Karen Ellis (also Webb) is a fictional character from the Channel 5

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 ...

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'', played by

Tanya Franks Tanya Christine Franks (born 16 August 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Rainie Cross in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. Career 1986–2006 Franks worked for 14 years in theatre both in the UK and abroad. Her ...

. The character first appeared on 26 November 2000, and departed on 4 September 2003.

Storylines

Karen first arrived in Charnham in November 2000 with her husband, Matt Ellis to stay with Matt's sister Nikki Warrington and her family. Karen's brother Jim soon followed. Karen quickly found employment as a barmaid at the local pub, the Black Swan. Matt and Karen had been engaged for a number of years, with Matt proposing and Karen frequently turning down his proposal, In 2001, Karen softened and agreed to marry Matt. Karen and Jim's younger brother Paul arrived on the scene and turn the family's life upside down with the numerous scrapes he got into. It was later revealed that Karen and Jim weren't Paul's siblings, but his aunt and father. Karen was a shoulder to cry on when Paul was rejected by his biological mother, Linda. Prior to the wedding, Karen discovered a cancerous lump in her breast and underwent surgery that left her unable to bear children. Matt and Karen didn't need to look very hard to find a surrogate when Kelly Hurst, Sadie Hargreaves's niece agreed to carry their baby. In 2002, Karen began to have doubts about her marriage to Matt and began an affair with Kelly. Matt, incensed with rage began proceedings for custody of their daughter, Grace. Things came to a head when Kelly fell down the stairs on New Year's Eve after an argument with Matt. For a long time Karen blamed Matt but they eventually managed to work things out. In September 2003, Karen and Matt after having patched up their marriage, left Charnham for

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

with Grace and Jim. The decision was partly based on the fact Jim was covering his own back after a scam with local dodgy dealer Gabriel Drummond went wrong.

Reception

A reporter from ''

Soaplife ''Soaplife'' was a soap opera magazine published in the United Kingdom by TI Media (formerly IPC Media and Time Inc. UK). The magazine was first published in 1999 and focused on British and Australian soap operas. It was originally published mont ...

'' branded Karen and Kelly's shared a "tangled relationship". They opined that "one whiff of lesbian love triangles, surrogate mums and tug-of-love baby battles and the tabloids would have a field day. Stories don't come much more salacious." For her portrayal of the role, Franks was 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 ...

in 2002.

References

Family Affairs characters Fictional bartenders in soap operas British female characters in soap operas English female characters in television Fictional bisexual women Television characters introduced in 2000 Fictional LGBTQ characters in soap operas {{soap-char-stub