Bradley Foster
Encyclopedia
Bradley Foster was a fictional character
in UK soap opera
Family Affairs
, played by Harry Capehorn from 2004 to 2005.
. Bradley had taken a gap year
in Australia
the year previous, and returned to the UK to live with his mother, Sharon. Chrissy, Melanie's mother tried to get Bradley and Melanie back together, but ultimately failed as Melanie was engaged to Brendan Boulter. Bradley went on to date Lucy Day, one of Melanie's friends who lived locally and began working for Les Boulter
at the corner cafe.
and Chrissy went through a separation. Chloe began to look on Bradley as an older brother figure, as Melanie had recently married and moved in with Brendan. Everything seemed fine, until one day in October, Chloe revealed to Chrissy that Bradley had been touching her inappropriately.
Chrissy then told Gary that the allegations were a lie, which put further strain on their marriage. After Chloe was analysed by a child psychologist, the finger of blame began to point towards Gary. However, Gary was vindicated following Chloe revealing to the social worker that Bradley was the one sexually abusing her.
Bradley, after being attacked by Gary outside of the cafe, decided to flee Charnham and tried to convince Lucy to come with him.
on Bradley's computer. Bradley denied all knowledge and accused Gary of planting images on the hard drive. The images were later revealed as being paid for prior to Bradley moving in with the Costellos. The evidence wasn't sufficient enough to sustain a conviction.
, Conrad's son about Bradley's whereabouts. Bradley, after being thrown out by his stepfather, Martin, had returned to Charnham and had been staying with the Williams Family.
Gary, upon leaving the pub, smashed his way into the house and confronted Bradley.
Bradley began goading Gary about Chloe seeking attention and not leaving him alone, prompting Gary to punch him, causing Bradley to fall and hit his head.
Bradley then left Charnham, with his relationship with Sharon in tatters.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in UK soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Family Affairs
Family Affairs
Family Affairs was a British soap opera broadcast on Five, from 1997 to 2005. It was the second programme to be broadcast on the channel on 30 March 1997, the channel's launch night...
, played by Harry Capehorn from 2004 to 2005.
About Bradley
Bradley first appeared in Charnham in April 2004, as the former boyfriend of Melanie CostelloMelanie Costello
Melanie Costello was a fictional character in the UK soap opera Family Affairs, played by Rebecca Hunter from September 2003 until May 2005. Melanie returned in December 2005 for the final week of the series.-Arrival:...
. Bradley had taken a gap year
Gap year
An expression or phrase that is associated with taking time out to travel in between life stages. It is also known as sabbatical, time off and time out that refers to a period of time in which students disengage from curricular education and undertake non curricular activities, such as travel or...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
the year previous, and returned to the UK to live with his mother, Sharon. Chrissy, Melanie's mother tried to get Bradley and Melanie back together, but ultimately failed as Melanie was engaged to Brendan Boulter. Bradley went on to date Lucy Day, one of Melanie's friends who lived locally and began working for Les Boulter
Les Boulter
Lester "Les" Boulter was a fictional character in UK soap opera Family Affairs, played by Howard Saddler from 2003 to 2005.-Character's background:...
at the corner cafe.
Abuse Allegations
Bradley settled into the Costello household as a lodger, frequently babysitting Chloe, Melanie's younger sister while her parents GaryGary Costello
Gary Costello was a fictional character in UK soap opera Family Affairs, played by Gary Webster from 2003 until the final episode of the series 2005.-Character information:...
and Chrissy went through a separation. Chloe began to look on Bradley as an older brother figure, as Melanie had recently married and moved in with Brendan. Everything seemed fine, until one day in October, Chloe revealed to Chrissy that Bradley had been touching her inappropriately.
Chrissy then told Gary that the allegations were a lie, which put further strain on their marriage. After Chloe was analysed by a child psychologist, the finger of blame began to point towards Gary. However, Gary was vindicated following Chloe revealing to the social worker that Bradley was the one sexually abusing her.
Bradley, after being attacked by Gary outside of the cafe, decided to flee Charnham and tried to convince Lucy to come with him.
Kidnapping
One afternoon, Gary arrived late to pick Chloe up and Bradley saw his chance and abducted her. Lucy, who arranged to meet Bradley, in secret persuaded him to bring Chloe home and give himself up. Bradley was then arrested, but released due to lack of evidence against him and the fact that Chloe had lied previously.Further Evidence
During a search on Sharon's boyfriend, Conrad Williams' house, where Bradley was staying, the police found child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
on Bradley's computer. Bradley denied all knowledge and accused Gary of planting images on the hard drive. The images were later revealed as being paid for prior to Bradley moving in with the Costellos. The evidence wasn't sufficient enough to sustain a conviction.
Showdown with Gary
On November 5, 2004, Gary received information from Alex WilliamsAlex Williams
Alexander Williams MBE is a retired English football goalkeeper.-Playing career:A product of the Manchester City youth scheme, he made his first team debut in the 1980–81 season, Succeeding Joe Corrigan in the City goal, he made a total of 125 appearances in six years, including two consecutive...
, Conrad's son about Bradley's whereabouts. Bradley, after being thrown out by his stepfather, Martin, had returned to Charnham and had been staying with the Williams Family.
Gary, upon leaving the pub, smashed his way into the house and confronted Bradley.
Bradley began goading Gary about Chloe seeking attention and not leaving him alone, prompting Gary to punch him, causing Bradley to fall and hit his head.
Cellmates
After Bradley had woken from his coma and had undergone a successful operation to reattach a loose retina, he was remanded in custody alongside Gary.Sharon's revelation
During an emotional conversation with Chrissy, Sharon revealed that she did in fact believe that Bradley had molested Chloe as she had suspected her first husband, Bradley's father, had done to him.Trial
In April 2005, Gary stood trial for his assault on Bradley. Bradley was convinced Gary would be sent down for the assault and decided to paint a damning picture of him in court. Sharon, while on the stand revealed the information about Bradley's past abuse, in order to aid Gary but the testimony was stricken from the record. The jury retired to deliberate over a verdict. When the jury returned, they rendered a verdict of Not Guilty.Bradley then left Charnham, with his relationship with Sharon in tatters.