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Dr. Emma Reid is a fictional character from the
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soap opera ''
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 ...
'', portrayed by
Dido Miles Eleanor Amy Dido Deloince, known professionally as Dido Miles, is an English actress. She is known for her role as Emma Reid on the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', for which she won two awards for at the RTS Midlands Awards. From 2001 to 2002, she ...
. Emma made her first appearance on 2 October 2012, and since her arrival, her storylines in the soap have included her romances with character including
Howard Bellamy The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical su ...
(
Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...
),
Lena Baker Lena Baker (June 8, 1900 – March 5, 1945) was an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States, who was convicted of capital murder of a white man, Ernest Knight. She was executed by the Georgia (U.S. state), state of Georgia in ...
(Josephine Butler),
Jasmine Dajani ''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 fictio ...
(Lara Sawalha) and Aashiq Sawney (
Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak is a British actor. He is known for diverse roles across stage and screen, notably as Sweetie in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood musical ''Bombay Dreams'' and, as Grayson in the Channel 4 drama ''Dead Set'' written by Charlie Brooker. In ...
), dealing with her husband's assisted suicide, having a miscarriage, grieving over Howard following his sudden death and being the victim of a homophobic assault. Following a writer's decision to have Emma explore her attraction to women, she became the first
pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determ ...
character to be featured on a British soap opera. For her portrayal of the character, Miles won the 2013 RTS Midlands Award for Best Female Acting Performance, as well as their 2017 award for Best Acting Performance of the Year. As well as these wins, she has also been nominated for a variety of other awards, including
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 ...
for Best Actress and
Best Leading Performer The British Soap Award for Best Leading Performer is an award presented annually by The British Soap Awards. The award was introduced to the ceremony in 2022, succeeding the categories for British Soap Award for Best Actress, Best Actress and B ...
, the
National Television Award The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...
for Serial Drama Performance and the ''Inside Soap'' Award for Best Daytime Star. Miles took an extended break from the soap in late 2023. Her last appearance was on 11 December 2023, with Emma's absence being explained afterwards as her visiting her son, Chris in Australia. She made a virtual one-off appearance on 20 May 2024 and a further appearance on 26 September 2024, before returning full-time on 2 October 2024.


Storylines

Emma is introduced alongside husband Sam (
Grant Masters Grant Masters is an English actor and comedian, known for his roles as Martin Campbell (Hollyoaks), Martin Campbell in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and Sam Reid (Doctors), Sam Reid in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Do ...
) and son
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...
( Nathan Wright). Sam allows Emma to have relationships with other people, since he is disabled and wants her to feel fulfilled. She begins an
on-off relationship On-off or Onoff may refer to: * On-off control, a type of feedback controller * On-off keying, a type of line modulation * On-off relationship, a form of personal relationship * On-Off Singles, a type of tennis game * On-off switch On-off or Onoff ...
with
Howard Bellamy The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical su ...
(
Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...
), and the pair embark on a number of dates. When Sam's pain caused by his disability increases, he develops depression. He expresses that he wishes to end his life, and convinces Chris to assist him in committing suicide. After the death of Sam, Emma initially struggles to move on, but continues her relationship with Howard. The relationship does not work out, but when Emma discovers that she is pregnant, they agree to try again. However, she suffers a miscarriage, and moments later, Howard has a
brain aneurism An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...
and dies. Emma explores her sexuality by getting into a relationship with female friend
Lena Baker Lena Baker (June 8, 1900 – March 5, 1945) was an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States, who was convicted of capital murder of a white man, Ernest Knight. She was executed by the Georgia (U.S. state), state of Georgia in ...
(Josephine Butler), despite Lena being married. However, the pair split.
Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
(Andrea Gordon), the mother of Emma's colleague Ayesha (
Laura Rollins Laura Rollins (born 20 December 1988) is a British- Bajan actress, known for portraying the role of Ayesha Lee on the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', a role which she played from 2014 to 2020. For her portrayal of Ayesha, she received an accolade ...
), is brought into custody at the police station. Emma does not check over Bren's health, as she physically appears to be fine; Emma is shocked to find that Bren has died in police custody.
Rob Hollins Rob Hollins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Chris Walker. Rob was introduced as a police sergeant at Letherbridge police station and made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 July ...
( Chris Walker), the sergeant on shift at the time, had a blackout when he was due to be checking over Bren, and he confides in Emma that he feels responsible. Emma lies to the investigating officer, stating that Rob performed all of the checks diligently. Rob later confesses, and Emma is brought in for a hearing about her job, where she is almost suspended. Ayesha struggles to forgive Emma, due to feeling that Emma is trying to cover up
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
, although they later become friends again. Emma gets into a relationship with
Gareth Regan ''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 fictio ...
(
Edward MacLiam Edward MacLiam (born Edward Wilson in 1976) is an Irish actor, known for his roles as Greg Douglas in the BBC medical drama ''Holby City'' and identical twins Adam and Gareth Regan in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor ...
), but when she discovers that he is a drug addict and he attempts to rape her best friend
Zara Carmichael Dr. Zara Carmichael is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh. Zara was introduced as a new general practitioner at the fictional Mill Health Centre on 4 June 2009 and remained a regular ...
(
Elisabeth Dermot Walsh Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (born 15 September 1974) is an English actress, known for her role as Zara Carmichael in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors''. In 2015, she won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the RTS Midlands Awards for her por ...
), the relationship ends. Emma later begins dating colleague
Jasmine Dajani ''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 fictio ...
(Lara Sawalha), which causes confusion for
Valerie Pitman Valerie Pitman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Sarah Moyle. Valerie was introduced as a temporary receptionist at the fictional Mill Health Centre on 15 October 2012. Valerie is depicted as a kind, no ...
( Sarah Moyle), who is unsure about Emma's sexuality. Emma confirms that she is
pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determ ...
. When Emma and Jasmine are assaulted in a homophobic attack, the pair break up. Emma opens up about the attack on a radio show with Tammy Beckworth (Amy Anderson), and after the success of her segment, Tammy offers her a regular radio show. Emma begins a relationship with restaurateur Aashiq Sawney (
Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak is a British actor. He is known for diverse roles across stage and screen, notably as Sweetie in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood musical ''Bombay Dreams'' and, as Grayson in the Channel 4 drama ''Dead Set'' written by Charlie Brooker. In ...
), but when Valerie sees him with his wife, Monita Sawney (Perveen Hussain), she informs Emma that he is cheating on her. Emma forms a plan with Zara, who dresses up in a disguise to flirt with Aashiq, and when he reaches in for a kiss, Emma walks in and ends their relationship. Monita also sees the events and ends her marriage with Aashiq. When Aashiq begs for Emma's forgiveness, she insists that they are over.


Development

It was first announced that Miles was to play a new regular character on her acting credits in June 2012. Described as "attractive", "more than qualified" and set to "cause quite a stir" 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 ...
, Miles' casting was confirmed on 23 September 2012. Emma is introduced on 2 October 2012 as someone that knows established character
Howard Bellamy The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical su ...
(
Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...
), but when she arrives, she and Howard both "clearly decide not to acknowledge that they know each other at all". Although Emma is only meant to be a temporary replacement, the Mill suffers from staffing issues, so Howard is "forced to accept defeat", despite him not being pleased that Emma has arrived. On her official BBC profile, Emma is described as "fun, flirty, teasing and selfish" and added that she uses charm to get what she wants. Nathan Wright, who plays Emma's onscreen son Chris, said that Miles is wonderful, and added: "She's a fine actress and a joy to work with. We have a strong friendship off screen which naturally makes our job easier and more enjoyable. We live together in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and love naff TV shows". On Emma's family unit, the BBC said, "mother to Chris and wife to the ailing Sam, her difficult relationship with her son is a constant thorn in her side, since she feels that she was never the best wife or mother. Her husband, Sam has sanctioned her to have flings. Emma doesn't wear a wedding ring to work which can cause confusion – something she enjoys". Eventually, Sam expresses that he wants to end his life due to his disability and depression. Miles thought that the storyline was great and felt that "from an acting point of view, it's a real luxury to have that opportunity. It's been fantastic to work on". Miles was nervous to film the scenes and stated: "you want to get it right. You want to do it justice, so I had nerves and excitement in equal measure when we started on this storyline". Miles opined that Emma has an idea of how depressed Sam is, but felt that she is in denial about the poor extent of his mental health. She said that Emma wants to make it right and help him to find a way through his depression, rather than acknowledging that she cannot do that. On the aftermath of his assisted suicide, Miles confirmed that the storyline's repercussions would be played out over a long time, and explained: "there isn't a definite cut-off point to this story - it goes on and feeds into other things. You'll see that as it unfolds." In 2020, when asked who Emma's "dream date" would be, Miles responded that it would be Howard, who died in 2015. She stated that Emma "never really got over him" and that if Howard were to live, Emma's life would have been different. When asked by ''
Inside Soap ''Inside Soap'' is a weekly soap opera and television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom. The magazine is currently released every Tuesday. It covers storylines featured in British and Australian soap operas that are broadcast in t ...
'' if Emma is like anybody that Miles knows in real life, she compared her character to her own GP. She also noted how Emma loves 1970s Motown music and how she would love to party at the Nightingale.


Reception

In a poll conducted by Digital Spy, the five main soaps in the United Kingdom, ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television 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 East End of London, the ...
'', ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'', ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
'', ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally 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''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...
'' and ''Doctors'' storylines were judged by viewers of the website, with the ''Doctors'' storyline of Emma's arrival coming last with 1.7% of the vote. In 2013, Miles won the award for Best Acting Performance at the
RTS 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 ...
. Later that year, Miles was nominated for Best Female Dramatic Performance at the
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 ...
, after her involvement in the assisted suicide storyline. She also stated that following the storyline, she received numerous letters "from people who live with that situation", praising Miles for her portrayal of the storyline. In 2015, she was nominated again for Best Acting Performance at the RTS Awards. Then in 2016, she was nominated for Best On-Screen Partnership alongside
Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...
at the British Soap Awards. In 2020, Miles was nominated for Best Daytime Star at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards. Then in 2022, she received a nomination for
Best Leading Performer The British Soap Award for Best Leading Performer is an award presented annually by The British Soap Awards. The award was introduced to the ceremony in 2022, succeeding the categories for British Soap Award for Best Actress, Best Actress and B ...
at the British Soap Awards. She was nominated once again in 2023.


See also

* List of ''Doctors'' characters (2012) *
List of fictional pansexual characters A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links


Emma Reid
at
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Emma Doctors (2000 TV series) characters British female characters in soap operas English female characters in television Fictional British medical doctors Fictional LGBTQ characters in soap operas Fictional pansexual women Fictional crime victims Television characters introduced in 2012 Fictional physicians in soap operas