Sarah Sugden
Encyclopedia
Sarah Sugden is a fictional character
in the British ITV
soap opera
, Emmerdale
. She was first played by Madeleine Howard
from 1988 until 1994 then by Alyson Spiro
from 1994 until 2000.
.
She became friendly with local farmer Jack Sugden
but when she took a pass on him he rejected her advances because he had lost his wife Pat
a year and a half earlier and had to look after his two-year-old son Robert
. But in December 1989 they got together and Sarah treat Robert like her own but Jack's 24-year-old son Jackie didn't like Sarah and tried to get Robert away from her any time he could. But eventually Sarah's best friend and Jackie's wife Kathy got the two to be friends. But tragedy struck when Jackie was killed several months later.
During 1989 Jack left for Italy to see old flame Marian Wilks leaving Sarah unaware of where they stood.Jack returned in November who a nosey Amos Brearly
made sure Sarah was aware of. Jack declared his relationship with Marion was over and it was her he wanted. In 1990 Sarah agreed to move in with Jack in the farm but kept the connecting door nailed shut to stop Annie Sugden's habit of wondering in declaring she was used to living alone. Sarah at first refused to help out on the farm but later agreed when the Sugdens found themselves shorthanded. The mobile library closed in June 1990 so Jack got her a job as barmaid in the woolpack working for Amos and Henry Wilks
who were impressed with her work ethic.
When mad man Jim Latimer was released from jail for the murder of Jack's cousin Sharon, he swore revenge on Jack who was a witness at his trial for murder. He took Sarah hostage in an abandoned warehouse were he said he'd keep her till Jack gave him £20,000. But Sarah knocked Latimer out with a brick and escaped unharmed. Latimer, meanwhile, was gunned down by police.
In January 1994 Jack proposed to Sarah. By then they had discovered Sarah was pregnant and in March 1994 Sarah gave birth to Victoria
. In May 1994 Jack and Sarah married but weeks after the wedding, Victoria stopped breathing and a hole in her heart
was found. She nearly died but a part of Sarah's heart was taken to save Victoria's life.
In 1996 Robert brought a friend home called Andy Hopwood
who was from the children's home after his mum and gran had died and his father Billy
was in jail. Jack and Sarah decided to adopt him and he became a Sugden. Billy escaped from prison at Christmas 1998 and tried to rob the post office accidentally killing Vic Windsor
, Andy confessed to Jack about where Billy was hiding and he was taken away by the police while Vic's hysterical widow Viv
shouted abuse at Andy for hiding his father. Sarah had never got on with Viv and the two often exchanged insults towards each other.
to make access for a query but moved into a new farm. Shortly after Jack started an affair with Sarah's friend Rachel Tate and when Sarah found out she threw Jack out and tried to kill Rachel by pushing her in the canal. But a year later Jack and Sarah got back together.
In 1999 Jack and Sarah's marriage started to turn sour and then Jack's ex mistress Rachel was killed and he still had feeling's for her but Sarah didn't care. Sarah was determined not to end up a traditional farmers wife like Annie and went away for a few weeks hoping for change when she returned. Upon her return she was furious to discover the changes Jack had made to the farm including forbidding Andy and Robert from going to school so they could help out on the farm tension escalated when she got a job at Kathy's diner to support the family financially. At Christmas Sarah went against Jack's wishes and brought Robert and Andy the video games they wanted despite the family being in financial ruin causing further tension between her and Jack. Despite vowing to make their marriage work in the new millennium Jack sold Sarah's car without her consent to Ashley Thomas
and confided in Sarah's friend Kathy about his marriage problems infuriating Sarah. Even Sarah and Victoria nearly being killed in the emmerdale bus crash wasn't enough to save their marriage. Sarah then had an affair with Jack's friend and lodger Richie and she and Jack split up when the truth came out in May 2000. Jack refused Sarah access to the children and a nasty custody battle followed. Andy resented Sarah for what she did to Jack but Robert remained loyal to Sarah and even turned to her about changing his GCSE options when Jack was disinterested about it.
In October 2000 Sarah got custody of Victoria but a week later she dumped Richie and tried to get Jack to take her back. On her way to the farm Richie got Sarah to go into the barn in an attempt to win her back but, hearing someone enter the barn and thinking it was Jack
, they climbed up a ladder and hid behind a haybale. It turned out to be Sarah's adopted son Andy Sugden
setting fire to the barn in a bid to win compensation from the insurance company in hope of solving Jack's money problems. Richie managed to climb down the ladder, avoiding the soaring flames, but Sarah was too scared. A mini blast threw Richie off his feet but destroyed the ladder, thus sealing Sarah's fate. After a lot of persuasion, Richie was struggling to breathe due to the smoke, so escaped without Sarah. Meanwhile Jack had heard the disturbance outside and ran out, only to see his barn on fire and Richie choking on the ground outside. What we last see of Sarah is her screaming for one last time: "Jaaack!" He tried to get Sarah out but stumbled out, gasping for oxygen, just seconds before the barn blew up. The remains of Sarah's body were found the next day.
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 British 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...
. She was first played by Madeleine Howard
Madeleine Howard
Madeleine Howard , is a British actress known for her role as Sarah Sugden, from 1988 to 1994 in the soap opera Emmerdale. She has also appeared in other TV programs such as The Bill, Holby City, Doctors and Jems....
from 1988 until 1994 then by Alyson Spiro
Alyson Spiro
Alyson Spiro is a British actress who played Sarah Sugden on the British television soap opera Emmerdale from 1994–2000. She also appeared in the programs Brookside, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors, Holby City, Sapphire and Steel and Fell Tiger.Spiro portrayed Astrid Kirchherr in the 1979 film...
from 1994 until 2000.
1988–1997
Sarah was first introduced as a librarian at the local library of Beckindale and became firm friends with Archie Brooks, Kathy Merrick and Rachel HughesRachel Hughes
Rachel Hughes is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Glenda McKay.-Storylines:...
.
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...
but when she took a pass on him he rejected her advances because he had lost his wife Pat
Pat Sugden
Patricia Ruth "Pat" Sugden is a fictional character in the popular soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Lynn Dalby and Helen Weir.-Early days:...
a year and a half earlier and had to look after his two-year-old son Robert
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...
. But in December 1989 they got together and Sarah treat Robert like her own but Jack's 24-year-old son Jackie didn't like Sarah and tried to get Robert away from her any time he could. But eventually Sarah's best friend and Jackie's wife Kathy got the two to be friends. But tragedy struck when Jackie was killed several months later.
During 1989 Jack left for Italy to see old flame Marian Wilks leaving Sarah unaware of where they stood.Jack returned in November who a nosey Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Ronald Magill.He ran the Woolpack, along with Henry Wilks for 19 years.-Character backstory:...
made sure Sarah was aware of. Jack declared his relationship with Marion was over and it was her he wanted. In 1990 Sarah agreed to move in with Jack in the farm but kept the connecting door nailed shut to stop Annie Sugden's habit of wondering in declaring she was used to living alone. Sarah at first refused to help out on the farm but later agreed when the Sugdens found themselves shorthanded. The mobile library closed in June 1990 so Jack got her a job as barmaid in the woolpack working for Amos and Henry Wilks
Henry Wilks
Henry Wilks is a fictional character from the popular soap opera Emmerdale played by Arthur Pentelow. He ran the Woolpack Inn, along with Amos Brearly for nearly 20 years....
who were impressed with her work ethic.
When mad man Jim Latimer was released from jail for the murder of Jack's cousin Sharon, he swore revenge on Jack who was a witness at his trial for murder. He took Sarah hostage in an abandoned warehouse were he said he'd keep her till Jack gave him £20,000. But Sarah knocked Latimer out with a brick and escaped unharmed. Latimer, meanwhile, was gunned down by police.
In January 1994 Jack proposed to Sarah. By then they had discovered Sarah was pregnant and in March 1994 Sarah gave birth to Victoria
Victoria Sugden
Victoria Anne Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale originally played by Jessica Heywood, then Hannah Midgley and currently Isabel Hodgins.-1994–:...
. In May 1994 Jack and Sarah married but weeks after the wedding, Victoria stopped breathing and a hole in her heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
was found. She nearly died but a part of Sarah's heart was taken to save Victoria's life.
In 1996 Robert brought a friend home called Andy Hopwood
Andy Sugden
Andrew "Andy" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Kelvin Fletcher.-1996–2007:...
who was from the children's home after his mum and gran had died and his father Billy
Billy Hopwood
William "Billy" Hopwood is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale and was played by David Crellin. Billy is the biological father of half-brothers Andy Sugden and Daz Eden.-Storylines:...
was in jail. Jack and Sarah decided to adopt him and he became a Sugden. Billy escaped from prison at Christmas 1998 and tried to rob the post office accidentally killing Vic Windsor
Vic Windsor
Victor "Vic" Windsor is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Alun Lewis for a period of five years, from 1993 until 1998. Vic was the second husband of shopkeeper, Viv Hope then Windsor, and also father of Kelly Windsor and Donna Windsor-Dingle...
, Andy confessed to Jack about where Billy was hiding and he was taken away by the police while Vic's hysterical widow Viv
Viv Hope
Vivienne "Viv" Hope was a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Emmerdale. Portrayed by Deena Payne, the character first appeared on 10 August 1993, and remained until 13 January 2011, becoming one of the longest serving characters, after nearly 18 years in the show.In November...
shouted abuse at Andy for hiding his father. Sarah had never got on with Viv and the two often exchanged insults towards each other.
1998–2000
In 1997 The Sugdens were evicted from the farm by Frank TateFrank Tate (Emmerdale)
Francis Ronald "Frank" Tate is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Norman Bowler.Frank arrived in Beckindale in 1989 with his second wife Kim, son Chris and daughter Zoe...
to make access for a query but moved into a new farm. Shortly after Jack started an affair with Sarah's friend Rachel Tate and when Sarah found out she threw Jack out and tried to kill Rachel by pushing her in the canal. But a year later Jack and Sarah got back together.
In 1999 Jack and Sarah's marriage started to turn sour and then Jack's ex mistress Rachel was killed and he still had feeling's for her but Sarah didn't care. Sarah was determined not to end up a traditional farmers wife like Annie and went away for a few weeks hoping for change when she returned. Upon her return she was furious to discover the changes Jack had made to the farm including forbidding Andy and Robert from going to school so they could help out on the farm tension escalated when she got a job at Kathy's diner to support the family financially. At Christmas Sarah went against Jack's wishes and brought Robert and Andy the video games they wanted despite the family being in financial ruin causing further tension between her and Jack. Despite vowing to make their marriage work in the new millennium Jack sold Sarah's car without her consent to 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...
and confided in Sarah's friend Kathy about his marriage problems infuriating Sarah. Even Sarah and Victoria nearly being killed in the emmerdale bus crash wasn't enough to save their marriage. Sarah then had an affair with Jack's friend and lodger Richie and she and Jack split up when the truth came out in May 2000. Jack refused Sarah access to the children and a nasty custody battle followed. Andy resented Sarah for what she did to Jack but Robert remained loyal to Sarah and even turned to her about changing his GCSE options when Jack was disinterested about it.
In October 2000 Sarah got custody of Victoria but a week later she dumped Richie and tried to get Jack to take her back. On her way to the farm Richie got Sarah to go into the barn in an attempt to win her back but, hearing someone enter the barn and thinking it was Jack
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...
, they climbed up a ladder and hid behind a haybale. It turned out to be Sarah's adopted son Andy Sugden
Andy Sugden
Andrew "Andy" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Kelvin Fletcher.-1996–2007:...
setting fire to the barn in a bid to win compensation from the insurance company in hope of solving Jack's money problems. Richie managed to climb down the ladder, avoiding the soaring flames, but Sarah was too scared. A mini blast threw Richie off his feet but destroyed the ladder, thus sealing Sarah's fate. After a lot of persuasion, Richie was struggling to breathe due to the smoke, so escaped without Sarah. Meanwhile Jack had heard the disturbance outside and ran out, only to see his barn on fire and Richie choking on the ground outside. What we last see of Sarah is her screaming for one last time: "Jaaack!" He tried to get Sarah out but stumbled out, gasping for oxygen, just seconds before the barn blew up. The remains of Sarah's body were found the next day.