When Harriet Finch was killed off in Emmerdale in the dramatic 50th anniversary storm, fans were distraught. Their upset turned to anger when she didn’t even get a proper on-screen funeral.
Almost 18 months after her departure, actress Katherine Dow Blyton has given an interview in which she has described how she really felt about Harriet’s demise. And explained how she feels about Emmerdale now.
Emmerdale kills off Harriet
As a storm raged through Emmerdale village in October 2022, Harriet was out searching for Amelia Spencer who was pregnant and in labour all alone.
Having just had her heart broken when Will Taylor wed Kim Tate, Harriet jumped on a quad bike and went into the woods. However, she ended up careering off a steep hill and getting trapped under the bike.
Kim found her and pulled her free, but then a lightning bolt struck the bike and killed Harriet.
The character never even had an on-screen funeral. Although a tribute was paid when Nicola erected the village bus stop in memoriam to Harriet and Liv Flaherty, who also died, fans were always annoyed at how badly Harriet was treated.
Katherine Dow Blyton speaks out on Harriet’s demise
Now actress Katherine Dow Blyton, who played Harriet from 2013 until 2022, has spoken out. In an interview with Soap From the Box podcast the actress hinted the writing was on the wall when Harriet went from being a vicar to a policewoman on the beat. She tactfully described the move as “a bit leftfield.” Katherine went on to admit she felt “uncomfortable” and it didn’t feel like the right thing to do with her.
She went on to suggest: “Why has everything got to be conflict, murder, affairs? You can have a character who’s single or a happily married couple. I don’t know whether soaps are a victim of their own success because when soaps are doing six episodes a week, what do you do to keep people interested?”
Katherine then queried: “Why did the 50th have to be such a tragic outcome?”
On Harriet not having a funeral, Katherine said: “I felt a bit sorry for Harriet.”
The actress spoke about the moment she was told Harriet was being killed off. “I went up and they basically said: ‘We love Harriet and we’re going to give her a good death.’ I did sit there for 10 seconds thinking, have I done something wrong? They say don’t take it personally, but it’s impossible not to.”
She continued: “I was taken aback. I said, ‘No, that’s fine, that’s fine.’ I said: ‘Well you don’t know what to do with me anyway, do you?’ I kept trying to get out of the building. Then I sat in my car and burst into tears because it was a shock.”
Ready to leave Emmerdale as Harriet
Although her response was to burst into tears, Katherine also admitted: “I’d been ready to go for a while, to be fair. But to make a decision to leave a good job that you do enjoy more than you don’t is a big decision.
“I am glad that they made it because I possibly wouldn’t have been brave enough.”
She insisted: “I don’t want to sound like one of those bitter actors. I had a ball.”
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour episode on Thursdays.
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