Amanda Donohoe (Natasha Wylde) to leave

[Perdita]

Emmerdale star Amanda Donohoe is to leave the soap after nearly two years in the role of Natasha Wylde, DS can confirm.

The actress will film her final scenes for the ITV1 show later this year as her character's dark storyline, involving the death of husband Mark, reaches its climax.

Earlier this year, fans saw Natasha shoot Mark dead and bury him in the woods after the businessman's many secrets and lies were exposed, tearing his family apart. The plotline takes a new twist in next week's episodes when Mark's body is found.

Speaking of her forthcoming departure, Donohoe commented: "My initial contract with Emmerdale was only for a year so the fact I've stayed for two years is testimony to the show's fantastic cast, crew and producers - Gavin Blyth and Steve November."

A spokesperson for the programme added: "We can confirm Amanda Donohoe will be leaving Emmerdale at the end of her current contract. Natasha's story has been central to the drama of the show and her departure gives us scope for an explosive climax as the story takes its final twists and turns."

Meanwhile, a show source told the Daily Star Sunday: "Amanda has had a brilliant time at Emmerdale but decided that the time was right to leave. She told them a few weeks back and they've been working out the best exit for Natasha."

As previously announced, Donohoe's screen daughter Alice Coulthard (Maisie) is also bowing out of the soap.

[Perdita]

Guess that Will has to leave as well then, unless he becomes a member of the Dingle clan and Nathan will be jailed for covering up the murder, so he will leave too.

[alan45]

Best News Ive heard in a long time.

I always thought Amanda was a fine actress but she has been pretty poor in Emmerdale

[tammyy2j]

I seen on another board she takes off with Will and leaves Nathan go to jail for Mark's murder

[lizann]

Is Nathan leaving also?

Who will take over HomeFarm Declan maybe?

[alan45]

How is Natasha feeling as Ryan’s trial approaches?

“Natasha is pretty much in denial, she’s shut down and feels numb because there’s no other choice. It’s the decision she made and she has to carry it through to the end.”

How does she feel about Maisie’s return to the village and the fact she’s staying with Faye?

“It’s untimely for Natasha and I think she wishes Maisie had stayed away. The fact she’s moved in with Faye pushes Natasha to the edge and helps her to maintain the plan and let Ryan take the blame. She’s always blamed Faye and it’s the trigger she needs to continue the lie.”

What is she hoping to achieve when she asks Faye to go for a walk? How can Natasha think of having a go at Faye when she is the reason her son is behind bars?

“Well Natasha wants to see Maisie but she won’t agree to see her mum so she has no choice but to go through Faye, which she obviously detests.“

Can she blame Faye for slapping her?

“Not really, anything Faye does pushes Natasha into the red and they always end up arguing.

How does Natasha think Nathan performs when he goes in the witness box?

“Natasha isn’t witness to Nathan’s testimony because she’s waiting to be called herself. However, she knows how evil Nathan is and he won’t have trouble finding the will to stand and lie.”

What does she think has happened to Nathan when she later can’t get hold of him? Is she worried about him disappearing or more angry that she can't get hold of him?

“Natasha just believes he’s done one of his bunks and is drowning his sorrows somewhere. She’s annoyed but not suspicious, he’s always been a little unreliable and difficult.”

What does she do to try to find him?

“She keeps calling him but then Will unexpectedly returns home. He runs away from where he’s been staying with friends and it means Natasha is no longer free to wallow in the situation so she has to concentrate on her youngest son.”

How does Natasha feel as she takes the stand herself? Does she waver in her evidence or is she still determined to pin the murder on Ryan?

“There is so much planted evidence against Ryan that Natasha doesn’t actually have to lie on the stand. She did hear him tell Mark he’ll kill him, she did know they had a fight in the village. So it all fed into her plans. Lets just say she’s economical with the truth.”

Does she think she’s convincing?

“I think she’s a terrible liar because at heart she’s an honest person…and a murderer! The writers and I have made sure that Natasha stayed true to herself by never telling a direct lie, she either stayed silent or it was just a repetition of the truth in different ways.”

What will it take to persuade Natasha to confess?

“So far nothing, no one has come up with anything to prompt her to confess. Her motives are, and always have been, to protect her family so if that came into question maybe she would… Confessing just isn’t an option at this stage, she tried in the beginning but Nathan was very persuasive and made her see it would destroy Will and Maisie.”

Could she see herself confessing to Maisie and Will – but still not handing herself in, and instead suggesting they all move away and start afresh somewhere else?

“It’s not her plan, it happened so long ago anyway that it would destroy her family even further. It’s against her nature so she’s not about to change. She can’t comprehend telling the children, not voluntarily anyway.”

How determined is Natasha not to go to jail?

“Remember Natasha wanted to confess months ago but she chose the other path when Nathan wore her down and she crumpled. So now, after all they’ve been through, she is more than determined not to go to jail.”

How would you like to see Natasha leave the village? Should she confess and let justice prevail? Could she convince her family to up sticks and continue to live the lie Mark began? Or will she try and make someone else take the fall?

“It’s funny because there are so many murderers in Emmerdale who have clearly got away with murder (Carl King). But I think its about seeing justice done. If she had confessed sooner it would have been a much lesser sentence. She could have pleaded momentary madness, emotional duress and cruelty but she didn’t and continued the lies that Mark began. The person she least wants to get hurt in all this is Ryan but thanks to her evil son’s doing Ryan is the one in the docks and she has no choice.”

How does it feel to be leaving a character you've grown to love behind?

“I'm sad to leave but feel I have delivered a good, well rounded character that I hope people have believed in and are interested in seeing how it all ends.”

What's it been like being part of Emmerdale for nearly two years?

“I feel privileged to have worked in front of such a mass audience. I have worked the hardest I have ever worked in my whole life, I enjoyed it and grew to really like Natasha. I feel sorry that she had such a pig of a husband and it was sad to see such a strong woman so momentarily broken.”

What are your plans post-Emmerdale?

“A very long holiday! I'm going to have a very long break and I'm very much looking forward to moving back home and doing some gardening.”

[alan45]

Emmerdale star Amanda Donohoe has revealed that she decided to leave the soap to spend more time with her family.

The actress, who has played Natasha Wylde for two years, told the Sunday Mail that she wanted to take a break from the gruelling schedule of an actor to be with her loved ones, including her elderly parents.

Donohoe said: "I have lived my life living out of suitcases, travelling around the world being on location, and that certainly takes its toll on a private life. That's not just my business, that's long-distance relationships. Coming home to a beautiful, empty house wasn't really the plan.

"I've been pretty much living on location in Leeds for the last two years. Two years is crunch time for most people. It's either continue in this role and move up here or have no life, basically. I didn't feel I could just dump my family.

"It's been such an intense two years I just wanted to stop and smell the coffee for a while. There is a point, certainly at my age, where you wonder if there is a work-life balance because if there is, I ain't found it yet. It's either feast or famine, and that's the way it's been for as long as I can remember."

[Ruffed_lemur]

I seen on another board she takes off with Will and leaves Nathan go to jail for Mark's murder

I can't see her doing that to her son.

[Perdita]

Natasha Wylde's dark Emmerdale storyline reaches its climax this week as Ryan Lamb's murder trial draws to a close. The troubled businesswoman has so far avoided being uncovered as the killer of her husband Mark, and as the jury prepares to decide Ryan's fate, she keeps her fingers crossed that he will be sent down for the crime in her place. Will Natasha be celebrating a guilty verdict this week, or will she be left disappointed by the jury's decision? Could a last-minute twist see her finally confess all? Or could there be another surprise in store? With details of this week's episodes being kept closely under wraps until transmission, DS recently caught up with Amanda for a reflective chat about her experience playing one of Emmerdale's most memorable characters.

Natasha is facing a bit of a mystery at the start of this week as Nathan is nowhere to be found - how does she feel about that?
"Well, Nathan has been behaving pretty badly, let's face it, so I think she really just dismisses it as him being a bit of a prat! But of course, it's far more sinister than that…"

How is she dealing with Ryan's trial in general - does she feel guilty about the whole thing?
"Well, obviously she didn't really plan to have Ryan set up - that was Nathan's little intervention. But of course, as events just started snowballing out of control, it's sink or swim and I think, in many ways, she's just had to get on with it and cut off any feelings of guilt. That's how I played the storyline - it was just sheer desperation."

Have you enjoyed the ongoing story of Mark's murder and all the twists and turns?
"I've loved it. Earlier this year, when I came back from Christmas holiday, the murder episode had aired and I didn't know how well it had done - I just hoped somebody had bothered to watch it! I had no idea. But then they said to me, '9.9 million people watched you kill your husband!' I thought, 'Okay - this may have legs!' It was great and very gratifying, because the only real gauge now is your audience. If they like it, they'll tune in, and if they don't, there'll be a pretty fast tune out!"

Have you felt any sympathy with Natasha when playing the scenes this year?
"Yes, of course, because when you're playing any great character, you find out what similarities you have with them and you find out what your differences are. But there has to be a common ground. I think what was most interesting about Natasha was to see a good person find themselves in deep trouble and then explore how they get out of it or how they don't, as the case may be. It was good to see how the character changed - and, as she's said over and over again, how desperation makes you do stupid things. Everybody can understand that."

How do you think the audience have reacted to Natasha this year?
"It's funny because, when you're out in the supermarket or in a cab, people never fail to give you their opinion! Everybody always said, 'I'm glad you shot him - if you hadn't shot him, I would have!' So that's fantastic - even through murder I managed to get the audience to empathise with this woman! That's the point - you want to do that, and that's the joy of it. Don't forget - and this is one thing that slips by through all the twists and turns - basically this man lied to her from the day they met. He lied throughout their entire marriage, and only when faced with the consequences of his lies did he tell the truth. And even then he went behind her back again! That level of betrayal would push anyone to the edge, whether you're a man or a woman. I think a lot of the audience just loved that concept and it really clicked with them."

You've now finished filming, so how are you feeling now that your time at Emmerdale has come to an end?
"I do feel sad as I adored working with everyone up there. They're a great bunch of people and I shall miss my on-screen family! But Emmerdale was originally only supposed to be a short-term contract, and there was also the fact that I don't live in Leeds - so the distance did become a little bit too much after a while."

Was leaving Emmerdale a difficult decision to make, or were you confident it was the right time?
"Well, I thought that the story needed to be told. Once Natasha had murdered her husband, something had to happen in the end - so it was kind of inevitable in that respect. But that was a good thing. I played a good character and it was a proper arc. That's why I ended up doing a second year - I thought, 'No, we're not quite finished yet - let's tell the story.' So that's what we did!"

Was there never a temptation to stick around for a third year?
"There's always a temptation! (Laughs) But like I said, I do live in Suffolk and the filming is in Leeds, and unless you live up there, you really don't have a life. At some point, one or the other has to give!"

When you first joined Emmerdale, you were quoted as saying that you'd become "fed up" with the roles you'd been receiving - was that the case?
"Oh no, I was never fed up with the roles that I was receiving. But I think the problem was the lack of roles. As we know, the representation of age on screen - especially where women are concerned - is not great and not always representative. But I think it's great that there are now more parts for older women. You only have to watch Downton Abbey to see that viewers just want a good story. It doesn't matter how young and beautiful anyone is - that's not important anymore and people are tired of that, I think."

Can you tell us anything about your future plans?
"Well at the moment, I'm enjoying a lot of R&R! After that, I don't know - I really have no idea at this point. Maybe I will in a couple of months!"

And how would you like Natasha to be remembered by Emmerdale fans?
"My motto is, 'Leave them wanting more, love!'"



Amanda Donohoe on Maceys, Home Farm and more!

wITH a Donohoe's Emmerdale storyline reaching its climax this week, I recently chatted to the actress to hear how she found her two-year stint playing troubled Natasha Wylde.

Click here to read the main portion of the interview, but if you've already done so, read on for Amanda's thoughts on Home Farm's future, her screen family and more.

We now know that the Maceys will be taking over at Home Farm after the Wyldes are gone - what are your thoughts on the new family?
"I'm so excited to see what happens! We all know what happens when you move into Home Farm! It's the curse of Home Farm! If there isn't a lot of drama surrounding the new family, I will be sadly disappointed."

What are your thoughts on the state of Emmerdale as a whole at the moment?
"I'm delighted to have left the show in great health and looking good. I've always said that good drama will bring in audiences, and it does - and they love it! There's some absolutely wonderful actors on that show, and when given the right material, they absolutely shine. That's been proved over and over. I hope that Emmerdale goes from strength to strength. It's no mean feat producing 300-odd episodes a year continuously. I think it's the most hours of drama made in Europe - more than any other show. When the other shows only have to do five episodes a week, we do six! It's a huge testament to the producers, the crew and the actors."

Do you think your screen children Alice Coulthard and Lyndon Ogbourne will have bright futures outside of Emmerdale?
"They're two little stars in the making. I think they're both extraordinary and they've both been a pleasure to work with. They're only just starting in the industry, so God knows what's going to happen! It's a crazy world out there! But they're well-equipped to do anything now, they really are."

And let's not forget Oscar Lloyd, who plays Will…
"Oh, little Oscar! It's been so bizarre to watch him grow up. When we first started, he was an 11-year-old boy, and when I left, he was a 13-year-old teenager and about twice the height he was when we joined! He just looks so handsome and so I thought, 'Oh, bless!' Emmerdale is a great training ground for young actors - it's great for discipline. Once you've done something like a soap opera and the gruelling demands it puts on you, you can cope with anything. So those young actors are in good hands."

Can you name any particular highlights from your time at Emmerdale?
"There are so many! The great thing about working on that show is that the crew and the cast have such a great sense of humour. So even when you're knee-deep in snow trying to shoot a scene when your face is frozen off, you're still laughing! We tease each other - we get the work done but with a great deal of humour."

Finally, how would you sum up your time on the show?
"It's gone so fast. When you're in the middle of it, it doesn't go fast, but once you look back on it, you realise that it does go so quickly. I've learned an enormous amount from Emmerdale and made some great friends. It's been more of an experience than I expected, really, and that's all you can ask for!"

[alan45]

Amanda Donahoe interview with C5

In her two years at Emmerdale, Amanda Donohoe has never been far from the action. Her alter ego Natasha Wylde's world was rocked by the discovery that her husband Mark had another wife and child - who were living in the same village!

And when she decided to bump off her love rat spouse, she faced a long battle to keep the truth under wraps. She seems to have got away with it so far, and innocent Ryan Lamb has just been found guilty of his murder.

But all that could change tonight when Natasha discovers her son Nathan is being held hostage by bad boy Cain Dingle.

We caught up with the glam actress to discuss her final moments on the rural soap, and see what life holds for her after Emmerdale.

What was it like saying goodbye to Emmerdale?

It was sad. It always is when you've worked so intensely with people for two years. But I was relieved to finish because it's been full on since I started.

And I'm very gratified the character has pulled some interest. There's been amazing feedback from the audience and for the whole Wylde family.

Did you have a good send-off?

Yes, we did go out and get a bit merry. When actors get together we shout a lot and when there's too much wine we shout even louder. It was fabulous. It was so nice to say goodbye to everyone.

Obviously, all the Wyldes are all leaving the show...

Yes, they are trickling out of Emmerdale. But you never know what might happen in the future.

Will you keep in touch with your co-stars?

Yes, of course. They are my surrogate children, Alice Coulthard and Lyndon Ogbourne. And Oscar Lloyd of course, who has grown to a strapping boy before my eyes. I'm very fond of them. And they were novice actors so it's great to see them grow, expand and learn and that's part of the enjoyment of the work.

Was it a difficult decision to leave?

I'd only planned to do a year. I didn't know if she would be a successful character or not. I remember coming back from Christmas holidays last year thinking 'I wonder if anyone bothered to watch me kill my husband.' And when I got to work they said 9.9million people watched. It was fantastic. They wouldn't have watched it they didn't care, but they did.

You've been part of a long-running storyline. Have you enjoyed it?

It was great. When that happened at the beginning of the year you could see the story had legs, so we took it to its conclusion which viewers will see shortly.

Were you surprised Natasha went so far as to kill Mark?

Do you know what? The public have been so sweet. They say 'We don't blame you for killing him. If you hadn't we would have.' Everyone understands the sense of betrayal. That's the sort of dramatic storyline you love. It pushes characters to the edge. It was a lovely story arc for me.

Do you feel affection for Natasha?

Of course. There were times when I wanted to say 'for God's sake, just confess'. I don't have children, so I had to really embrace the idea that someone would lose everything, would lose their children cos of this one crazy moment.

I don't think she's operated from a point of evil or self gratification. She's a good person who's found herself in a terrible mess.

She's done something stupid that she doesn't know how to fix. She's tried everything, short of confessing - which she wanted to do several times, but her son keeps telling her what a bad idea it would be. She's like a reluctant Lacy MacBeth.

Ryan has just been found guilty of murdering Mark. What can we expect to see now?

Well, Nathan has disappeared but Natasha's worried because he's prone to these disappearing acts. She thinks he's being a silly pratt and skiving off his responsibilities. But a far more sinister turn of events occurs after Ryan's trial.

You've been involved in such a massive storyline - has it been very demanding?

Yes, and you're in such a heightened state of emotion a lot of the time. There's been a lot of screaming and emotional highs and lows.

Was it hard to switch off after a difficult day at work?

Yes and no. What I didn't really expect going into the job was how intense it would be. If you're storyline is going well, they want to use your and your character. It might have been easier if I lived in Leeds but I was basically on location for two years. That became quite stressful for my family and me. Commuting from Suffolk is no mean feat! I couldn't see my family much and at some point something has to give.

What's next for you?

Well, I'm going to take a long break now. I turned down some theatre - I usually hate turning down work - but I just need a break for a while. You can only do so much and then you have to stop. I'm being very domestic. I'm going to do all the things I should have been doing for those two years - clearing the wilderness that the garden has become. It's funny, as an actor you work very intensely and then you stop and if you don't enjoy the life in between you don't have a life.

When you start acting again, do you have a dream role in mind?

I've always said there should be more drama being made. It's expensive and risky but if the right drama is made it pulls in audiences. Downton Abbey is fantastic. All audiences crave good drama, and especially the lovely array of characters of all ages and backgrounds. Soap opera provides that and does a fantastic job, but there's clearly an insatiable demand for good dramas. And not cops! Enough with the policemen!

They've announced they're making a second series of Downton Abbey. Would you fancy a role in it?

They would be stupid not to recommission it. That's a no brainer. I'd kill to be a in great costume drama, or a series, that pulls in those audiences.

Would you consider going back to Emmerdale?

I always say never say never!

Would you like to go into another soap?

It depends what it was. Again, that was the attraction of something like Emmerdale. The character sounded great and I could really go with it. It was a really fantastic experience.

The Maceys are going to take over Home Farm. How do you think they will fare?

The curse of Home Farm continues. You know something is going to happen. If it doesn't I want my money back. We've worked with Jason Merrells, who plays Declan, before and he's fantastic. He's really picked up the gauntlet and will run with it. And it's brilliant that Father Jack from Father Ted has been cast!

[alan45]

Amanda Donohoe has revealed that she wants Home Farm to be at the centre of more dramatic Emmerdale storylines in the months ahead.

The actress's screen family will be leaving the business behind in the coming weeks, paving the way for the Macey clan to take their place.

Speaking about how the Maceys will fare, Donohoe commented: "I'm so excited to see what happens! We all know what happens when you move into Home Farm! It's the curse of Home Farm!

"If there isn't a lot of drama surrounding the new family, I will be sadly disappointed."

Donohoe recently filmed her final scenes as Natasha Wylde, who was last night arrested for the murder of her husband Mark in the climax to a long-running plotline.

The star added: "I'm delighted to have left the show in great health and looking good. I've always said that good drama will bring in audiences, and it does - and they love it!

"There's some absolutely wonderful actors on that show, and when given the right material, they absolutely shine. That's been proved over and over. I hope that Emmerdale goes from strength to strength."

The conclusion of the Wyldes' stint on the show will also see Alice Coulthard, Lyndon Ogbourne and Oscar Lloyd bow out as Maisie, Nathan and Will respectively.

[alan45]

Former Emmerdale star Amanda Donohoe has joked that her murderous character Natasha Wylde could have her jail sentence reduced on appeal if she ever decided to return to the soap.

Natasha was given a minimum prison term of 21 years in late 2010 as she was finally punished for killing her husband Mark.

Donohoe, speaking on This Morning, confessed today that she found her time at Emmerdale more enjoyable than she had ever anticipated.

"That's why I stayed an extra year - I wanted to see her through to the end," the actress explained. "I started to really quite like Natasha and I felt rather sorry for her - her wonderful life was completely destroyed by her lying husband!"

"[Leaving] was a hard decision and I miss those guys so much - they're such a lovely bunch of cast to work with," she continued.

When show hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby pointed out that Natasha could return in 20 years' time, Donohoe laughed: "Oh no, I think she's definitely going to have an appeal! The woman was bereft, for goodness sake! There'll be an appeal, she's got the money, she'll get the lawyer and it'll be a crime of passion - she wasn't well in the head, they'll reduce the sentence."

Donohoe added that "five to ten" years for manslaughter could be a more suitable punishment for Natasha.

Asked whether viewers really could see Natasha back in Emmerdale one day, she replied: "I don't know, you'll have to ask them about that!"

Donohoe is currently working on a touring production of the Noel Coward play Star Quality.

[Perdita]

What money is she supposed to have? I thought she gave it all to Nathan for him to keep quiet when he found out the truth about Mark's murder!

[alan45]

There would have been money I'm Mark's Estate