The Real Kathy Haydn - Characters
Click on the thumbnail pictures of the cast below to view character and actor information...
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Kathy Haydn – Played by JJ Hooker
Age 44
Occupation: TV Presenter and Agony Aunt.
Character
Kathy is the biggest celebrity in the country. Fact! She has her own line of clothing, her own TV show, her own best selling novel and even her own therapy ‘The Haydn Treatment,’ now recognised worldwide. But who is she really? We know she came from humble beginnings, we love her warm persona and we recognise her celebrity status but who is the woman hiding behind this front. This is the big secret of the show. Kathy Haydn has disappeared. No one can believe the woman who had it all would kill herself, was murdered or would vanish – but she has. Kathy Haydn was as open as she was secretive, as selfless as she was ruthless. It is only in the lives of others that we can piece together the real Kathy Haydn.
Dr Jules Louzado – Played by Mensah Bediako
Age 45
Occupation: Co-presenter of ‘The Real Kathy Haydn Show’
Character
Dr Jules is a gentle giant; a fatherly, well mannered and well meaning man with an honest and magnetic personality. He co-presents ‘The Real Kathy Haydn Show’ and, with a PhD in medicine, is well equipped to deal with the medical questions of the public whilst Kathy deals with the emotional. He is also Kathy’s best friend and they are inseparable on and off-screen. Jules is a very private man. Unlike Kathy he does not get involved in the superficial celebrity world and the level of press intrusion worries him. He has the biggest reaction to Kathy’s disappearance; it is like a part of him has gone missing too and whilst the producers look to him to carry the show, Jules’ fragile state sees him disintegrate altogether.
Martin Jacobs - Played by Roger Morgan
Age 45
Occupation: Producer of ‘The Real Kathy Haydn Show’
Character
Martin Jacobs is a spoilt, stuffy child stuck in an adult’s body. He runs The Real Kathy Haydn Show with no people skills, no finesse and no subtlety and remains hungry for ratings and success. From early on we see that his coping abilities when faced with a dilemma are non existent and he relies heavily on broadcast assistant Nancy to ensure the smooth running of the show (even if he is blind to this dependence). He has been with the show since its conception and, over the years, has become bitter and cynical. He is not a people person. He thinks Kathy is a shallow media prop, Dr Jules is a wet, mumbling idiot and the whole show is a trashy, over hyped, back patting shambles made for a gullible and half-witted audience. But, it brings home the bacon and that’s all that matters.
Nancy Baker – Played by Sonia Owens
Age 27
Occupation: Broadcast Assistant on ‘The Real Kathy Haydn Show’
Character
Nancy has worked on ‘The Real Kathy Haydn Show’ show for five years and in that time has become part of the furniture. She is the voice of reason and the cheery, calming smile when the pressure of producing a high profile TV show threatens to tear the fragile crew apart. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She is emotional and caring but is forced to suppress it to help others. If Kathy Haydn ever needed a protégé it would be Nancy – a small scale agony aunt taking the burden of everyone else’s problems. Nancy always sees the good in people which leaves her open to manipulation.
Jeremy Gibbs – Uncast
Age 49
Occupation: Executive Producer
Character
Jeremy is a bigwig – A suit wearing governor in a position of power. He is sceptical about the future of The Real Kathy Haydn Show without its glamorous namesake to carry its flag and is ready to pull it. It is up to the crew of the daytime chat show to come together and revamp it so that it can forge its way forward. Jeremy is serene, logical and calm, although not a man to be crossed.
Andy Cox – Played by David Voss
Age 27
Occupation: Kathy Haydn’s Chauffeur
Character
Andy Cox is the first to discover that Kathy Haydn is missing when he bursts into her house to find a suicide note painted on the wall. Andy has driven for Kathy Haydn for four years. He is relaxed and playful, smooth talking but honest – an Australian with cheeky smile. But there is a darker side to his character. Ever since his girlfriend died in a car crash two years ago he has privately turned to the dark side. He smokes dope, drinks and parties hard, although he remains professional and never takes his debauchery to work with him. Andy is everyone’s best mate and always up for a laugh. But the day he found Kathy’s suicide note was the day his life took a turn for the worse.
Nathan Gillespie – Played by Darren Enthoven
Age 31
Occupation: Freelance Photographer
Family: Wife – Ally. Twins - Amy and Jake Gillespie
Character
Life is a breeze for Nathan. He has worked as a freelance photographer since his early twenties and is one of the few people that can honestly say ‘I love my job.’ But then what red blooded male wouldn’t. Nathan photographs scantily clad babes for the most prestigious of men’s lifestyle magazines and is surrounded by some of the countries hottest females. This has certainly helped him brush up on his flirting techniques and he is never more at home than chatting up his models (and often sleeping with them if the shoot finishes half hour early). He is married to Ally and is as relaxed as she is uptight. This is a marriage that he takes for granted; he is a doting Dad who doesn’t realise that every affair is gambling with his settled home life. But a leopard won’t change his spots and the smooth arrogance is all part of his charm.
Click here to see Ally and Nathan’s teaser trailer
Ally Gillespie - Played by Nicola Preece
Age 32
Occupation: Housewife and former kickboxing instructor
Family: Married to Nathan, Jake and Amy (twins)
Character
Ally seems neurotic and unbalanced, but lifestyle and nurture has made her this way. She married her first boyfriend, Nathan, at a young age and fell pregnant soon after. Her heart has been broken on many occasions by her husband’s numerous affairs. There is no trust in her marriage and she categorically blames the media. Nathan is a freelance photographer for high profile men’s lifestyle magazines and, as a result, he is constantly surrounded by and 'smoozing' with beautiful women. Now Ally has reached a point where she wants Nathan to choose – her or the media. Ally is compulsive and perfection driven but desperate to be the sunny, happy person she used to be. And with a certificate in martial arts, she will fight dirty for this end result.
Click here to see Ally and Nathan’s teaser trailer
Amy Gillespie - Uncast
Age 11
Occupation: Student
Family: Mum – Ally, Dad – Nathan, Twin brother – Jake
Character
Amy is every parent’s worst nightmare. She is rebellious to the point of being out of control. She drinks, she smokes, she shouts, she screams, she runs away and turns the family home into a war zone. She just doesn’t feel like she fits in with her family and with parents that are either absent or arguing, maybe this is the only way for her to handle her loneliness. But even children have secrets – and a clue to hers could be found in a bottle of hair dye.
Jake Gillespie - Uncast
Age 11
Occupation: Student
Family: Mum – Ally, Dad – Nathan, Twin sister – Amy
Character
Rarely are two twins so different. Jake, unlike Amy, is sensible and polite. For this reason his parents often overlook him as so much of their time is taken trying to deal with his unruly sibling. Jake and Amy have an inseparable bond and will always stick up for one another. They have an almost Enid Blyton like yearning for adventure that could well land them in trouble.
Sasha Coral - Played by Asta Parry
Age 27
Occupation: Checkout Assistant, Petrol Station Attendant
Family: Mum – Living with boyfriend Bill
Character
Sasha is the ultimate victim of the media. A girl so pressurised by the ‘normal body shape’ presented by stick thin models adorning the covers of every magazine and striding down every catwalk that she feels inadequate and worthless. She has a huge wit and personality but her acidic observations are usually directed at herself. She lives with her boyfriend Bill – a blue collar Adonis. Deep down, she cannot understand why he would want to stick around. Sasha has no self esteem and desperately tries to make him happy (in fact, maybe that is the reason he does hang about). But Sasha is about to become embroiled in the biggest showbiz story of the decade as, on the day of Kathy’s disappearance, those close to her begin to show their true colours and, like it or not, she may become headline news herself – but these type of headlines are never entirely welcome.
Bill Oakley - Uncast
Age 34
Occupation: Builder
Family: Boyfriend of Sasha Coral
Character
Bill is good looking but coarse, cold and harsh. He maintains properties for a living and sells them for profit but is more at home sitting idly by and letting his girlfriend, Sasha, bring home the money. Bill is driven by laziness and lifestyle yet has a mesmerising effect on women – an oppressive force that thinks the world owes him a favour. He sits on a self made pedestal; people should be flattered by having him around. He has few friends and likes it that way. In essence he is a blue collar bully and Sasha is very much under his spell.
Ellen Kinsella - Played by Georgina Sycamore
Age 31
Occupation: Journalist
Character
Ellen Kinsella is the primary journalist for all things Kathy Haydn. If there is a sniff of a story she won’t be far away. She is the sniper of the press, ambitious and ruthless. But Ellen is not without her humanities – flippant on the outside, damaged on the inside. One of the most interesting relationships in the show is the one we discover she had with Kathy Haydn. They are both aware that they are each others bread and butter – Kathy needs the PR, Ellen needs the stories and so their relationship is very cat and mouse. They both try and second guess each other but, sharing ambition in common, they have a mutual understanding and respect. They can just as easily share a meal as they could screw each other over for their own career progression.
Sandy Stokes - Uncast
Age 56
Occupation: Detective
Character
Sandy Stokes knows he has landed the job of his dreams when he is called in to investigate the disappearance of Kathy Haydn. Not only does he have access to the home of the most famous woman in the country (putting him in a perfect position to judge the ‘chintziness’ of her curtains and furniture) but he also finds crucial evidence in the form of a whole study’s worth of Agony Aunt Letters. Sandy discovers the seediest secrets of the nation and he loves it – Britain is a bunch of perverts. Furthermore, if everyone in the country confided their filthiest secrets to Kathy, then the whole country is a suspect – how exciting for him. You have never met a detective like Sandy. He is a nosey old trouble maker, a rude, uncompassionate old dog who comically observes the world with a dry and sardonic humour. However, he always gets the job done and will stop at nothing until he has solved the mystery.
Dale Goring - Uncast
Age 26
Occupation: Police Officer
Character
Hopelessly out of his depth, Dale Goring conducts his way round a crime scene with all the panache of an A-level student on a school trip. He looks up to Sandy Stokes (his senior), questions every move he makes and furiously scribbles down every action on his well used notepad. Dale is like a puppy dog, always enthusiastic, bright eyed and raring for action.
Matt Harrison - Uncast
Age 29
Occupation: Personal fitness instructor
Character
Matt Harrison lives his life in fear of his compulsive wife Kerry. Not that there isn’t a lot of love there but he is henpecked and moulded to suit her every flight of fancy. Matt looks like a throwback from the slick side of the eighties and somehow manages to be cheerful and enigmatic in a life burdened with domestic rules and disharmony. Not much is known about Matt on his entrance to this drama and circumstances keep it this way until series 2.
Kerry Harrison – Played by Katie Scarfe
Age 32
Occupation: Housewife
Family: Married to Matt Harrison
Character
Kerry Harrison loves celebrities and in her twisted world, she believes that she is one herself. Her house is immaculate, modern and she dreams of it being featured in the ‘at home’ pages of celebrity magazines. Her husband is a very successful gym instructor and so she has plenty of spare time to pursue her passion. She works occasionally as an extra, she applies to be on every game show and auditions for every agent in town. Kerry is a manic character, almost manipulative in her pursuit of celebrity status and idolises one celebrity more than any other – Kathy Haydn. She writes to Kathy almost weekly, she is a member of her fan club and wherever Kathy is, Kerry is normally waiting with a copy of Kathy’s novel ‘Another way out’ to autograph. Kerry’s world is warped; she is unhinged and unsafe, obsessive and dark.
