View Full Version : Soap's first blind actress joins 'Emmerdale'
ITV soap Emmerdale has signed the first blind actress to be cast in a UK soap.
Comedienne Kitty McGeever - who lost her sight through illness at the age of 33 - will play Lakely, an old friend of Lisa Dingle's (Jane Cox). She arrives in the village in the spring, after being tagged and handed a community order with unpaid work following a conviction for petty crime.
Her remorseless bad behaviour and mischievous antics cause uproar among the locals as she attempts to keep the true nature of her presence under wraps.
Speaking of her role, she said: "I'm thrilled to be joining Emmerdale as Lizzie and delighted that the show is challenging stereotypes in this way. Lizzie spells trouble from the word go and will be causing all kinds of strife in the village."
Series producer Gavin Blyth commented: "Kitty is an extremely talented actress and I'm pleased that she will be joining the show, marking the arrival of such a fascinating character. Lizzie is forthright and fun and she'll soon prove that she isn’t afraid to manipulate circumstances to her advantage."
He added: "She'll no doubt ruffle feathers and make friends in equal measure, and we are looking forward to embracing the opportunity to explore how the residents of Emmerdale react to that."
McGeever is due to begin filming later this month and will first appear on screen in mid to late April.
Her previous acting credits include Beautiful People and London's Burning.
Looking forward to this, it is time that more disabilities are being shown in soaps. :thumbsup:
Disabled charity Leonard Cheshire Disability has commended Emmerdale's decision to sign the first blind actress to be cast in a UK soap.
It was yesterday announced that 41-year-old Kitty McGeever is to take on the role of Lizzie Lakely, an old friend of Lisa Dingle's (Jane Cox).
John Knight, the charity's assistant director of policy and campaigns, said of the move: "We applaud the decision by Emmerdale to champion the country's first ever blind soap actress. It is a breath of fresh air in an area where disabled actors and actresses are totally underrepresented."
He added: "We look forward to many other areas of television following their lead. There are around 10 million disabled adults in Britain at the moment - a fact that is clearly not reflected in programming generally across the networks."
At the end of last year, Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks cast Guillain-Barré sufferer Kelly-Marie Stewart as its first prominent disabled character.
In January, EastEnders boss Diederick Santer revealed plans to introduce more disabled supporting artistes to the Walford-based soap, with a view to potentially casting a disabled actor or actress in a regular role.
Blind actress Kitty McGeever has said that she wants her character in Emmerdale to inspire sighted people.
McGeever has been cast as ex-convict Lizzy Lakely, the first permanent blind character in a British soap.
She told The Mirror: "Lizzie is a loveable rogue - people can't help but like her and she couldn't be less of a victim, which is what we wanted.
"I hope it will be inspirational to sighted people who'll say that she really doesn't expect to be treated any differently."
She added: "Because I've been sighted and non-sighted, I know it can be awful when you meet blind people because you never quite know the etiquette.
"I admit it, I used to run a mile if I saw a blind person but we're no different to anybody else - we're people whose eyes don't work, that's all."
McGeever went blind as a result of diabetic retinopathy around the time of the death of her son Felix from a terminal illness.
Emmerdale's new recruit Kitty McGeever helped to create her new alter ego Lizzie Lakely, she has confirmed.
The comedienne announced that she had signed up for the Dales last month, becoming the first blind actress to be cast in a UK soap.
Speaking on This Morning, McGeever explained: "The character was developed by me with the producers. So I had some input. The producers came to see my standup show and Gavin [Blyth] the producer said: 'We want that woman on stage but toned down', because I'm quite outrageous on stage!
"Lizzie is naughty, she's a reverend, and we talked about what disabled characters have been portrayed on TV before and they are either saintly or boring and I just never wanted her to be a victim. And she isn't! She just manipulates every situation to her own advantage completely."
McGeever lost her own sight in 2002 after her newborn son Felix suffered severe health problems and was unable to leave hospital. He later passed away at the age of one.
"The pressure and stress of that caused problems and complications for me," she confirmed.
The actress has previously described Lizzie as a "loveable rogue", adding that she wants the character to inspire Emmerdale viewers.
Emmerdale star Kitty McGeever has died.
The popular actress, who played mischievous Lizzie Lakely on the ITV soap, was surrounded by her family as she passed away last night (August 16).
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Kitty McGeever as Lizzie Lakely in Emmerdale
© ITV
Kitty McGeever as Lizzie Lakely
McGeever joined Emmerdale in March 2009 and was the first blind actress to be cast as a regular in a UK soap.
She appeared on the show until March 2013, when ill health forced her to leave.
Confirming the sad news, an Emmerdale spokesperson told Digital Spy: "It is with much sadness that Emmerdale confirms actress Kitty McGeever, who played the character of Lizzie Lakely, passed away last night, surrounded by her loving family.
"Kitty was a great talent and a true inspiration to all who worked with her. The cast and crew are devastated at her passing and she will be missed tremendously and remembered fondly by all of us."
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6383: Laurel is irritated Dan has stayed over and tells Lizzie next time she needs some notice
© ITV
Lizzie with Laurel at the factory in Emmerdale
Lizzie was a popular addition to the long-running drama, initially introduced as a loveable rogue when she arrived wearing a tag following a conviction for a petty crime.
Her bad behaviour continued as she saw some of the locals as new targets for mischief, including when she conned her friend Marlon Dingle into accepting her romantic advice via an expensive psychic telephone line.
Lizzie did settle down over time as she made more friends in the village, and she helped to keep Jai Sharma's workforce laughing when she took up a job at his sweet factory.
She also supported her best friend Lisa Dingle after Lisa confided in her about being raped by evil Derek Benrose.
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6387: Lizzie and Dan grow close after his party but Lizzie can't kiss him for fear of getting hurt
© ITV
Kitty in Emmerdale with co-star Liam Fox
Prior to Emmerdale, McGeever worked as a stand-up and her other screen credits included roles in Beautiful People and London's Burning.
More recently, she had filmed a role in horror movie The Unfolding, which is due to be screened at the Frightfest film festival on August 28.
Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a663883/emmerdale-star-kitty-mcgeever-dies-show-pays-tribute-to-true-inspiration.html#ixzz3j5Yb4zyG
RIP Kitty :(
Some of us were discussing what happened to her recently too
rip could be why jane cox - lisa was off
tammyy2j
17-08-2015, 21:57
Rest In Peace Kitty
maidmarian
17-08-2015, 22:09
Rest In Peace Kitty
Im.very sorry to hear the sad news about Kitty.
Day to Day life will be very difficult for
anyone who is blind.
So I have great admiration for Kitty who
also.made a career for herself as an actress.
Has been sadly missed! as a cheerful.&
mischievous character on ED!
maidmarian
17-08-2015, 22:09
dupl
The final act of kindness from late Emmerdale actress Kitty McGeever has been revealed.
The Lizzie Lakely star - the first blind actress to be cast as a regular in a UK soap - passed away on Sunday night (August 16) at the age of 48.
Emmerdale stars pay tribute to Kitty McGeever following star's sad death
The ITV soap's producer Kate Oates has said in a new video that McGeever's family have asked for her cornea and liver organs to be donated.
McGeever, who appeared in Emmerdale between 2009 and 2013, was awaiting a kidney transplant before she died.
"Sadly she ran out of time on that, but what she did do was donate her liver and also her corneas, so Kitty's family and Kitty have hopefully given the gift of life to someone else through this tragedy, which I think is just a wonderful thing," explained Oates.
Oates also paid tribute to the actress, calling her a "huge personality".
"She became friends with everybody, she was a real social butterfly – just this huge, huge presence. That's what was really groundbreaking about her," the producer added.
"The word 'inspiration' is banded around far too often but for Kitty there is no better word for her, she was just amazing."
Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a663937/late-emmerdale-star-kitty-mcgeevers-final-act-of-kindness-revealed-as-show-producer-kate-oates-pays-tribute.html#ixzz3j8YgkWtu
What a lovely thing to do :thumbsup:
Lovely tribute from Kate Oates ,I think we all had a special soft spot for the actress Kitty and her role as Lizzie.
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