Hilary Potts
Encyclopedia
Hilary Potts is a fictional character
in the popular British
soap opera
Emmerdale
, she was portrayed by Paula Wilcox
, she made her first appearance in April 2007, and her last in May 2008.
's mother and mother-in-law of Ashley Thomas
. She and her husband, Douglas Potts
, arrived on April 30, for a meal with their daughter. All went well, but after they left, they were involved in a car crash. Both survived the crash and returned to the village to see their new grandson. Tragically, Daniel died in February 2008. Hilary and Douglas stayed until the funeral but a devastated Laurel told Hilary she blamed her for Daniel's death, as Hilary convinced Laurel not to check on Daniel when they heard him crying. Hilary tried to work out their problems but Laurel asked her to leave. Hilary and Douglas went home but visited again several weeks later. Laurel and Hilary reconciled and Hilary and Douglas moved in with Ashley and Laurel.
The family began to move on from the tragedy of Daniel's death, but Daniel's postmortem revealed that he had been a carrier for cystic fibrosis. Ashley, Laurel and her parents were puzzled as neither family knew of any relative with that condition. Hilary became concerned when she learned Melanie Doland, whose son, Arthur, who was born the same day as Daniel, said her sister had died of cystic fibrosis. A few weeks later, Greg Doland told Hilary that Arthur was allergic to seafood. This was common in Hilary's family. Hilary became convinced that Daniel was not Laurel and Ashley's son, and despite Douglas, Ashley and Laurel thinking what Hilary was saying was due to her grief, she convinced the doctor to check the blood types again. This proved what Hilary had been saying - that Daniel was not Ashley and Laurel's son. Laurel was devastated and slapped Hilary for adding to their agony. Hilary felt guilty for what her daughter had gone through, but told Doug she knew the Dolands were raising Laurel's and Ashley's son.
When Hilary found out the Dolands were going on holiday to Spain
, she vanished with Arthur. They were soon found, but Ashley told the Dolands about the possible baby mix up. Greg and Mel Doland attempted to emigrate with Arthur, but Ashley stopped them. Hilary called the police, who said they couldn't intervene, but fearing she would lose her son, Mel ran away with Arthur. Laurel refused to accept that Arthur might be her son. Hilary told Laurel she couldn't watch her ignore her son and went home. Doug receives a phone call from Hilary on Arthur's first birthday, asking for a divorce
. As of January 2011, Doug and Hilary are back together and go on a cruise together to try and make they're marriage work.
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 the popular British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, she was portrayed by Paula Wilcox
Paula Wilcox
Paula Wilcox is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Chrissy in the British comedy Man About the House .-Early sitcom fame:...
, she made her first appearance in April 2007, and her last in May 2008.
Background
Hilary is Laurel ThomasLaurel Thomas
Laurel Thomas is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Charlotte Bellamy. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 3 September 2002. Laurel has been off-screen at various times while Bellamy has taken maternity leave.-Casting:In 2004, Bellamy announced she...
's mother and mother-in-law of Ashley Thomas
Ashley Thomas
Ashley Michael Thomas is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by John Middleton.-1996–99:Ashley soon began developing feelings for the landlady of the Woolpack pub, Bernice Blackstock. He tried putting them aside as Bernice was engaged to Gavin, despite suspecting that...
. She and her husband, Douglas Potts
Douglas Potts
Douglas "Doug" Potts is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Duncan Preston. In July 2010, Duncan announced that he was taking a break from the show, initially temporarily for several months to allow him to do some theatre work...
, arrived on April 30, for a meal with their daughter. All went well, but after they left, they were involved in a car crash. Both survived the crash and returned to the village to see their new grandson. Tragically, Daniel died in February 2008. Hilary and Douglas stayed until the funeral but a devastated Laurel told Hilary she blamed her for Daniel's death, as Hilary convinced Laurel not to check on Daniel when they heard him crying. Hilary tried to work out their problems but Laurel asked her to leave. Hilary and Douglas went home but visited again several weeks later. Laurel and Hilary reconciled and Hilary and Douglas moved in with Ashley and Laurel.
The family began to move on from the tragedy of Daniel's death, but Daniel's postmortem revealed that he had been a carrier for cystic fibrosis. Ashley, Laurel and her parents were puzzled as neither family knew of any relative with that condition. Hilary became concerned when she learned Melanie Doland, whose son, Arthur, who was born the same day as Daniel, said her sister had died of cystic fibrosis. A few weeks later, Greg Doland told Hilary that Arthur was allergic to seafood. This was common in Hilary's family. Hilary became convinced that Daniel was not Laurel and Ashley's son, and despite Douglas, Ashley and Laurel thinking what Hilary was saying was due to her grief, she convinced the doctor to check the blood types again. This proved what Hilary had been saying - that Daniel was not Ashley and Laurel's son. Laurel was devastated and slapped Hilary for adding to their agony. Hilary felt guilty for what her daughter had gone through, but told Doug she knew the Dolands were raising Laurel's and Ashley's son.
When Hilary found out the Dolands were going on holiday to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, she vanished with Arthur. They were soon found, but Ashley told the Dolands about the possible baby mix up. Greg and Mel Doland attempted to emigrate with Arthur, but Ashley stopped them. Hilary called the police, who said they couldn't intervene, but fearing she would lose her son, Mel ran away with Arthur. Laurel refused to accept that Arthur might be her son. Hilary told Laurel she couldn't watch her ignore her son and went home. Doug receives a phone call from Hilary on Arthur's first birthday, asking for a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. As of January 2011, Doug and Hilary are back together and go on a cruise together to try and make they're marriage work.