Victoria Sugden: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Fictional character from Emmerdale}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=May 2007}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} |
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{{Emmerdale_Character| |
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{{Use British English|date=June 2013}} |
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image=[[Image:Victoria Sugden.png|250px]]| |
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{{Infobox soap character |
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character_name=Victoria Sugden| |
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|series = Emmerdale |
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actor_name=[[Jessica Haywood]] (1994-1998) / </br>[[Hannah Midgley]] (1998-2005,2006) / </br> [[Isabel Hodgins]] (2006- )| |
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|image1 = [[File:Victoria Sugden.jpg|200px]] |
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years=[[1994]]-[[2005]],[[2006]]-| |
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|caption1 = [[Isabel Hodgins]] as Victoria Sugden |
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dob=[[31st March]] [[1994]]| |
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|image2 = Victoria Sugden 2000.jpg |
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death=| |
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|imagesize2 = 150px |
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status=Single| |
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|caption2 = [[Hannah Midgley]] played Victoria from 1997 to 2006 |
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home=[[List of residences in Emmerdale#Annie.27s Cottage|Annie's Cottage]]| |
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|portrayer = {{Plainlist| |
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occupation=[[Student]]| |
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* Jessica Heywood (1994–1997) |
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family=[[Jack Sugden|Jack]], [[Andy Sugden|Andy]], [[Robert Sugden|Robert]], [[Sarah Sugden|Sarah Snr.]], and Sarah Jnr.| |
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* [[Hannah Midgley]] (1997–2006) |
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first = [[31st March]] [[1994]]| |
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* [[Isabel Hodgins]] (2006–present) |
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last = --| |
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}} |
}} |
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|introducer = [[Keith Richardson (television executive)|Keith Richardson]] |
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|classification = [[List of Emmerdale characters#Regular characters|Present; regular]] |
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|first = Episode 1856 <br> {{Start date|1994|03|31|df=y}} |
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|last = |
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|alias = Victoria Barton |
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|years = 1994–present |
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|occupation = {{Plainlist| |
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* B&B assistant |
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* receptionist |
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* shop assistant |
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* chef |
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* barmaid |
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}} |
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|family = [[Sugden family|Sugden]] |
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|father = [[Jack Sugden]] |
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|mother = [[Sarah Sugden]] |
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|stepmother = [[Diane Sugden]] |
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|brothers = [[Andy Sugden]] (adoptive) |
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|halfbrothers = [[Jackie Merrick]]<br> [[Robert Sugden]]<br>[[John Sugden (Emmerdale)|John Sugden]] |
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|husband = [[Adam Barton (Emmerdale)|Adam Barton]] (2015–) |
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|sons = [[Harry Sugden]] |
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|grandmothers = [[Annie Sugden]] |
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|grandfathers = Jacob Sugden |
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|uncles = [[Joe Sugden]] |
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|aunts = [[Peggy Skilbeck]] |
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|nephews = [[Sebastian White (Emmerdale)|Sebastian White]]<br> [[Jack Sugden (2012 character)|Jack Sugden]] (adoptive) |
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|nieces = [[Sarah Sugden (2005 character)|Sarah Sugden]] (adoptive) |
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|cousins= [[Sam Skilbeck]]<br> [[Sally Skilbeck]] |
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|relatives= [[Sam Pearson (Emmerdale)|Sam Pearson]] |
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}} |
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'''Victoria Sugden''' (also '''Barton''') is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''[[Emmerdale]]'', played since 12 October 2006 by [[Isabel Hodgins]]. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by [[Hannah Midgley]] from 1997 to 2006. Victoria is currently the longest serving female character on the soap. Her storylines have included surviving an explosion which she caused, being put in psychiatric care, being bullied at school, romancing [[Daz Eden]] ([[Luke Tittensor]]), marrying [[Adam Barton (Emmerdale)|Adam Barton]] ([[Adam Thomas]]), accidentally running over [[Ashley Thomas]] ([[John Middleton (actor)|John Middleton]]), coping when Adam goes on the run, falling in love with Adam's brother [[Matty Barton|Matty]] (Ash Palmisciano), being the victim of [[rape]] during a night out in April 2019, leading to her [[pregnancy]], giving birth to a son named [[Harry Sugden|Harry]], and finding out she has a long-lost half brother called [[John Sugden (Emmerdale)|John]]. |
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==Storylines== |
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'''Victoria Anne Sugden''' is a character in the [[ITV]] [[soap opera]] [[Emmerdale]]. She was originally played by [[Jessica Haywood]] from 1994 to 1998, then she was played by [[Hannah Midgley]] from 1998 to July 2006 and as of October [[Isabel Hodgins]] is in the role. |
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Victoria is first introduced on 31 March 1994 after being born to [[Jack Sugden]] ([[Clive Hornby]]) and [[Sarah Sugden|Sarah Connolly]] (then [[Madeleine Howard]]). When Victoria stops breathing due to a hole in her heart, she requires an operation, and later makes a full recovery. [[Andy Hopwood]] ([[Kelvin Fletcher]]) visits the farm with other children from a care home and becomes friends with Victoria's brother [[Robert Sugden|Robert]] ([[Christopher Smith (English actor)|Christopher Smith]]), and the Sugdens eventually adopt him. The Sugdens struggle financially so Richie Carter (Glenn Lamont) becomes their new lodger; Sarah and Richie begin an affair and she left Jack for him, moving into Pear Tree Cottage together. Jack and Sarah (now [[Alyson Spiro]]) battle for custody of the children and Sarah wins custody of Victoria. Victoria collapses and is rushed to hospital, where she is diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. Times are difficult for the Sugdens but life is made easier by Jack's relationship with Woolpack landlady, [[Diane Blackstock]] ([[Elizabeth Estensen]]). |
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Victoria befriends [[Kayleigh Gibbs]] (Lily Jane Stead) at school and helps get her father, Martin Crowe ([[Graeme Hawley]]) together with [[Louise Appleton]] ([[Emily Symons]]). The girls misbehave, gatecrashing [[Jamie Hope]]'s ([[Alex Carter (British actor)|Alex Carter]]) rave and starting a campaign of terror against pensioner [[Edna Birch]] ([[Shirley Stelfox]]), culminating in Edna slapping Victoria. They also tell [[Aaron Livesy]] (Danny Webb) about [[Carl King]]'s ([[Tom Lister (actor)|Tom Lister]]) one-night stand with [[Del Dingle]] ([[Hayley Tamaddon]]). Victoria (now played by [[Isabel Hodgins]]) returns from Annie in Spain, later than expected, prompting Jack and Diane to worry but returns safely. Victoria and Kayleigh go clubbing but Kayleigh leaves early. Victoria flirts with an older boy and he tries to force himself on her but [[Billy Hopwood]] ([[David Crellin]]) stops him. Billy drives her home but his brakes fail, due to [[Kelly Windsor]] ([[Adele Silva]]) sabotaging them, and they crash into a lake. Victoria almost drowns, only escaping as Jack, Andy and Daz arrive. Jack blames Billy until Victoria told him that Billy had saved her life. Victoria's fear of water returns to haunt her on a canoeing trip where she freaks out and hits her instructor, Christian Schwarz and is suspended as a result. |
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==About Victoria== |
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Victoria is the youngest of the Sugden children and the only daughter of [[Jack Sugden]]. She was born three months after the Emmerdale plane crash to [[Jack Sugden|Jack]] and [[Sarah Sugden]]. Victoria also has a half brother [[Robert Sugden|Robert]] , Jack's son who was born in 1986. |
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Victoria searches for the truth about [[Sarah Sugden]]'s ([[Alyson Spiro]]) death, but nobody is willing to discuss it. Jack is evasive, but [[Jasmine Thomas]] ([[Jenna-Louise Coleman]]) shows her an article in the ''Hotten Courier'' about Sarah's death seven years earlier. She then investigates after Jack becomes more and more evasive. She tracks down Richie who tells her Jack was not responsible but she doesn't believe him and on her return to the village, she steals a can of petrol from the garage and douses the house with it, threatening to set the place alight unless the truth is told. Andy confesses but when Jack tries to clean Victoria's bloody head after a fall with water from the hot tap on a flannel, it makes the house explode. The Sugdens escape, assisted by Billy and [[Jonny Foster]] ([[Richard Grieve]]). Victoria is charged and placed in psychiatric care, which gets her bullied at school. Andy is arrested and jailed for three years but eventually freed. When Andy begins beating his ex-wife, [[Jo Stiles|Jo]] ([[Roxanne Pallett]]), Victoria refuses to have anything to do with him. |
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A short time after she was born, she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart and had to have an operation. Her parents feared she would die, but thankfully the little girl pulled through. A couple of weeks later, Jack and Sarah married, but it wasn't long before Sarah left Jack for a member of staff who had been treating Victoria when she was in hospital. Jack and Sarah eventually got back together, but their happiness was not to last. |
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While messing around with other local teens, Victoria falls through the ice and nearly drowns. While under the water, Victoria finds a corpse which is later identified as missing police officer [[Shane Doyle]] ([[Paul McEwan (actor)|Paul McEwan]]). Annie informs the family of Jack's death in February 2009, leaving them devastated. Daz admits he will always be there for her and resultantly they begin sleeping together, despite the fact Daz is dating [[Scarlett Nicholls]] ([[Kelsey-Beth Crossley]]). Victoria is hurt when Daz decides to remain with Scarlett and tells him she is pregnant but it turns out to be a lie. Scarlett soon finds out the truth when Daz jealously attacks Aaron (now [[Danny Miller (actor)|Danny Miller]]), after catching him and Victoria together. Victoria befriends [[Hannah Barton]] ([[Grace Cassidy]]), daughter of the new tenants at Butler's Farm but Kayleigh does not like her and begins bullying Hannah. Eventually, Victoria tires of this behaviour and cuts Kayleigh out of her life. She also makes friends with [[Amy Wyatt]] ([[Chelsea Halfpenny]]) and they soon become close friends. [[Alex Moss]] (Kurtis Stacey) the new farmhand at Butler's Farm arrives and they become a couple. Alex's incessant flirting with other women drives Victoria to dump him. When she feels she has made a mistake, Victoria tries to get Alex back but is horrified to discover he is involved with [[Moira Barton]] ([[Natalie J. Robb]]). During this time Victoria buys [[Betty Eagleton]]'s ([[Paula Tilbrook]]) house on the condition that she and [[Alan Turner (Emmerdale)|Alan Turner]] ([[Richard Thorp]]) stay on as tenants and Victoria agrees. Victoria begins a relationship with [[Adam Barton (Emmerdale)|Adam Barton]] ([[Adam Thomas]]) but it breaks down when she find he is involved in illegal activities with [[Robbie Lawson (Emmerdale)|Robbie Lawson]] (Jamie Shelton). |
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One day in 1996, Robert brought home his new friend, Andy Hopwood. Hopwood was in a children's home and the Sugdens decided to foster him, but they later adopted him. It seemed like the family was back on track, but later Sarah and Victoria were nearly killed when a bus crashed in the village. |
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Victoria later provides [[Val Pollard]] ([[Charlie Hardwick]]) with a shoulder to cry on when she discovers that she may be [[HIV positive]]. Victoria tries to urge Val to tell her husband [[Eric Pollard|Eric]] ([[Chris Chittell]]), but it takes a few weeks to tell Eric. Victoria is later stunned when she discovers that Diane and Eric slept together after Val reveals their secret to the regulars of The Woolpack. Victoria, however, sticks up for Diane. She and Eric later rush to the scene when Val sustains a fall in the village and cuts her knee. Victoria befriends newcomer [[Finn Barton]] ([[Joe Gill (actor)|Joe Gill]]), who reveals that he is [[homosexual|gay]] and has feelings for [[David Metcalfe]] ([[Matthew Wolfenden]]), who owns the local shop. Robert (now played by [[Ryan Hawley]]) returns to the village in October with fiancée [[Chrissie White (Emmerdale)|Chrissie White]] ([[Louise Marwood]]), her father [[Lawrence White (Emmerdale)|Lawrence]] ([[John Bowe (actor)|John Bowe]]), and her teenage son [[Lachlan White|Lachlan]] (Thomas Atkinson) in tow. Initially, Victoria is, like a majority of the village, bitter towards Robert, but as time passes, she warms to him again and comes to accept his return along with Andy. Victoria then restarts her relationship with Adam as he attempts to get her back by buying her a puppy, and cooking naked in The Woolpack kitchen. Victoria attends Robert and Chrissie's wedding, but it ends in tragedy when Andy discovers Katie's deceased body at Wylie's Farm; she had been pushed on to some loose floorboards by Robert. Victoria supports Andy as he attempts to commit suicide only hours after Katie's funeral. She pleads for him to see hope, along with Diane, Chrissie and Robert. Andy later goes to stay with the Whites at Home Farm. |
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In 1999 Jack allowed his friend Richie to move into his home. It was not long before Sarah began an affair with Richie, who was much younger than she was. In 2000 Jack found out about the affair and threw Sarah and Richie out and forbade Sarah from being in contact with Robert, Andy and Victoria. |
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Victoria is heartbroken to learn that Adam has slept with local vet [[Vanessa Woodfield]] ([[Michelle Hardwick]]), and has impregnated her. She goes on a downward spiral, and slaps Vanessa in the street when she sees her. The following day, Adam notices Victoria attempting to drive her car, knowing that she has not passed her driving test and does not have a provisional license, and tries to stop her. She does not listen, and as she drives off, she runs over [[Ashley Thomas]] ([[John Middleton (actor)|John Middleton]]). He appears to be fine, however, he later collapses and is comatose. Victoria is terrified she will be imprisoned, so Adam gives her a false alibi. However, Ashley's alcoholic ex-wife [[Laurel Thomas|Laurel]] ([[Charlotte Bellamy]]) drunkenly announces that Ashley has died while in hospital, unaware that he is still comatose. Victoria cannot deal with her guilt and hands herself in to the police, and she is arrested. She is later released, and is delighted to hear that Ashley is alive. Ashley later learns that he now has [[epilepsy]] following the accident. Adam and Victoria rekindle their relationship and decide to run away and get married, with the help of Aaron. Robert and Andy are furious to discover this, but Adam and Victoria leave before they can stop them. Victoria is attacked at the scrapyard by [[Holly Barton]]'s ([[Sophie Powles]]) drug dealer, but she fights back. A week later, Victoria accidentally sprays Finn after mistaking him as the attacker. |
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As a custody battle broke out, Jack decided that the best place for the children would be with his mother, Annie, in [[Spain]] for a few weeks. When they returned, Victoria moved in with Sarah and the boys stayed with Jack. |
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Victoria is scared to find a man had broken into her Diddy Diner truck, and even more so when the culprit knew her. She is shocked but pleased when the man turns out to be Hannah Barton, who had transitioned into a man and went by the name [[Matty Barton]] ([[Ash Palmisciano]]). Matty reveals that Moira was unaccepting about the change and has thrown him out. Matty makes the decision to return to [[Manchester]], despite Victoria's offers to allow him to stay with her. She drops Matty off at the train station when Cain fails to convince him to stay. After being beaten up, Matty decides to come back and stay with Moira at Butler's farm. On a night out with her friends, Victoria is raped by [[Lee Posner]] (Kris Mochrie). She reports the rape to the police, and when his mother [[Wendy Posner|Wendy]] ([[Susan Cookson]]) arrives in the village to confront Victoria on what Wendy believes are lies, Victoria begins to leave the house less often. Wendy moves to the village with son [[Luke Posner|Luke]] (Max Parker), she is shocked to recognise him, since the pair have flirted before. The two begin a relationship, and although she struggles due to his connection with Lee, the pair begin dating. |
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In 2000, the Sugdens were beginning to run out of money. Andy overheard Jack say that they could do with some insurance money and he hoped something would catch on fire. He decided to set fire to a barn the 16 November 2000. Tragically Sarah was inside with Richie and whilst Richie escaped with only minor burns, Sarah died. |
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Victoria later begins a relationship with [[David Metcalfe|David]] however this ends in November 2022 when he lies to her over a Speeding Ticket he was given however had put in her name. [https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a42027392/emmerdale-spoilers-david-victoria-split/] |
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The police came calling and believed that Jack had started the fire deliberately in order to get Victoria back. Despite his innocence, Jack was arrested for murder and put in prison. Jack was found not guilty at his trial. |
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In October 2023 Victoria develops feelings for David's Stepson Jacob, their feelings for each other ultimately cause David to leave Emmerdale for London [https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a46000054/emmerdale-spoilers-david-metcalfe-exit-scenes/] for a while afterwards they are in a relationship however they later split up in April 2024 due to the age gap between them and of concerns their relationship is holding back Jacob's future prospects. |
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In 2002 Victoria started acting strangely with an imaginary friend called Walter Todd, who started taking up much of the little girl's time. She often refused to go out unless he could come to. Jack started to worry about Victoria, but she grew out of it with time. |
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In August 2024, Victoria discovers she has a Long Lost Half Brother called John Sugden [https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a61727176/emmerdale-spoilers-victoria-john-sugden/] she initially attempts to establish contact with him however he shows no interest in doing so. |
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In 2003 Victoria collapsed with a ruptured [[appendix]] and was rushed to hospital and was successfully treated. |
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==Characterisation== |
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Victoria was a bridesmaid for Katie when she married Andy in 2004. A short time later, she was horrified to find Robert in bed with Katie. Her brother threatens that he would kill her if she told anyone what she had seen scared her so much that she refused to talk at all. [[Diane Sugden|Diane]] said that one of the kids in her class had probably dared her to do it and they would give her their roller blades in return. But as the days went on Jack and Diane became increasingly worried about her and referred her to a doctor who said that it was probably just a phase she was going through. She was given a puppet Alfie but the puppet annoyed Jack and he through it against a wall in front of [[Diane Sugden|Diane]], [[Katie Sugden|Katie]]], [[Andy Sugden|Andy]], [[Daz Eden|Daz]], [[Robert Sugden|Robert]] and Robert's girlfriend, [[Donna Windsor-Dingle|Donna]]. Victoria told Diane what she had seen and Jack found out and punished Robert. |
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On her character profile on the [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] website, it notes that growing up, Victoria "was easily led by her peers", but nowadays, she "knows how to stand up for herself". Victoria is billed as an "honest, fun, sarcastic, out-spoken, confident" character who enjoys socialising. It adds that she is "not afraid to use her sharp wit", and that she enjoys bossing her boyfriends around, and that if Victoria had one wish, it would be for an easy life.<ref name="Profile">{{cite web |title=Victoria Barton |url=https://www.itv.com/emmerdale/articles/victoria-sugden |publisher=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref> |
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==Development== |
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Andy left Katie when he found out and Donna dumped Robert. Robert and Katie moved into a caravan together and one morning Andy hid in the caravan hoping to shoot Robert. Tragically , Jack was shot when he delivered a water tank to the caravan and Andy, without looking fired the trigger. As Jack recovered in hospital, the brothers rowed over who was to blame for the accident. When Jack woke up he was furious as it could have been Victoria who was shot (she was with [[Dawn Woods]]). |
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===Rape=== |
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In 2019, producers of ''Emmerdale'' announced a special episode in which they planned to "experiment with non-linear storytelling and flashbacks",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jess |title=Emmerdale plans special flashback scenes for a life-changing night out involving multiple characters |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a26569280/emmerdale-special-flashback-scenes-life-changing-night-out-multiple-characters/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=28 February 2019}}</ref> where it was confirmed that multiple characters' lives will "change for good" on a night out. It was later confirmed that the episode would explore Victoria getting raped.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jess |title=Emmerdale plans rape storyline for Victoria Barton during night out |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a27070968/emmerdale-victoria-barton-rape-storyline/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=8 April 2019}}</ref> After Victoria is raped by Lee, actress Hodgins appeared on ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' to speak about the storyline. She stated that it has been the "grittiest" storyline she has been involved in to date, and although it was a "journey", she enjoyed being part of the story from an acting perspective. Presenter [[Phillip Schofield]] asked if she felt pressure portraying a victim of rape, to which she stated that she "massively" felt it. She explained that due to the relevance of an issue-led storyline which "happens to thousands of men and women", herself and the producers had a "big responsibility" to cover it well. To prepare for the storyline, Hodgins spoke with real-life victims, who recalled their experiences with rape to the actress. She stated that they were brave for being able to share their stories with her, noting that some were similar to her character's experience. Hodgins also spoke about the lack of support that Victoria receives from Robert, stating: "She's in one of the hardest positions someone can find themselves in, and who do you need to support you? Your family. So when Robert isn't supportive, that breaks her heart. Robert's her brother, she needs him there, she wants him there."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warner |first1=Sam |title=Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins admits there was "massive" pressure to get Victoria's rape storyline right |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a27745625/emmerdale-victoria-rape-storyline-isabel-hodgins-this-morning/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=5 June 2019}}</ref> In real life, Hodgins cut her "very thick, curly, unruly hair" due to wanting a different appearance, and when she told producers, they replied that her short hair "ties in with the story". She joked that life is "so much easier" due to the shortened time spent by hairstylists on set.<ref>{{cite news |title=Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins explains her new look and hints at Victoria's future |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a27697014/emmerdale-isabel-hodgins-hair-new-look-victoria-future/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=3 June 2019}}</ref> Hodgins told producers to make her look "as awful" as they could possibly make her in the scenes where she realises she has been raped. She stated that in that scene, she was embarrassed to cry, since she has never been given the opportunity to have overly emotional scenes on the soap. While appearing on ''[[Loose Women]]'', Hodgins recalled: "Afterwards when [the director] said cut, I just threw a blanket over my head. They asked what's going on and I said 'I'm embarrassed'". She noted that the scenes were "challenging" for her. Hodgins also detailed that the production team had to "negotiate" what they could show of the attack, since ''Emmerdale'' is transmitted before the 9pm [[Watershed (broadcasting)|watershed]]. She explained that they wanted to "get the message across [that] it was a brutal horrendous attack", while also respecting the watershed guidelines.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Earp |first1=Catherine |title=Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins opens up about filming "exposing" rape scenes |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a28291945/emmerdale-isabel-hodgins-rape-scenes-loose-women-victoria-barton/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=4 July 2019}}</ref> |
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[[File:Casualty.susan.cookson.closeup.arp.jpg|140px|thumb|right|[[Susan Cookson]] portrays [[Wendy Posner]], the mother of Victoria's rapist.]] |
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Fortunately, a stabling influence has come into their lives. Jack becomes engaged to Woolpack landlady Diane Blackstock, who proves to be a fantastic step-mum to Victoria. |
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Lee's mother Wendy arrives in the village to confront Victoria, as she believes that Victoria is lying. Hodgins explains that Victoria is "shocked and scared" due to Wendy's arrival, and that immediately after meeting her, "Victoria knows that Wendy is an enemy". Hodgins notes that Wendy "has got her son's interests at heart", but since her beliefs contradict Victoria's experience, she knows it will be difficult to interact with Wendy "from the off". Victoria receives defence from her friends and family, but is "left feeling a little bit shellshocked" and "crumbles" due to not expecting Wendy's confrontation. Wendy brings Lee with her, and since it is the first time she has seen him since the rape, she "feels genuine fear", especially since they know where she works and lives, and can show up at any time. Hodgins states that Victoria hates having "no control" over the situation, adding that the village being so small means that she is easy to find.<ref name="Wendy">{{cite news |last1=Kilkelly |first1=Daniel |title=Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins reveals new fears for Victoria as Lee storyline continues |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a28205655/emmerdale-spoilers-isabel-hodgins-victoria-barton-fears/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=27 June 2019}}</ref> A "harrowing twist" and "new trauma" for Victoria was later confirmed when it was revealed that she would discover she is pregnant with Lee's baby.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Roxanne |title=Emmerdale spoilers: Victoria Sugden set for harrowing twist as Lee trauma takes awful turn |url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1147270/Emmerdale-spoilers-Victoria-Sugden-rape-twist-baby-pregnant-Lee-Wendy-Kris-Mochrie-ITV |access-date=27 February 2021 |work=[[Daily Express]] |publisher=[[Reach plc]] |date=30 June 2019}}</ref> Victoria decides to keep the baby, and feels that when it comes to informing Lee and Wendy, "it's none of their business". Hodgins states that Victoria is "more than happy" to raise the baby on her own, as she fears the pair will either "bully her into getting a termination", or that Lee may want to be involved.<ref name="Wendy" /> When Wendy moves to the village, Hodgins states that her character will feel "exhausted" and "frustrated" due to Wendy not allowing her to move emotionally to "the next chapter of her life". She explains that Victoria tries not to be too stressed due to her pregnancy, but that "hating someone is exhausting". Wendy's house is vandalised due to her reputation as the mother and defender of a rapist, to which Victoria feels "a little bit guilty". Due to her confrontations with Wendy and Wendy's vandalism, Victoria feels like the pair of them are "being punished" for what Lee has done. Hodgins stated: "She thinks surely the best thing to happen would be for Wendy to leave and then they can both have a nice life."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Houghton |first1=Rhianne |title=Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins reveals Victoria's reaction to Wendy's shock move |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a30046115/emmerdale-victoria-barton-isabel-hodgins-wendy-move/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=28 November 2019}}</ref> |
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===Becoming a mother=== |
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When Diane is diagnosed with colon cancer, Victoria proves to be her rock and delivers the shocking news to the congregation at her dad's wedding. |
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Following the decision to keep the baby, Victoria goes into labour in the episode transmitted on 31 December 2019, New Year's Eve. Prior to filming the scenes, Hodgins stated that she is finding it "nerve-wracking", accrediting her nerves to the fact she had never given birth in real life. She approached her sister, who has had two children, as well as ''Emmerdale'' co-star [[Charley Webb]], a mother of three, for advice. Also in preparation, she used a day off from work to watch the [[Channel 4]] documentary series ''[[One Born Every Minute]]'', as well as birthing [[vlogs]] on [[YouTube]]. She added: "I take my hat off to anyone who's had a baby – well done, you are amazing!"<ref name="Minute">{{cite news|last1=Warner |first1=Sam |title=Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins admits nerves over Victoria Barton's labour scenes|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a30046942/emmerdale-isabel-hodgins-nerves-victoria-barton-labour-scenes/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=28 November 2019}}</ref> Speaking about her character's maternal skills, she opined that Victoria would be a good mother, labelling her "mother earth". However, she explained that it "takes a village to raise a child", and if she shuts people out due to her rape ordeal, she may struggle to cope. She expressed her wishes for Victoria's journey with birthing to be "smooth sailing", due to her hard times in recent months, adding: "She can't take any more!"<ref name="Minute" /> Following the scenes being filmed, Hodgins admitted that she was "exhausted". She described the filming process as "honestly the most exhausting day in [her] ''Emmerdale'' history", and stated that she went to sleep immediately after returning home. She joked that she had "earned her money that day" due to the " fake pushing, grunting and moaning". Hodgins found the birthing vlogs helpful, as it showed her that the "intense pain" of childbirth comes from within. She attempted to emulate the behaviour that she saw in the videos, since she "wanted the scenes to look real". On working with a real baby, she stated that she was not phased, since she has experience working with babies on set. However, despite her experience, she tried hard to interact with the baby as accurately as possible, so that viewers would not think "oh, she's clearly never had a baby before", as she felt that "would have detracted away from the enormous moment when Victoria meets the baby". Hodgins joked that she would miss wearing the fake baby bump, since it kept her warm in the winter, but expressed her excitement at "the next chapter" of Victoria's story.<ref>{{cite news |title=Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins reveals more on Victoria Barton's "exhausting" labour scenes |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a30304236/emmerdale-spoilers-isabel-hodgins-victoria-barton-labour-scenes/ |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |first1=Daniel|last1=Kilkelly|first2=Sophie|last2=Dainty |date=22 November 2019}}</ref> |
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==Reception== |
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In 2005 Victoria became an aunt when Andy got [[Debbie Dingle]] pregnant and on 6 June [[Sarah Dingle|Sarah]] was born. |
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The accident involving Victoria and Billy was nominated for "Spectacular Scene of the Year" at the 2007 British Soap Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/news/a58280/the-british-soap-awards-2007-the-winners.html|title=The British Soap Awards 2007: The Winners|last=Green|first=Kris|date=27 May 2007|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|access-date=30 April 2013}}</ref> At the 2009 ceremony, Hodgins was nominated for Best Young Performance, and the scene of Victoria falling through the ice won the award for Most Spectacular Scene.<ref name="Profile" /> |
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==References== |
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Victoria was devastated by the departure of her brother Robert. After losing Katie following his affair with wealthy [[Sadie King]], Robert concocts an evil plan to get back at Andy. He seduced Debbie Dingle, the mother of Andy's daughter Sarah and persuaded her to run away with him, taking his brother's daughter. |
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{{Reflist}} |
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Things took a turn when Debbie arrived alone; Robert dumped her and had a violent showdown with Andy. The two men raced towards each other in cars, and crashed, killing Andy's passenger Max King. Jack orders Robert to leave Emmerdale forever, and Victoria was absolutely bereft. |
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After a few months, the little lady strikes up a friendship with school pal [[Kayleigh Crow]]. They work together to get Kayleigh's dad Martin together with Diane's best friend Louise Appleton and spend all their time together. |
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But as they grow up, Kayleigh and Victoria are proving to be quite a handful. They gatecrashed Jamie Hope's rave and then started a campaign of terror against poor pensioner [[Edna Birch]]. |
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Kayleigh and Victoria caused trouble for [[Chastity Dingle]]'s 12 year old son [[Aaron Livesy|Aaron]] when the told him about Chas's cousin [[Delilah Dingle]]'s affair with Chas's partner [[Carl King]]. Aaron told his mum and left Emmerdale. |
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In June 2006 Kayleigh and her best friend Victoria Sugden started playing knock and run at their neighbour, Edna Birch's house. When they ran away Victoria's phone fell out of her pocket and Edna found it. She refused to give it back until both girls apologised. Kayleigh refused. In an attempt to get Victoria's phone back they broke into Edna's house when she was out walking her dog. The girls got caught and Kayleigh ran away. Edna caught Victoria and when Victoria mimicked her, she slapped her across the face. |
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Victoria went to Spain in 2006 to visit her grandma, Annie and her husband Amos. |
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Even when Victoria was in Spain she was still causing trouble. The 12 year old was due back at the end of August but lost her passport and her stay was delayed until 12 October when she came home. On this day, Jack had gone to the airport to collect Victoria. But the cheeky youngster wasn't there (this was maybe because Jack had been half an hour late to pick her up). When he returned without her Diane thought that it had to be a wind up but when she saw how worried Jack was she believed him. Jack phoned his mother and she said that she had seen Victoria go through the departure gate at the airport. As Jack went back to the airport to search again Diane went home just in case she turned up. When she arrived she found Victoria talking to [[Daz Eden|Daz]] as if she had done nothing wrong! |
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She soon started giving Jack and Diane more to worry about when she told them of her holiday romance with a 14 year old boy named Enrique. Jack was appalled and the next day phoned Annie to check that Victoria had not just made the whole thing up. Annie said she didn't have a clue what Jack was talking about. Victoria later confessed that she had made the whole thing up. |
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Later on , while at [[Andy Sugden|Andy]] and [[Katie Sugden|Katie's]] , she confessed to Katie that she was telling the truth and Enrique was real but he was 16 years old and not 14.She also told Katie that she had got a tattoo and showed her it. Although Victoria told her not to tell anyone the tattoo and Enrique, Katie told Andy what Victoria had told her but it remains to be seen whether or not the tattoo was real and if Andy will tell Jack about Victoria. |
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Victoria ran off to a deserted farm and saw a ghostly figure in the window and ran off (leaving Daz's bike). She told Daz and they went back to get the bike and saw smoke coming from the chimney. Daz said that it was probably just a tramp (little did they know that it was [[Emily Kirk]] who was hiding there after giving Sarah back to Andy). |
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Victoria and Kayleigh caused pregnant [[Viv Hope]] to collapse. A week before the Cafe where Viv worked had been robbed and the man who did it was carrying a gun. When Victoria, Kayleigh and a few of their other friends threw eggs at the window and Viv collapsed. Viv was taken to hospital and Viv's husband [[Bob Hope (Emmerdale)|Bob Hope]] yelled at Victoria over what had happened when she tried to appologise. Viv was thankfully okay. |
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Kayleigh, Victoria and their friend [[Jenny Albright]] went to a nightclub after a woman had given Victoria tickets to go there. They got all dressed up and told Victoria's dad Jack that they were going out. Although they didn't stay long as they spotted Victoria's brother Andy and a lot of other Emmerdale residents at the club. As they were leaving, Andy's lodger, Jo Stiles, saw them and told them about the dodgy people in the club but promised not to tell Jack that they had been there. |
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A suspicious Andy quizzed Victoria over Katie's horse-riding accident. The teen looked shaken when Andy asked if Jo was involved, but didn't reveal what she saw. He warned her to be more careful in the farmyard. |
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Jo took a trip to pick Victoria up from school. She warned the tearaway teen not to blab - or she'll tell daddy about her secret clubbing. But Victoria refused to be blackmailed and Jo realised she'd have to bargain harder. Eventually she told her she'd help her sneak off to clubs more often. Victoria is delighted. |
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Recently Victoria got into a fight with [[Luke Dingle]] at school, after she made a comment about his mom, [[Lilith Dingle|Lilith]], being in prison. |
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Victoria was getting grumpy Because Daz, whom she called a “thicko” was getting attention from Jack and was finally being given the opportunity he deserved to make something of himself. |
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Victoria saw [[Billy Hopwood]] shake hands with Daz and realised they were probably planning to meet again. She told Daz what she'd seen and he felt bad – especially after Jack had generously offered to give him another chance at the garage. |
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Victoria spitefully revealed to Daz that she'd seen him with Billy and tried to blackmail him into buying her cider from the shop. He wasn't about to play her games so she went straight to tell Jack instead. Victoria, meanwhile, got dressed up to the nines for the youth disco. |
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Victoria is still terrified of water after the accident and lied to Jack and Diane to avoid going swimming with her friends. She went out for a walk and suffered a panic attack down by the river – luckily Billy was on hand to comfort her. Kelly walked across the bridge and offered Victoria her support, angering Billy because he knew she played a part in tampering with his truck. |
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Victoria used the money Jack gave her to buy flowers for Diane on Mother's Day to put flowers on Sarah's grave. Jack was furious when he discovered his daughter hadn't bought any flowers for her step-mother and told her to get out of his sight. However, Billy had bumped into Victoria in the graveyard and told Daz what had really happened. |
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Jack apologised to Victoria for his bad behaviour and told her that Diane would never try to replace Sarah. He told his daughter, “If you want to know who your mum was, you should just look in the mirror'' |
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Victoria still had more to get off her chest and asked Sarah, “Why does dad always get so edgy when I talk about her?” Diane played dumb but Victoria questioned whether the police should reopen the case… When Victoria went upstairs Jack came home. When Diane told him what had happened he said, “She's never going to know.” Diane replied, “If she finds out from somebody else, she's going to resent you for the rest of your life.” |
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Elsewhere, an unruly Victoria found some photographs of Sarah in an old family album. She and Jack looked at the pictures together, and he told her, “I know you miss her. We all do.” At dinner Jack told Diane what a struggle he was finding his daughter's erratic behaviour, saying, “The boys were bad enough but I think I'm out of my depth.” |
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Victoria found an old Mother's Day card she had given to Sarah and ended up in tears. She struggled with her emotions as her early childhood memories came flooding back. Andy found her looking upset and they reminisced about their mother. But Andy became nervous when Victoria started asking questions about Sarah's death. Andy urgently talked to Jack and Diane and they agreed on a strategy to answer as many of Victoria's questions as possible without giving the real story away. Diane told them both, "Just tell her the person responsible was never found and that's that." |
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Victoria decided to ask Emily what she knew of Sarah's death. Emily was cagey and Victoria became frustrated, feeling sure she was being kept in the dark about something sinister. |
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That evening Jack caught Emily closing up the shop and begged her to let him have some flour to make Victoria a birthday cake. Emily agreed and mentioned Victoria's questions earlier in the day. She also told Jack it was clear Victoria felt she was being lied to. |
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Jasmine saw that Victoria was upset and promised to help her find out some information about Sarah. When Victoria returned home Jack tried to reassure her she knew all there was to know. But Jasmine arrived in the middle of their discussion and felt torn about whether to tell Victoria what she had discovered – that Jack had been accused of Sarah's murder and appeared in court. She left in a hurry deciding it was better left out of her hands. |
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Victoria celebrated her 13th birthday and was touched to receive a necklace that belonged to her mother as a gift from Jack. She appeared to have almost given up on her investigation into Sarah's death. However, Jasmine decided to show Jack the article she had found from the library archives about his murder trial. She tried to convince him to talk to Victoria about it and tell her he was found innocent, but Jack was too angry and made her promise not to tell Victoria. Victoria spotted Jack and Jasmine talking secretively and her suspicions were aroused once again. She knew she must try even harder to find out the truth about how Sarah died. Victoria took it upon herself to visit the library and finds the same information as Jasmine. She returned home demanding to know the truth and Jack was forced to confess he had spent time in prison for Sarah's murder although in the end he wasn't found guilty of killing her. |
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In July 2007 Victoria and Kayliegh decided to sign up for the outdoor pursuits trip at school. Victoria got the money to go but when kayleigh turned up a day later victoria revealed that she had no intention of going on the trip and that she was going to take the money and go to hotton. However she canged her mind when Kayleigh showd her a picture of the hunky instructor, Christian. The girls then started hatching ways to get him to notice them. |
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As the girls prepared for their outdoor pursuits trip, it finally dawned on Jack the reason Victoria was so pleased to be heading to the great outdoors – Christian her delicious teacher. Victoria’s grin was soon wiped from her face, however, when he explained that the trip would involve water sports. Clearly recalling her traumatic truck crash into the lake, Victoria panicked. When Christian tried to get her into a canoe, Victoria hit him with her paddle and was promptly suspended from school. |
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Billy visited Victoria to check she was okay after the incident on the school trip. To Jack’s annoyance, Victoria opened up to Billy but remained closed off from him, no matter how much effort he made to reclaim his status as a loving father. |
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Victoria wound Daz up by sitting in on his date with his girlfriend penny. |
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Recently, Victoria helped at the woolpack and picked up a cigarette to smoke but Val stopped her. |
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===Truck crash=== |
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1 February 2007 |
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Jack was unimpressed with the wanton 12-year-old and ordered her to remove some of her make up – he also warned her she was being collected at 9pm. Before leaving she managed to sneak a bottle of liquor from Jack's cupboard. After arguing with Val over the décor in the pub, Diane forgot to collect Victoria, and only realised her mistake when Jack came in for a pint. Jack was furious with his forgetful wife and told her that her recent behaviour has been unacceptable. Waiting in the cold, Kayleigh and Victoria fell out. While the sensible policeman's daughter ran off to get a taxi home, Victoria went to a club and got talking to an 18-year-old boy in the queue. Before they even got to the front of the line, the lust-filled lad lead the school girl round the back of the building and started trying to kiss her. Victoria soon realised she was out of her depth and struggled to stop the lad when he wanted to take things further. Luckily, Billy was emptying bins nearby and scared him off. Billy was furious with Victoria and called her a “silly little girl”. Victoria tried to act cool, but Billy made her get in the truck and put her seat belt on. Still drunk, Victoria refused to settle down and taunted the ex-con saying, ‘Can I call you Killer Bill?’ After Jo admitted she thought Victoria might be in a nightclub, Jack raced round there and learned from the bouncer that Victoria was seen getting into Billy's truck. Fearing the worst, he called Diane – and she called the police. Speeding through the dark with a drunken Victoria, Billy was desperate to get back to Emmerdale. Suddenly, he realised his brakes had failed an unable to steer the huge vehicle he crashed into the lake. The heavy truck sunk immediately. Underwater, Victoria was trapped and drowning. Finding a pocket of air Billy managed to breathe oxygen into her mouth as he worked to free her. Eventually he managed to get her out just as Jack, Andy and Daz arrived on the scene. Victoria swam to the surface, but Billy remained trapped in the truck. Back at the pub, Kelly realised she'd put Victoria's life in danger, distraught she struggled to hold it together. Disliking the idea of going back to jail, Eli forced her to keep quiet. Desperate to find his Dad, Daz dived into the lake, searching manically. Just as he was about to give up he spotted Billy's body floating at the far side. Luckily the paramedics arrived on the scene just as Billy's body was found. After receiving mouth-to-mouth, Daz is relieved to see his dad splutter and open his eyes. Full of adrenaline Jack lunged at Billy and accused him of abducting Victoria, the police arrived and made to arrest Billy but Daz leapt to his defence and Victoria admitted he'd saved her - twice. A furious Daz forced Jack to thank Billy, but it didn't look like Andy was ready to forgive and forget. |
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===Finding out about Diane and Billy=== |
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Recently Victoria heard Diane and Billy discussing their relationship. Victoria went straight home and told Jack. “I know you're supposed to forgive people you love, but her choosing Billy of all people?” she told her horrified father. Jack’s face fell but he was convinced his troublesome daughter was lying. “Don’t talk rubbish!” he shouted. “Why would you say such hurtful things?” “It's the truth!” she cried. “Ask Val - she knows!” Jack was building to a rage. “Victoria, if you're lying...!” Victoria replied: “I'm not lying; I'm trying to help you!” In his heart Jack knew she must be telling the truth and he stormed off to the Woolpack. |
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===Fire=== |
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16 October 2007 |
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Inside the house, Jack told his sons and Victoria about Diane and Billy. Victoria was sobbing, insisting it was all her fault and she wished she’d never followed the pair and heard their conversation. Victoria also paid Billy a visit. “You happy now?” she asked. “You’ve ruined my family!” Billy was drunk and wasn’t going to take all the blame. He implied that the Sugdens had never been saintly and brought up the subject of Sarah’s death. “Bit of a coincidence, Jack being there the night your mother died,” he said, smiling. “Think about it Victoria - have they ever really told you what happened to her?” Victoria ran off. Does she now think that Jack killed Sarah? |
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After yet another row with Jack about Diane, Victoria went off on her own and got drunk. The teenager had been rifling through old newspaper clippings of the fire which killed her mother. One of the pictures was of Sarah’s lover, Richie, who had been with her but had survived. Victoria had decided to pay Richie a visit, in a last ditch attempt to find out the truth about the night her mother died. Richie told her he couldn’t help her. “I’d best call Jack, get him to take you home, eh?” he said, patronisingly. But Victoria wasn’t having it. “No!” she cried. “I need to know about her and what happened the night she died!” Richie had no choice but to talk to Victoria. “You must have seen who started the fire,” said the troubled teenager. Richie described the events leading up to fire, including how Jack had threatened to kill both him and Sarah for their betrayal. “Tell me who it was - even if it was my dad,” said Victoria. But Richie replied: “It wasn't your dad, I can promise you that.” Victoria screamed: “You’re lying!” |
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Victoria returned to the village and was promptly sick from all the alcohol. Spotting Andy down the road, she ran into a nearby garage to hide. She overheard Andy bump into Jack, who told her Victoria had not turned up for school. The pair set off to look for her together. Inside the garage, a clearly disturbed Victoria spotted a petrol can. She picked it up. Victoria took the can home and doused the furniture with petrol. Moments later, Jack and Andy returned to Annie’s Cottage and immediately smelled the fumes. Then they saw Victoria, poised with a lighter in her hand, ready to set the place alight. “I'll light it,” she said. “This place will burn and then you'll know what it feels like.” Jack was confused: “What do you mean?” he asked her. “I know you did it - I know the truth. You killed her!” screamed Victoria. Andy stepped towards her. “Dad's only tried to protect you,” he said. “And me.” Jack knew what Andy was about to do. “Andy, don’t,” he said. But Andy couldn’t carry on lying. “It was me Victoria, I started the fire. I killed her.” Victoria looked at her brother in horror. Meanwhile, a shocked Victoria had fled her father and brother, but hit her head badly as she fell running up the stairs. She was lying on her bed, bleeding, when Jack and Andy got to her. Jack went into the bathroom to soak a flannel in warm water to clean his daughter’s head. He had forgotten about the petrol fumes in the house when he turned on the hot tap. The pilot light in the boiler came on and ignited the fumes. A massive explosion ripped through the house. Daz had been walking past the cottage outside and was thrown to the ground with the force of the blast. Inside Annie’s Cottage, the lounge was a raging inferno, where Victoria had soaked everything in petrol. As the fire took hold, there was a second explosion. Andy was still in Victoria’s bedroom and smashed her window. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the window. By now many of the villagers were standing outside and Jonny waited below the bedroom window with his arms up, telling Andy to drop his sister down. “Please, Andy, no!” Victoria screamed, scared of falling. With everyone out of the house, the ambulances pulled away and the villagers stood gaping at the smoke and the flames. Victoria looked at the floor. How will she cope with the repercussions of her actions? Will Jack and Billy recover? |
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===The aftermarth=== |
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Victoria went to see her dad, terrified of what might happen to her. “They'll never believe it was an accident,” she cried. “They'll know it was me who poured the petrol. I can't do to prison, dad, I can't. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!” Jack held her hand and told her everything would be all right. |
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When Victoria was questioned, it was clear she didn’t intend to let Andy get away with having killed her mother. “I never started it,” she said. “I don't know what I thought would happen, but I didn't set fire to it.” The detective asked her how she felt about Andy’s confession. “I felt bad,” she replied, “for all the nasty things I said to my dad. He should have told me sooner. But Dad’s always protected him, he didn't even want Andy to come forward now. I think he'd rather I got the blame.” |
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After Andy was charged with manslaughter for killing Sarah in the barn fire in 2000, Victoria was charged with threat to cause criminal damage by arson. Victoria was released on bail and told she would appear in a youth court in several weeks’ time. Andy was put straight into custody and Jack and Jo were both devastated. “It’s all your fault!” Jo shouted at Victoria. |
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Victoria came to visit Billy and he apologised for what he said to her on that terrible day. “I'm sorry for what I said,” he told her, sincerely. “I didn't think I was lying about your dad and you'd made me so, so angry.” Victoria replied: “All this time I've thought about that night in the truck and felt so grateful that you saved me. Now I wish you'd died. I wish we'd both died.” |
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Currently Victoria is being bullied by some girls at school, in which some of the bullying is being done by saying nasty comments about the fire and the court case, and by sending nasty text messages to her mobile phone. |
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Victoria had her first hearing and the judge ruled that in light of her actions she should be psychoanalysed before being sentenced. |
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==Trivia== |
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* Victoria has brown hair and brown eyes,Victoria before was ginger. |
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* Victoria does not get on very well with [[Belle Dingle]]. The pair have been seen arguing many times and their most recent one was over Sarah, who is Belle's great-neice and Debbie's daughter. |
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* She has been played by three actresses over the years; [[Jessica Haywood]] (1994-1998), [[Hannah Midgley]] (1998-2006) and [[Isabel Hodgins]] (October 2006 onwards). |
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* Victoria is best friends with [[Kayleigh Gibbs]]. and her other best friend is jenny |
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==Family== |
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*Father: [[Jack Sugden]] |
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*Mother: [[Sarah Sugden]] (deceased) |
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*Half Brothers: [[Jackie Merrick]] (deceased), [[Robert Sugden]] |
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*Grandfather: [[Jacob Sugden]] (deceased) |
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*Grandmother: [[Annie Brearly]] |
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*Great Grandfather: [[Sam Pearson]] (deceased) |
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*Great Grandmother: Mary Perason (deceased) |
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*Uncle: [[Joe Sugden]] (deceased) |
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*Aunt: [[Peggy Skilbeck]] (deceased) |
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*Cousins: Sally Skilbeck (deceased), Sam Skilbeck (deceased) |
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*Adoptive Brother: [[Andy Sugden]] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[ |
* [https://www.itv.com/emmerdale/articles/victoria-sugden Victoria Sugden] at [[itv.com]] |
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{{Emmerdale}} |
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{{Emmerdale characters|present}} |
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{{EDSugdens}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugden, Victoria}} |
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[[Category:Emmerdale characters]] |
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[[Category:English female characters in soap operas]] |
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[[Category:Fictional bartenders in soap operas]] |
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[[Category:Fictional chefs in soap operas]] |
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[[Category:Fictional victims of sexual assault]] |
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[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1994]] |
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[[Category:Sugden family]] |
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[[Category:Barton family (Emmerdale)]] |
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[[Category:Orphan characters in soap operas]] |
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Latest revision as of 15:10, 18 December 2024
| Victoria Sugden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Emmerdale character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Isabel Hodgins as Victoria Sugden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
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| Duration | 1994–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1856 31 March 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Keith Richardson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Hannah Midgley played Victoria from 1997 to 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Victoria Sugden (also Barton) is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played since 12 October 2006 by Isabel Hodgins. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by Hannah Midgley from 1997 to 2006. Victoria is currently the longest serving female character on the soap. Her storylines have included surviving an explosion which she caused, being put in psychiatric care, being bullied at school, romancing Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor), marrying Adam Barton (Adam Thomas), accidentally running over Ashley Thomas (John Middleton), coping when Adam goes on the run, falling in love with Adam's brother Matty (Ash Palmisciano), being the victim of rape during a night out in April 2019, leading to her pregnancy, giving birth to a son named Harry, and finding out she has a long-lost half brother called John.
Storylines
[edit]Victoria is first introduced on 31 March 1994 after being born to Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) and Sarah Connolly (then Madeleine Howard). When Victoria stops breathing due to a hole in her heart, she requires an operation, and later makes a full recovery. Andy Hopwood (Kelvin Fletcher) visits the farm with other children from a care home and becomes friends with Victoria's brother Robert (Christopher Smith), and the Sugdens eventually adopt him. The Sugdens struggle financially so Richie Carter (Glenn Lamont) becomes their new lodger; Sarah and Richie begin an affair and she left Jack for him, moving into Pear Tree Cottage together. Jack and Sarah (now Alyson Spiro) battle for custody of the children and Sarah wins custody of Victoria. Victoria collapses and is rushed to hospital, where she is diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. Times are difficult for the Sugdens but life is made easier by Jack's relationship with Woolpack landlady, Diane Blackstock (Elizabeth Estensen).
Victoria befriends Kayleigh Gibbs (Lily Jane Stead) at school and helps get her father, Martin Crowe (Graeme Hawley) together with Louise Appleton (Emily Symons). The girls misbehave, gatecrashing Jamie Hope's (Alex Carter) rave and starting a campaign of terror against pensioner Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox), culminating in Edna slapping Victoria. They also tell Aaron Livesy (Danny Webb) about Carl King's (Tom Lister) one-night stand with Del Dingle (Hayley Tamaddon). Victoria (now played by Isabel Hodgins) returns from Annie in Spain, later than expected, prompting Jack and Diane to worry but returns safely. Victoria and Kayleigh go clubbing but Kayleigh leaves early. Victoria flirts with an older boy and he tries to force himself on her but Billy Hopwood (David Crellin) stops him. Billy drives her home but his brakes fail, due to Kelly Windsor (Adele Silva) sabotaging them, and they crash into a lake. Victoria almost drowns, only escaping as Jack, Andy and Daz arrive. Jack blames Billy until Victoria told him that Billy had saved her life. Victoria's fear of water returns to haunt her on a canoeing trip where she freaks out and hits her instructor, Christian Schwarz and is suspended as a result.
Victoria searches for the truth about Sarah Sugden's (Alyson Spiro) death, but nobody is willing to discuss it. Jack is evasive, but Jasmine Thomas (Jenna-Louise Coleman) shows her an article in the Hotten Courier about Sarah's death seven years earlier. She then investigates after Jack becomes more and more evasive. She tracks down Richie who tells her Jack was not responsible but she doesn't believe him and on her return to the village, she steals a can of petrol from the garage and douses the house with it, threatening to set the place alight unless the truth is told. Andy confesses but when Jack tries to clean Victoria's bloody head after a fall with water from the hot tap on a flannel, it makes the house explode. The Sugdens escape, assisted by Billy and Jonny Foster (Richard Grieve). Victoria is charged and placed in psychiatric care, which gets her bullied at school. Andy is arrested and jailed for three years but eventually freed. When Andy begins beating his ex-wife, Jo (Roxanne Pallett), Victoria refuses to have anything to do with him.
While messing around with other local teens, Victoria falls through the ice and nearly drowns. While under the water, Victoria finds a corpse which is later identified as missing police officer Shane Doyle (Paul McEwan). Annie informs the family of Jack's death in February 2009, leaving them devastated. Daz admits he will always be there for her and resultantly they begin sleeping together, despite the fact Daz is dating Scarlett Nicholls (Kelsey-Beth Crossley). Victoria is hurt when Daz decides to remain with Scarlett and tells him she is pregnant but it turns out to be a lie. Scarlett soon finds out the truth when Daz jealously attacks Aaron (now Danny Miller), after catching him and Victoria together. Victoria befriends Hannah Barton (Grace Cassidy), daughter of the new tenants at Butler's Farm but Kayleigh does not like her and begins bullying Hannah. Eventually, Victoria tires of this behaviour and cuts Kayleigh out of her life. She also makes friends with Amy Wyatt (Chelsea Halfpenny) and they soon become close friends. Alex Moss (Kurtis Stacey) the new farmhand at Butler's Farm arrives and they become a couple. Alex's incessant flirting with other women drives Victoria to dump him. When she feels she has made a mistake, Victoria tries to get Alex back but is horrified to discover he is involved with Moira Barton (Natalie J. Robb). During this time Victoria buys Betty Eagleton's (Paula Tilbrook) house on the condition that she and Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) stay on as tenants and Victoria agrees. Victoria begins a relationship with Adam Barton (Adam Thomas) but it breaks down when she find he is involved in illegal activities with Robbie Lawson (Jamie Shelton).
Victoria later provides Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick) with a shoulder to cry on when she discovers that she may be HIV positive. Victoria tries to urge Val to tell her husband Eric (Chris Chittell), but it takes a few weeks to tell Eric. Victoria is later stunned when she discovers that Diane and Eric slept together after Val reveals their secret to the regulars of The Woolpack. Victoria, however, sticks up for Diane. She and Eric later rush to the scene when Val sustains a fall in the village and cuts her knee. Victoria befriends newcomer Finn Barton (Joe Gill), who reveals that he is gay and has feelings for David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden), who owns the local shop. Robert (now played by Ryan Hawley) returns to the village in October with fiancée Chrissie White (Louise Marwood), her father Lawrence (John Bowe), and her teenage son Lachlan (Thomas Atkinson) in tow. Initially, Victoria is, like a majority of the village, bitter towards Robert, but as time passes, she warms to him again and comes to accept his return along with Andy. Victoria then restarts her relationship with Adam as he attempts to get her back by buying her a puppy, and cooking naked in The Woolpack kitchen. Victoria attends Robert and Chrissie's wedding, but it ends in tragedy when Andy discovers Katie's deceased body at Wylie's Farm; she had been pushed on to some loose floorboards by Robert. Victoria supports Andy as he attempts to commit suicide only hours after Katie's funeral. She pleads for him to see hope, along with Diane, Chrissie and Robert. Andy later goes to stay with the Whites at Home Farm.
Victoria is heartbroken to learn that Adam has slept with local vet Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), and has impregnated her. She goes on a downward spiral, and slaps Vanessa in the street when she sees her. The following day, Adam notices Victoria attempting to drive her car, knowing that she has not passed her driving test and does not have a provisional license, and tries to stop her. She does not listen, and as she drives off, she runs over Ashley Thomas (John Middleton). He appears to be fine, however, he later collapses and is comatose. Victoria is terrified she will be imprisoned, so Adam gives her a false alibi. However, Ashley's alcoholic ex-wife Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) drunkenly announces that Ashley has died while in hospital, unaware that he is still comatose. Victoria cannot deal with her guilt and hands herself in to the police, and she is arrested. She is later released, and is delighted to hear that Ashley is alive. Ashley later learns that he now has epilepsy following the accident. Adam and Victoria rekindle their relationship and decide to run away and get married, with the help of Aaron. Robert and Andy are furious to discover this, but Adam and Victoria leave before they can stop them. Victoria is attacked at the scrapyard by Holly Barton's (Sophie Powles) drug dealer, but she fights back. A week later, Victoria accidentally sprays Finn after mistaking him as the attacker.
Victoria is scared to find a man had broken into her Diddy Diner truck, and even more so when the culprit knew her. She is shocked but pleased when the man turns out to be Hannah Barton, who had transitioned into a man and went by the name Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano). Matty reveals that Moira was unaccepting about the change and has thrown him out. Matty makes the decision to return to Manchester, despite Victoria's offers to allow him to stay with her. She drops Matty off at the train station when Cain fails to convince him to stay. After being beaten up, Matty decides to come back and stay with Moira at Butler's farm. On a night out with her friends, Victoria is raped by Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie). She reports the rape to the police, and when his mother Wendy (Susan Cookson) arrives in the village to confront Victoria on what Wendy believes are lies, Victoria begins to leave the house less often. Wendy moves to the village with son Luke (Max Parker), she is shocked to recognise him, since the pair have flirted before. The two begin a relationship, and although she struggles due to his connection with Lee, the pair begin dating.
Victoria later begins a relationship with David however this ends in November 2022 when he lies to her over a Speeding Ticket he was given however had put in her name. [1]
In October 2023 Victoria develops feelings for David's Stepson Jacob, their feelings for each other ultimately cause David to leave Emmerdale for London [2] for a while afterwards they are in a relationship however they later split up in April 2024 due to the age gap between them and of concerns their relationship is holding back Jacob's future prospects.
In August 2024, Victoria discovers she has a Long Lost Half Brother called John Sugden [3] she initially attempts to establish contact with him however he shows no interest in doing so.
Characterisation
[edit]On her character profile on the ITV website, it notes that growing up, Victoria "was easily led by her peers", but nowadays, she "knows how to stand up for herself". Victoria is billed as an "honest, fun, sarcastic, out-spoken, confident" character who enjoys socialising. It adds that she is "not afraid to use her sharp wit", and that she enjoys bossing her boyfriends around, and that if Victoria had one wish, it would be for an easy life.[1]
Development
[edit]Rape
[edit]In 2019, producers of Emmerdale announced a special episode in which they planned to "experiment with non-linear storytelling and flashbacks",[2] where it was confirmed that multiple characters' lives will "change for good" on a night out. It was later confirmed that the episode would explore Victoria getting raped.[3] After Victoria is raped by Lee, actress Hodgins appeared on This Morning to speak about the storyline. She stated that it has been the "grittiest" storyline she has been involved in to date, and although it was a "journey", she enjoyed being part of the story from an acting perspective. Presenter Phillip Schofield asked if she felt pressure portraying a victim of rape, to which she stated that she "massively" felt it. She explained that due to the relevance of an issue-led storyline which "happens to thousands of men and women", herself and the producers had a "big responsibility" to cover it well. To prepare for the storyline, Hodgins spoke with real-life victims, who recalled their experiences with rape to the actress. She stated that they were brave for being able to share their stories with her, noting that some were similar to her character's experience. Hodgins also spoke about the lack of support that Victoria receives from Robert, stating: "She's in one of the hardest positions someone can find themselves in, and who do you need to support you? Your family. So when Robert isn't supportive, that breaks her heart. Robert's her brother, she needs him there, she wants him there."[4] In real life, Hodgins cut her "very thick, curly, unruly hair" due to wanting a different appearance, and when she told producers, they replied that her short hair "ties in with the story". She joked that life is "so much easier" due to the shortened time spent by hairstylists on set.[5] Hodgins told producers to make her look "as awful" as they could possibly make her in the scenes where she realises she has been raped. She stated that in that scene, she was embarrassed to cry, since she has never been given the opportunity to have overly emotional scenes on the soap. While appearing on Loose Women, Hodgins recalled: "Afterwards when [the director] said cut, I just threw a blanket over my head. They asked what's going on and I said 'I'm embarrassed'". She noted that the scenes were "challenging" for her. Hodgins also detailed that the production team had to "negotiate" what they could show of the attack, since Emmerdale is transmitted before the 9pm watershed. She explained that they wanted to "get the message across [that] it was a brutal horrendous attack", while also respecting the watershed guidelines.[6]
Lee's mother Wendy arrives in the village to confront Victoria, as she believes that Victoria is lying. Hodgins explains that Victoria is "shocked and scared" due to Wendy's arrival, and that immediately after meeting her, "Victoria knows that Wendy is an enemy". Hodgins notes that Wendy "has got her son's interests at heart", but since her beliefs contradict Victoria's experience, she knows it will be difficult to interact with Wendy "from the off". Victoria receives defence from her friends and family, but is "left feeling a little bit shellshocked" and "crumbles" due to not expecting Wendy's confrontation. Wendy brings Lee with her, and since it is the first time she has seen him since the rape, she "feels genuine fear", especially since they know where she works and lives, and can show up at any time. Hodgins states that Victoria hates having "no control" over the situation, adding that the village being so small means that she is easy to find.[7] A "harrowing twist" and "new trauma" for Victoria was later confirmed when it was revealed that she would discover she is pregnant with Lee's baby.[8] Victoria decides to keep the baby, and feels that when it comes to informing Lee and Wendy, "it's none of their business". Hodgins states that Victoria is "more than happy" to raise the baby on her own, as she fears the pair will either "bully her into getting a termination", or that Lee may want to be involved.[7] When Wendy moves to the village, Hodgins states that her character will feel "exhausted" and "frustrated" due to Wendy not allowing her to move emotionally to "the next chapter of her life". She explains that Victoria tries not to be too stressed due to her pregnancy, but that "hating someone is exhausting". Wendy's house is vandalised due to her reputation as the mother and defender of a rapist, to which Victoria feels "a little bit guilty". Due to her confrontations with Wendy and Wendy's vandalism, Victoria feels like the pair of them are "being punished" for what Lee has done. Hodgins stated: "She thinks surely the best thing to happen would be for Wendy to leave and then they can both have a nice life."[9]
Becoming a mother
[edit]Following the decision to keep the baby, Victoria goes into labour in the episode transmitted on 31 December 2019, New Year's Eve. Prior to filming the scenes, Hodgins stated that she is finding it "nerve-wracking", accrediting her nerves to the fact she had never given birth in real life. She approached her sister, who has had two children, as well as Emmerdale co-star Charley Webb, a mother of three, for advice. Also in preparation, she used a day off from work to watch the Channel 4 documentary series One Born Every Minute, as well as birthing vlogs on YouTube. She added: "I take my hat off to anyone who's had a baby – well done, you are amazing!"[10] Speaking about her character's maternal skills, she opined that Victoria would be a good mother, labelling her "mother earth". However, she explained that it "takes a village to raise a child", and if she shuts people out due to her rape ordeal, she may struggle to cope. She expressed her wishes for Victoria's journey with birthing to be "smooth sailing", due to her hard times in recent months, adding: "She can't take any more!"[10] Following the scenes being filmed, Hodgins admitted that she was "exhausted". She described the filming process as "honestly the most exhausting day in [her] Emmerdale history", and stated that she went to sleep immediately after returning home. She joked that she had "earned her money that day" due to the " fake pushing, grunting and moaning". Hodgins found the birthing vlogs helpful, as it showed her that the "intense pain" of childbirth comes from within. She attempted to emulate the behaviour that she saw in the videos, since she "wanted the scenes to look real". On working with a real baby, she stated that she was not phased, since she has experience working with babies on set. However, despite her experience, she tried hard to interact with the baby as accurately as possible, so that viewers would not think "oh, she's clearly never had a baby before", as she felt that "would have detracted away from the enormous moment when Victoria meets the baby". Hodgins joked that she would miss wearing the fake baby bump, since it kept her warm in the winter, but expressed her excitement at "the next chapter" of Victoria's story.[11]
Reception
[edit]The accident involving Victoria and Billy was nominated for "Spectacular Scene of the Year" at the 2007 British Soap Awards.[12] At the 2009 ceremony, Hodgins was nominated for Best Young Performance, and the scene of Victoria falling through the ice won the award for Most Spectacular Scene.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Victoria Barton". ITV. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ Lee, Jess (28 February 2019). "Emmerdale plans special flashback scenes for a life-changing night out involving multiple characters". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Lee, Jess (8 April 2019). "Emmerdale plans rape storyline for Victoria Barton during night out". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Warner, Sam (5 June 2019). "Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins admits there was "massive" pressure to get Victoria's rape storyline right". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins explains her new look and hints at Victoria's future". Digital Spy. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Earp, Catherine (4 July 2019). "Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins opens up about filming "exposing" rape scenes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b Kilkelly, Daniel (27 June 2019). "Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins reveals new fears for Victoria as Lee storyline continues". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Hughes, Roxanne (30 June 2019). "Emmerdale spoilers: Victoria Sugden set for harrowing twist as Lee trauma takes awful turn". Daily Express. Reach plc. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Houghton, Rhianne (28 November 2019). "Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins reveals Victoria's reaction to Wendy's shock move". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ a b Warner, Sam (28 November 2019). "Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins admits nerves over Victoria Barton's labour scenes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel; Dainty, Sophie (22 November 2019). "Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins reveals more on Victoria Barton's "exhausting" labour scenes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Green, Kris (27 May 2007). "The British Soap Awards 2007: The Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 April 2013.