Karl Davies
Encyclopedia
Karl Davies is an English
actor
, who portrayed Lyle Anderson in the TV series Kingdom
. Previously he had portrayed Robert Sugden
in the ITV
soap opera
Emmerdale
.
, Greater Manchester
, and was educated at Marple Hall School. He began his television acting career in 2000 with a guest appearance as Rick Ashburn in the ITV series Fat Friends
before moving into the recurring role of Nick Pullen in Peak Practice
, a role he played between series 9 - 11. He continued to play a number of minor television roles including The Bill
before getting his big break in Emmerdale.
, a longstanding character first introduced in 1986. The role had initially been played by Richard Smith (1986–1989) before being taken by Christopher Smith
, who held the position from 1989 - 2001. The change was made by series producers to allow them to engage Robert in a number of more mature story lines.
His first episode was broadcast in August 2001. The change in actor allowed the character to be developed and he soon became involved in a number of controversial storylines, most involving a long running feud with his adopted brother Andy Sugden
. He also became known for a number of romantic storylines, with Robert having an increasing number of sexual partners including Donna Windsor
, his brother's wife Katie Sugden
and 15-year-old Debbie Dingle
, the mother of his niece.
As one of the young male characters in the show he was invited to take part in a soap calendar for Now Magazine
in 2004 alongside fellow actors Ben Freeman
and Kelvin Fletcher
.
The character's final romantic storyline involved an affair with the married Sadie King
, played by Patsy Kensit
. This storyline received media attention when Kensit reportedly objected to a relationship with a younger actor believing her character should be portrayed as a "more sophisticated man-eater". Kensit however clarified the reasons for this in an interview with Leeds Today News stating "When I first heard about the storyline, I said 'but he looks like one of James's friends, so boyish and young'.
But Karl is so adorable and we had a lot of fun filming those scenes".
The brotherly feud which dominated much of Davies' time on the show was used by producers as the vehicle for a high profile attempt to compete with rival soap EastEnders
in the television ratings war and to secure Emmerdales place as the second most popular soap opera in the UK. The chosen storyline involved Andy's attempts to kill Robert which led to their father, Jack Sugden
being shot. The story was to prove a success securing viewing figures of 7.6 million compared with 6.4 million for EastEnders. This was the first time Emmerdale has secured such a ratings victory.
For his final and highly publicised storyline it was made clear to the media weeks in advance that either Robert, Andy or local vet Max King
would be killed in an explosive road accident. In the end, it was to be Max who was killed but Robert decided he could no longer remain in the village and was last seen driving off towards a new life. The open ending allowed Davies to attempt to create himself a film career but leaves open a possible return to the show (where the character's family remains) should he and the producers wish to pursue this option.
, which aired at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
on August 22, 2006. It was made by the UK Film Council
and directed by Sarah Tripp. In 2005 he began production on a new movie, Dolphins
, in which he plays the central role of Brent Black - a teenager from a rough estate in Brighton
. Filming was completed in 2007.
Along with the production of Dolphins, Davies also spent 2006 filming an ITV television series, Kingdom
, opposite Stephen Fry
, Celia Imrie
, Hermione Norris
and Tony Slattery
. It followed the story of a solicitor (Fry) living in a quiet seaside village in Norfolk
. Davies played a trainee solicitor Lyle Anderson, who dreams of escaping Market Shipborough, where the show is set, to work in the city. The first series aired in 2007 and the second began in January 2008.
In between series of Kingdom, Davies filmed a one off drama documentary for Channel 4, A Very British Sex Scandal. This was broadcast during a season of shows to commemorate the changing of the law with regards to gay rights. It told the story of the trial of Lord Edward Montagu
. He was arrested and charged along with Peter Wildeblood (a Daily Mail
Journalist) for alleged indecent acts with two RAF nurses, Johnny Reynolds (played by Davies) and Edward McNally.
In 2007 Davies made his stage debut in flint street nativaty at the Liverpool Playhouse
On 10 February 2009, he returned to Emmerdale for a one hour special episode for his screen father, Jack Sugden's funeral, dedicated to Clive Hornby
.
In 2010, Davies played multiple characters on stage in the Tricycle Theater's ambitious, "The Great Game: Afghanistan." The play consists of twelve separate one-act plays (each by a different author) about Afghanistan. The production's US tour includes stops in Washington, DC, Berkeley, Minneapolis and New York City. Davies appears in four segments, frequently as a soldier.
competitions at the age of 14, 15 and 16 but never pursued this further than local competitions at a junior level. He has expressed a love of extreme sports such as snowboarding
and skiing
. However, during his time on Emmerdale he has publicly stated that he was prevented from participating in these activities by the producers. His only real exception to this was as part of the annual charity fund-raising event in Inverurie
where he was allowed to go Wing walking
on a biplane
, an experience he greatly enjoyed.
Davies has revealed that his role in Emmerdale has led to much greater public recognition and that the reaction from fans of the show has been mixed. He has been insulted and slapped in the street by strangers who have been unable to tell him from the character he plays. However, he has also developed a following amongst gay viewers and has admitted that he receives a lot of fan mail
from male viewers.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who portrayed Lyle Anderson in the TV series Kingdom
Kingdom (TV series)
Kingdom is a British television series produced by Parallel Film and Television Productions for the ITV network. It was created by Simon Wheeler and stars Stephen Fry as Peter Kingdom, a Norfolk solicitor who is coping with family, colleagues, and the strange locals who come to him for legal...
. Previously he had portrayed Robert Sugden
Robert Sugden
Robert Jacob Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by three different actors: Richard Smith , Christopher Smith and Karl Davies .-Storylines:A character that was born on the show, Robert was notorious for the number of romantic relationships in...
in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the 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,...
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...
.
Biography
Davies was born in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, and was educated at Marple Hall School. He began his television acting career in 2000 with a guest appearance as Rick Ashburn in the ITV series Fat Friends
Fat Friends
Fat Friends is an ITV drama , following a group of overweight people, their laughter and pain and addresses the absurdities of dieting in our modern age. The drama looks at people and how they relate to one another and use body weight as an excuse for all sorts of failings in their relationships,...
before moving into the recurring role of Nick Pullen in Peak Practice
Peak Practice
Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time...
, a role he played between series 9 - 11. He continued to play a number of minor television roles including The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
before getting his big break in Emmerdale.
Emmerdale
In 2001, Davies took over the role of Robert SugdenRobert Sugden
Robert Jacob Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by three different actors: Richard Smith , Christopher Smith and Karl Davies .-Storylines:A character that was born on the show, Robert was notorious for the number of romantic relationships in...
, a longstanding character first introduced in 1986. The role had initially been played by Richard Smith (1986–1989) before being taken by Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith (English actor)
Christopher Smith is an English actor well known for playing the part of Robert Sugden in ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 1989 until May 2001, when he was axed and replaced by Karl Davies....
, who held the position from 1989 - 2001. The change was made by series producers to allow them to engage Robert in a number of more mature story lines.
His first episode was broadcast in August 2001. The change in actor allowed the character to be developed and he soon became involved in a number of controversial storylines, most involving a long running feud with his adopted brother Andy Sugden
Andy Sugden
Andrew "Andy" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Kelvin Fletcher.-1996–2007:...
. He also became known for a number of romantic storylines, with Robert having an increasing number of sexual partners including Donna Windsor
Donna Windsor-Dingle
Donna Windsor Dingle is a fictional character that appeared in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was originally played by Sophie Jeffery, and later replaced by Verity Rushworth in 1998. Donna was the third longest running character on Emmerdale at the time of her departure. She made her first...
, his brother's wife Katie Sugden
Katie Sugden
Katherine "Katie" Sugden is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, and is played by Sammy Winward. She originally appeared between 2001 and 2005 and returned in 2006 and has remained in the show since.-Casting:...
and 15-year-old Debbie Dingle
Debbie Dingle
Deborah "Debbie" Dingle is a fictional character in the British ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale. She is portrayed by Charley Webb...
, the mother of his niece.
As one of the young male characters in the show he was invited to take part in a soap calendar for Now Magazine
NOW magazine (UK)
NOW is a British weekly entertainment magazine.It is a weekly magazine in the UK, with a regular circulation of 384,356. It is a mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion and is primarily aimed at women...
in 2004 alongside fellow actors Ben Freeman
Ben Freeman
Benedict "Ben" Freeman is an English television actor, best known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as Scott Windsor.-Personal life:...
and Kelvin Fletcher
Kelvin Fletcher
Kelvin Warren Fletcher is an English actor and model who has played Andy Sugden in the long-running television soap opera Emmerdale since 1996....
.
The character's final romantic storyline involved an affair with the married Sadie King
Sadie King
Sadie Jacqueline King , was a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Patsy Kensit...
, played by Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
. This storyline received media attention when Kensit reportedly objected to a relationship with a younger actor believing her character should be portrayed as a "more sophisticated man-eater". Kensit however clarified the reasons for this in an interview with Leeds Today News stating "When I first heard about the storyline, I said 'but he looks like one of James's friends, so boyish and young'.
But Karl is so adorable and we had a lot of fun filming those scenes".
The brotherly feud which dominated much of Davies' time on the show was used by producers as the vehicle for a high profile attempt to compete with rival soap EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in the television ratings war and to secure Emmerdales place as the second most popular soap opera in the UK. The chosen storyline involved Andy's attempts to kill Robert which led to their father, Jack Sugden
Jack Sugden
John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Emmerdale. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt from 1972 to 1974 with a brief return in 1976, when he left for Italy to write a book. On his return in 1980 he was played by Clive Hornby...
being shot. The story was to prove a success securing viewing figures of 7.6 million compared with 6.4 million for EastEnders. This was the first time Emmerdale has secured such a ratings victory.
For his final and highly publicised storyline it was made clear to the media weeks in advance that either Robert, Andy or local vet Max King
Max King (Emmerdale)
Maxwell Harold "Max" King is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was portrayed by Charlie Kemp.-Storylines:Max arrived in Emmerdale in early 2005, nearly a year after the introduction of the rest of his family...
would be killed in an explosive road accident. In the end, it was to be Max who was killed but Robert decided he could no longer remain in the village and was last seen driving off towards a new life. The open ending allowed Davies to attempt to create himself a film career but leaves open a possible return to the show (where the character's family remains) should he and the producers wish to pursue this option.
After Emmerdale
Following his departure from Emmerdale, Davies took the role of Damien in the short film, Me and HerMe and Her
Me and Her is a 2006 short film jointly commissioned by, the UK Film Council, Scottish Screen and Glasgow Media Access Centre. It is written and directed by Sarah Tripp and stars Karl Davies and Jo Hartley...
, which aired at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
on August 22, 2006. It was made by the UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...
and directed by Sarah Tripp. In 2005 he began production on a new movie, Dolphins
Dolphins (2007 film)
Dolphins is a music-driven, action romance film written and directed by Mark Jay and starring Karl Davies. The film follows the lives of a group of boy racers living in Brighton who struggle to coexist with the indie scene that the town is famous for....
, in which he plays the central role of Brent Black - a teenager from a rough estate in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. Filming was completed in 2007.
Along with the production of Dolphins, Davies also spent 2006 filming an ITV television series, Kingdom
Kingdom (TV series)
Kingdom is a British television series produced by Parallel Film and Television Productions for the ITV network. It was created by Simon Wheeler and stars Stephen Fry as Peter Kingdom, a Norfolk solicitor who is coping with family, colleagues, and the strange locals who come to him for legal...
, opposite Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
, Hermione Norris
Hermione Norris
Hermione Norris is an English actress.Norris attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy drama television series Cold Feet...
and Tony Slattery
Tony Slattery
Anthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The...
. It followed the story of a solicitor (Fry) living in a quiet seaside village in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Davies played a trainee solicitor Lyle Anderson, who dreams of escaping Market Shipborough, where the show is set, to work in the city. The first series aired in 2007 and the second began in January 2008.
In between series of Kingdom, Davies filmed a one off drama documentary for Channel 4, A Very British Sex Scandal. This was broadcast during a season of shows to commemorate the changing of the law with regards to gay rights. It told the story of the trial of Lord Edward Montagu
Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
Edward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu is a British Conservative politician well known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause célèbre in British gay history, his 1954 conviction and imprisonment for homosexual sex, a...
. He was arrested and charged along with Peter Wildeblood (a Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
Journalist) for alleged indecent acts with two RAF nurses, Johnny Reynolds (played by Davies) and Edward McNally.
In 2007 Davies made his stage debut in flint street nativaty at the Liverpool Playhouse
On 10 February 2009, he returned to Emmerdale for a one hour special episode for his screen father, Jack Sugden's funeral, dedicated to Clive Hornby
Clive Hornby
Clive Hornby was an English actor, known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as farmer Jack Sugden.-Television:...
.
In 2010, Davies played multiple characters on stage in the Tricycle Theater's ambitious, "The Great Game: Afghanistan." The play consists of twelve separate one-act plays (each by a different author) about Afghanistan. The production's US tour includes stops in Washington, DC, Berkeley, Minneapolis and New York City. Davies appears in four segments, frequently as a soldier.
Personal life
Prior to becoming a professional actor Davies enjoyed extreme sports and competed in climbingClimbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
competitions at the age of 14, 15 and 16 but never pursued this further than local competitions at a junior level. He has expressed a love of extreme sports such as snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
. However, during his time on Emmerdale he has publicly stated that he was prevented from participating in these activities by the producers. His only real exception to this was as part of the annual charity fund-raising event in Inverurie
Inverurie
Inverurie is a Royal Burgh and town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line...
where he was allowed to go Wing walking
Wing walking
Seen in airshows and barnstorming during the 1920s, wing walking is the act of moving on the wings of an airplane during flight.-The beginning of air walkers:...
on a biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
, an experience he greatly enjoyed.
Davies has revealed that his role in Emmerdale has led to much greater public recognition and that the reaction from fans of the show has been mixed. He has been insulted and slapped in the street by strangers who have been unable to tell him from the character he plays. However, he has also developed a following amongst gay viewers and has admitted that he receives a lot of fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
from male viewers.