed with a pregnancy test in her hands. After Daniel tells her that he loves her, she reveals the results of the test, and both she and Daniel are overjoyed to discover that she is pregnant. Zara goes into premature labour at the Mill, with only Cherry Clay (Sophie Abelson) and Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers) around to help her. Zara gives birth to a baby boy named Joe (Emily and Lewis Whitehouse). Daniel arrives shortly after and Zara, Daniel and their baby are taken to hospital. After much debate regarding the welfare of their new baby leaving the safety of the hospital, they return home.

After discovering that Daniel had slept with Cherry, Zara ends the relationship with him, and leaves with Joe in August 2012. Zara returns in December 2012 for a meeting with Howard Bellamy (Ian Kelsey). As she is about to leave once again, she is persuaded to talk to Daniel, she reveals that she now has a job in Bristol and sees no reason to come back and leaves once again.[3] She returns once again after leaving her job in Bristol, and returns to work in The Mill. She warms towards Daniel once again the following month, Daniel later discovers that she is dating another man named Dutch. After giving Dutch the third degree, Daniel admits to Zara that he misses everything about her which scares Dutch off, although Zara is initially furious with Daniel for his interference they then fall back into each other's arms. However, as they start meeting up for liaisons again, Zara reveals that she will be setting strict time limits on their time together and will not be letting Daniel spend any extra time with Joe.[4] They later resume their relationship.[5] Zara later takes a sabbatical from The Mill in September 2015 and at her leaving party she gives a speech, and tells them all to count down the days until she returns.[6] Zara nervously returns to The Mill and is impressed by new boss Anthony Harker (Adam Astill). Zara catches up with Karen over lunch and is amazed to hear about Valerie Pitman (Sarah Moyle) and Barry Biglow's (David Perks) wedding and launches into a tirade about what an evolutionary disaster their children would be. Karen is reassured that the old Zara is definitely back.[7] Daniel and Zara attempt to spice up their love life, and go to a bar to role play but they argue and Zara goes outside. While outside, Zara witnesses a stabbing and chooses to give evidence. During this time, Joe is kidnapped, and the family have to be protected by the police due to the possibility of violence and threats from gang members who were involved in the murder. Daniel blames Zara for risking the safety of their family for the sake of assisting with the investigation.

In 2018, following some ups and downs with other staff, Daniel and Zara become the only partners at The Mill Health Centre. Daniel's daughter, Izzie Torres (Bethan Moore) comes to stay with them after arguing with her mother. Zara is still traumatised from the threats and kidnapping of Joe. She struggles to get on with Izzie,[8] who does not express interest in getting to know her. On one occasion, Izzie takes Joe to the shop without telling Zara. When she sees that they are missing, she panics and phones Daniel and the police. Izzie returns while Zara is broken down by the front door, and slaps Izzie. Daniel moves out and does not communicate with Zara about his plans. At the 2018 Christmas party, Emma convinces Zara to go to take her mind off Daniel's absence. Zara gets drunk and Sid Vere (Ashley Rice) comes back to her house and they have sex. Daniel returns home and sees them. He does not confront them, but later confronts her and punches Sid.[9] Zara tries for some time to convince Daniel to give her another chance. He finally agrees and moves back in but their relationship is strained and they decide to split up.[10] In 2019, Daniel begins a relationship with practice manager Becky Clarke (Ali Bastian), which Zara has trouble adjusting to. However, while attending a medical conference at a hotel, Zara and Daniel sleep together in a hotel room. Zara enters a relationship with Adam Regan (Edward MacLiam), and while waiting for him to come home from work, his twin brother Gareth (Edward MacLiam) pretends to be Adam, and tries to rape Zara. She fights him off, spraying hairspray in his eyes and stabbing him in the leg with the heels of her shoe, and calls the police. Due to her seeing Gareth's face when she looks at Adam, she ends the relationship. With both of their partners having left Letherbridge, Zara and Daniel begin their relationship again.

Creation

Characterisation

Speaking of Zara, Walsh said in an interview with OK! magazine: "I think it would be fair to call Zara a bit of a handful! She's quite the volatile personality, and I grabbed the character with both hands. She’s been a bit of a home-wrecker in the past, but I like her; even when you’re playing a baddie, you have to play a baddie like you’re playing a heroine. She behaves appallingly. I don’t think I’d particularly want her as a friend, but she’d be a great fun ride if you’re with Zara!".[11]

Personality

Asked if she prefers playing Zara's bitchier moments or her more vulnerable side, Walsh replied: "Well, nothing beats a good putdown line or a bitchy comment! We have some brilliant writers, so Zara does get the last laugh so often. But that makes it all the more enjoyable when she doesn't get the last laugh and ends up with egg on her face. That only really works if she's had a few weeks of really getting away with everything, and then when it all goes wrong for her, she simply can't believe it!. She went on to say: "Equally with her vulnerable moments - I think they really work when there are fewer of them, because then they're more of a surprise. We see her hard exterior, but then we know that in private, she's just like the rest of us and is full of doubts and fears."[12]

Development

Relationships

In September 2010, Walsh revealed details of an upcoming storyline involving Zara and Daniel Granger portrayed by Matthew Chambers. Speaking at the Inside Soap Awards she said: "There's a fantastic five-part story coming up in the next few weeks involving my character and Daniel. I don't want to give everything away, but something terrible happens to Daniel's baby daughter and Zara steps in to help. It's all very dramatic!" She added: "It's nice to be the good guy for a change. Normally Zara plays the baddie and for once she gets to play the heroine, which makes a nice change for me!"[13]

In June 2020, Walsh talked about Zara's relationship with Daniel on a live-streamed interview. She talked about a two-year arc that producer Peter Eryl Lloyd devised for Zara and Daniel, with the breakdown of their marriage, Zara sleeping with Sid Vere (Ashley Rice), their separate relationships, and their eventual reunion. She stated that she does not typically like to know about storylines in advance as it aids her to portray Zara's reaction to events naturally, but that it was useful to know the outcome for their relationship.[14] She added that if their relationship was simple, it wouldn't be interesting for viewers. On their slow burn relationship, she stated that it was "exhausting but such a pleasure to play long form", and hinted that their reunion would be as complicated as their marriage breakdown.[15]

Pregnancy

Speaking to Digital Spy, 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!" Walsh also stated that it has been "amazing" working with babies.[16]

Temporary exit

In April 2012, Walsh announced on the ITV programme This Morning that she was expecting a baby and would be leaving to go on maternity leave.[17] Asked how Zara would depart, producer Peter Eryl Lloyd told Digital Spy: "We're so pleased for her and she's loving being a mum, though of course we miss her - she'll leave our screens at the end of August. Don't panic, it's not forever; rest assured she will return maybe in the festive season. But yes, how to get rid of Zara? It was a real challenge to motivate such a dramatic exit, particularly when she has to take Joe with her and have a reason to come back. Things do get very dark for Zara and Daniel - with an act that changes many lives at The Mill. That's all I'm saying for now, but there's a major clue just before the Olympics."[18]

Return

Walsh returned to film scenes in October 2012,[19] making a brief appearance in December 2012. Zara returned on screen full-time in February 2013. Speaking of her return in an interview with Digital Spy, Walsh revealed that it was amazing to be back: "As they say, everything changes but everything stays the same! I filmed Zara's departure scenes in April last year, and then I did two weeks in September for her return at Christmas, which was a bit early because my baby was so little! I then returned full-time in November. It's madness as I'm just busier than ever! I'm doing the same job, but of course I've got my baby now too." Speaking of Zara's feelings towards Daniel once she returns, she said: "Well, it's very complicated. She gives him a very hard time and she's keeping his access arrangements to their baby as they were before - very minimal. However, if she hated him that much and really did want him out of her life, my question is: what is she doing back? Zara obviously can't live with Daniel and can't live without him. Their relationship is so complicated."[20]

Reception

Walsh and Matthew Chambers, who plays Daniel Granger, were nominated for Best On-Screen partnership at the 2012 British Soap Awards but lost out to Jake Wood and Jo Joyner who play Max and Tanya Branning on EastEnders.[21] They have since been nominated in 2013,[22] 2017[23] and 2018.[24] For her portrayal of Zara, Walsh won Best Female Acting Performance at the 2015 RTS Midlands Awards.[25] Walsh shared her delight on Twitter, admitting that she was overwhelmed to receive the prize on her first day back at work following maternity leave.[26] She has also been nominated for Serial Drama Performance at the National Television Awards in 2019 and 2020.[27][28]

References
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  2. "Doctors star Jan Pearson on Black Country accents and bondage gear". Sunday Mercury. 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  3. "Oaks return, Enders reveal, Corrie affair". digitalspy.co.uk. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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  9. "Doctors spoilers: Ouch! Sid Vere gets punched...but by who?". What' s on TV. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
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  11. "Latest Celebrity News | OK! Magazine". Ok.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
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  13. "'Doctors' cast reveal 'dramatic' plots". digitalspy.co.uk. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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  19. "'Doctors' Zara returning to filming". digitalspy.co.uk. 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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  25. "Doctors star lands RTS acting prize". digitalspy.com. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  26. @elisabethdw (12 November 2015). "Can't believe it, I haven't been at work for the past 5 months, this is my first day back from maternity leave!" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 March 2018 – via Twitter.
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