Sian Samantha Blake (14 September 1972 – 14 or 15 December 2015), also known by her stage name Syan Blake, was a British actress, best known for playing Frankie Pierre on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera ''

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 ...

'', appearing in 56 episodes between 1996 and 1997. She later had minor roles in other television shows, before retiring to become a sign language teacher and interpreter. Blake and her two children were reported missing on 16 December 2015; three weeks later their bodies were found at Blake's home in

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...

, London. Her partner, Arthur Simpson-Kent, pleaded guilty to the murders and was given a whole life sentence in October 2016.

Early life and career

Blake was born in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

, London on 14 September 1972, and attended the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Overview The school is part of the University of Surrey ...

. The youngest of three children, her father was Jamaican. Her parents divorced when she was six, and her father died from a heart attack when she was eighteen. Adopting the stage name Syan Blake, she landed her first acting role in 1994, playing a

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...

patient in that year's Christmas episode of ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. After working as a telephone receptionist at a doctor's surgery, Blake landed her most notable role: soul singer Frankie Pierre, a character who appeared in ''

'' during 1996 and 1997. She initially auditioned for the minor part of a nurse, but was encouraged to audition for the more long-term role of Frankie after impressing producers. She was initially signed on a six-month contract, but subsequently had her contract extended. One of the character's central storylines involved an affair with a regular male character which ended his on-screen marriage. Blake subsequently said that she left the series after receiving hate mail from viewers who found it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Blake went on to have roles in ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' and '' Skins'', as well as a second appearance in ''Casualty'', before retiring from acting. She went on to become a sign-language teacher, and interpreter. As well as television and film, Blake also appeared in and directed several theatre productions. Her acting credits include '' Joe Guy'', ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'', and ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', while directing credits include ''Oxford Street'' at the

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

and ''The Burial'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

Personal life

Blake lived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, with her partner, Arthur Simpson-Kent, and their two sons, Zachary and Amon, who were aged eight and four. Blake was diagnosed with terminal

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

on 11 December 2015 after first showing neurological symptoms in September 2013.

Disappearance and death

Blake and her two sons went missing on 13 December 2015. On 16 December, a family member reported her missing to the Metropolitan Police. Police interviewed her partner, Arthur Simpson-Kent, the same day, and he went missing three days later. Her sister said that Blake had wanted to end her relationship with Simpson-Kent "a long time ago". Blake's car was discovered on 3 January 2016 in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

. On 5 January 2016, police searched Blake's home and found three bodies in the garden. They started a murder investigation. On 7 January investigators confirmed that the bodies had been identified as Blake and her two children, and said that they had each died from head and neck injuries. Police said that Simpson-Kent was being sought in relation to the deaths; the BBC reported that he was believed to have travelled to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

in December. On 9 January a

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

spokesman said that police in Ghana had arrested Simpson-Kent, having travelled there on 19 December; he was remanded for two weeks. Simpson-Kent's lawyer, Justice Srem-Sai, claimed that he should be released from prison until official extradition proceedings were underway. Of the legal process, Srem-Sai said that a "person must be released until you have the legal right to detain them. He was not given his full rights, including access to legal counsel. His

right to a fair trial A fair trial is a trial which is "conducted fairly, justly, and with procedural regularity by an impartial judge". Various rights associated with a fair trial are explicitly proclaimed in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, th ...

is being denied and is still being denied." On 26 January, Simpson-Kent appeared at an extradition hearing in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, where he told the court that he would voluntarily return to the UK. Simpson-Kent did return to the UK on 12 February 2016 and was arrested at Heathrow Airport, following which, he was charged with the murder of Blake and their two children. On 10 June, Simpson-Kent appeared at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

where he formally entered guilty pleas to the murders of Blake and their two sons. On 5 October 2016, Mr Justice Singh sentenced Simpson-Kent to life imprisonment with a whole life order, meaning he will not become eligible for parole and is unlikely to ever be released from prison. On 6 January 2016, the Metropolitan Police referred itself to the

Independent Police Complaints Commission The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales. On 8 January 2018, th ...

over its handling of the inquiry. Of the referral, the Metropolitan Police said "The Metropolitan Police has today, Wednesday 6 January, made a voluntary referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to the Sian Blake missing person investigation. An initial review has highlighted some potential issues regarding the handling and grading of the missing persons investigation. The Directorate of Professional Standards was informed on Monday, 4 January, and is working with the investigation team to fully understand the timeline of police interaction with the family."

Filmography

References

External links