'Doctors' Sophie Abelson talks Cherry exit plot - interview
Doctors airs Cherry Clay's final scenes next week as she bows out from The Mill in emotional circumstances.
After more than three years on screen, Cherry won't be leaving the BBC One daytime soap quietly as she must finally face the music after cheating on husband Jimmi with their colleague Daniel Granger.
In real life, actress Sophie Abelson - who played Cherry - has departed Doctors to pursue other acting opportunities, hoping to return to her roots in theatre in the coming months.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Sophie to hear her thoughts on Cherry's final storyline and more.
How are you feeling now that your time at Doctors has come to an end?
"It's very sad. I was there for three and a half years, I had an amazing time and it was a great experience. I learned lots and worked with some amazing people, but I felt that the time had come to move on and see what else was out there.
"Overall I miss the people a lot, and when I look back on my time on Doctors, it was fantastic. So it is sad, but it's also exciting to think what the next chapter in my life might be."
When did you decide to leave?
"These things work yearly at Doctors, so I was thinking about whether I should stay or not. It was early in Cherry and Jimmi's marriage when I made the decision, so that made things quite interesting because the producers then had to think about how to conclude the marriage so quickly.
"It was quite a difficult task for them to do it with only a certain amount of time, but sometimes it makes things more interesting when the pressure has been put on!"
How did the producers feel about your decision to leave?
"I think the producers know that actors often want to try other things and have new challenges, so they're quite understanding about that. The thing about Doctors is there are a few regular characters and the producers invest so much time into them as individuals, so I think it's quite a shame for them in most cases for people to leave.
"At the same time, though, when people do leave the show it creates room for new characters to come in, which is always a good thing. There's a few characters who have been there for a long time, which is always nice for the audience, but it's also good to put a fresh injection of life into the show."
Were you happy with Cherry's final storyline?
"I was! I was quite happy that Cherry went against her usual character by sleeping with Daniel, and I liked the fact that the pressure really built up for such a long period of time afterwards. It was interesting to play, because she had to live with what she'd done for quite a while.
"For someone like Cherry, it meant holding onto guilt for a long time and wanting to tell everyone what she'd done, but not feeling able to. She definitely found that very difficult, so I enjoyed the fact that it was a slow-burner and then it comes to an explosive finale, as you'll see!"
Can we expect emotional scenes when Jimmi finds out about Cherry's infidelity?
"Yes, there are lots of emotions there. Jimmi has been so innocent and unknowing all the way through, so I actually found it quite excruciating playing those scenes with him where he didn't know the truth! I felt really sick and uncomfortable, which obviously is how Cherry felt too.
"When Jimmi does finally find out what's happened, there's a lot of emotion to come out. Cherry has suppressed this for quite a long time, so it had to come to a head at some stage. There will be high emotions!"
Is Jimmi more angry or upset in his response?
"I can't give too much away about how Jimmi responds, as I don't want to spoil it! Also, probably a lot of Jimmi's response will occur after Cherry has left. You'll have to wait and see what his response is - Jimmi is a complex character, so it could go many ways…"
Does Cherry want to fix things with Jimmi, or does she feel it's time for the marriage to end?
"It's actually a very interesting scenario, as I think Cherry initially wanted to be the princess bride and have a knight in shining armour as her husband. Cherry was brought up in a bit of a bubble, but over time she's grown up and I think she's started to realise that the perfect marriage is not what she thinks it is.
"Cherry and Jimmi were always two very different people, so it was interesting to put them together, but the negatives had to come out at some stage. The time that she's with Jimmi is a big learning curve for her, but she wakes up and realises that her 'princess bubble' isn't reality!"
Is leaving The Mill a difficult choice for Cherry to make?
"I think she does find it difficult, but she also realises that there is no way she can stay there. I won't give away too much, but with the way everything turns out, she doesn't really have an option. From Howard's point of view, he's already lost a few staff members recently, but he's left with little choice when it comes to accepting Cherry's resignation."
As Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is on maternity leave, were you sad not to get one final showdown scene with Zara?
"I was sad, but it was good that we did get to have our episode earlier in the year where Zara provoked Cherry so much that she ended up telling her everything. That was great to play with Elisabeth. At that point, I knew that she was going to be leaving and she knew that I was leaving, so we both had it in our minds that it was going to be the final showdown.
"I did love doing all that stuff with Elisabeth, but unfortunately she wasn't there for my departure. It would have been interesting if she had been, but I'm sure Zara wouldn't have cared two hoots whether Cherry was leaving! In fact, I'm sure she would have been quite relieved. When Zara comes back eventually, I imagine she won't shed any tears to know that her 'best mate' has gone!"
What can you tell us about your final days on set?
"We film quite far in advance, so I actually finished at the end of June. Usually we film scenes out of sequence, but all of my final on-screen goodbyes were filmed on my last day. I was quite grateful for that, because it meant that I could enjoy my last couple of days. The build-up to my exit had been a real emotional rollercoaster where my character was miserable and feeling sorry for herself, so it was nice that they weren't my final scenes to film.
"My last day was pretty emotional - I was a wreck! Beforehand, I'd actually been worried that I wouldn't get emotional and people would think I didn't have a great time, but not to worry - I was very, very sad! My time at Doctors was a great period of my life, and it was sad to see it come to an end. I'll miss the people there, but I'm still in contact with everyone."
What have you been up to since?
"After leaving, I moved back to London where I was before, so now I'm catching up with myself and deciding what my next adventure will be. For my next job, I'd love to get back on the stage, as I did a lot of theatre before joining Doctors."
Would you be up for doing more TV too?
"I'd love to, because before Doctors I hadn't really done much TV. Really Doctors is all I know, so I'd be excited to do other shows and genres. Now that I've been on camera for three and a half years, I feel quite confident that I can walk onto another set and feel at home."
How would you like Cherry to be remembered?
"Well, unfortunately she goes out as a bit of a bad girl! I know that she can be quite an irritating person with her silly girliness which could rub people up the wrong way, but I would defend her by saying that I don't think she's a bad person.
"I think Cherry was learning and growing in her time at The Mill. She's not a nasty or a mean person and I don't think she'd for one second set out to hurt anybody. So I'd like people to remember the light, fun side of Cherry. Hopefully she'll re-find it now that she's left!"
'Doctors' Matthew Chambers talks Daniel Granger plots - interview
Doctors star Matthew Chambers is currently enjoying one of his biggest years on the soap, as his character Daniel Granger's infidelity and struggle with male post-natal depression has led to him separating from Zara Carmichael.
The actor has also been keeping busy behind the camera, recently directing his second block of Doctors episodes which will air later in the year.
With Daniel set to face the music for sleeping with Cherry Clay next week as Jimmi now knows the truth, Digital Spy recently chatted to Matthew about what's in store.
Have you enjoyed playing all of the ups and downs for Daniel this year?
"Oh absolutely - I think you need them, don't you? You can't be too constant on Doctors because there's not much interest in that. Ups and downs are marvellous!"
Has it been strange not to have Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, who plays Zara, around for most of the year?
"Well, it's been quite a while now - it was strange to start off with because we've worked so closely for such a long time, so I do miss my partner in crime!
"But I also took quite a period off myself over the summer, so I was away for a bit too. First of all I was on holiday, and then I came back to direct a block of Doctors episodes, so I guess life moves on. You do get used to people not being around, but Elisabeth not being there was definitely strange at first.
"I'm very good friends with Elisabeth so we do keep in contact as best we can, but obviously with her having a baby in real life, that's taken over her life and her partner's life!"
Were you surprised at Daniel's bad boy side returning when he cheated on Zara earlier this year?
"No, I wasn't surprised! I think it's always been lurking beneath the surface with him, as he's such a volatile character. But I was surprised at the twist that it happened with Cherry, because of how close to home that was. Not only is Jimmi his best friend, but he's married to Cherry and it's a very serious relationship for those two. I was surprised and pleased with all of that, because it's very controversial."
How does Daniel react next week when he discovers the truth is out?
"There's a great sense of relief, in a way, because it's been this terribly large elephant in the room, and I think Daniel had always known that it would come out one way or another. He's also glad that it's come out without him having to actually sit down and admit what's happened - that's a bit of a relief to him too. Whatever happens from now on, at least the truth is out."
Could Daniel's friendship with Jimmi ever recover from this?
"Well, I don't think Daniel expects that Jimmi will forgive him, but I do think there is hope there, because Jimmi is his best friend. So while Daniel wouldn't expect it, I think there is a chance."
We've heard that Zara will be paying a visit at Christmas, so can you give us any early hints about her return?
"Well, as is always the case with Zara, her return doesn't go without notice! Apart from that, I really can't give you any hints on what happens because I don't want to spoil it. But she certainly comes in with a bang!"
Do you think there's any hope that Daniel and Zara could be happy together again?
"Yes, I do believe that they can be happy together again. As well as being quite volatile creatures, they do have quite a bit in common. I think it's going to be a question of whether they're able to go to another level in their relationship and also their personal lives. But I believe there is hope for them, for sure."
How did you feel about taking on Daniel's male post-natal depression storyline?
"It was a wonderful chance to be given that kind of storyline, because it isn't really covered on television, or indeed in everyday life. Very often we hear about post-natal maternal depression in conversation and in the media, but we don't really hear about paternal depression. So I think our storyline was a great chance to explore it and bring it to the fore.
"I'm sure that, given the opportunity, many men would take help in this situation, but first of all it's a question of realising what is actually going on. Having a child is such a massive change to your life, so trying to figure out what's making you feel this way when you have depression can be difficult. Of course, people don't always ask for help so the story was a fantastic opportunity and one that I'm really grateful for."
Since doing the story, have you heard from any men who've been through the same thing in real life?
"Well, while this story was going on, the personality of a friend of mine changed quite a bit. He had a son four months before the episodes started to air. We've since had a conversation about it, and he believes that this is what he's been suffering from. He's been seeking some therapy, and it's helping enormously with him.
"I hope people who watch the show and have suffered from this now feel more at ease when it comes to speaking about it."
What can you tell us about your latest directing work for Doctors?
"Being on the other side of the camera is very exciting in all aspects. It's not just the actual filming of the episodes - it's the preparation, the casting, finding locations and working with all of the different departments. I find it terrifically exciting.
"I did find it much more challenging this time, just simply because of a few technical problems, and also because the weather wasn't very kind to us! I also hadn't directed for a year, so I was a bit out of practice. It took a few days to get up to speed, but I enjoyed it enormously. They seem pretty pleased with what I've done, so fingers crossed they might offer me another block at some point in the future."
There are lots of new characters joining at the moment, so will Daniel be making some new friends or enemies?
"I'm sure he'll make some enemies! It's been incredible how many people have left in the last six months alone, and it's a big change. I think such a dramatic change in staff is a bit unsettling for Daniel. I'm sure he'll make some enemies but as for friends, I'm not so sure about that…"
Has it been sad to say goodbye to so many colleagues this year?
"It really has, but you do get used to it on a long-running show, as people come and go. You get used to saying goodbye, and of course saying hello when new people come in. It's part of it and as an actor you know that it's such a transient industry anyway."
A few of your Doctors friends are on Twitter. Have you ever been tempted to join them?
"I haven't been thus far! I'm still not on Facebook, and I haven't taken up Twitter either. I suppose there are times when I've been tempted from a professional point of view, but no I haven't done so far, and I can't see myself getting involved in the near future to be honest!"
Are you aware of the popularity of 'Zaniel' among the online fans in particular?
"Do you know what, I'm really not. Occasionally those who are into Twitter and the online forums will ask me, 'Have you seen this?' or 'Have you had a look at that?', but I always have to say, 'No I haven't', so I'm largely unaware. That probably isn't best I suppose, but I hear from people involved in Twitter that as well as seeing all the positive things, you also see all the negative things.
"I like to keep my head down, get on with my work, hope what I'm doing is good and if I'm asked back the next year, I suppose I know it's all gone okay. That's enough for me!"
Which Doctors storylines have been your favourites to film?
"The post-natal depression storyline has been great, but the one that was most challenging was the abduction of Izzie, especially because it was a five-parter. Although stories of the day are the meat and two veg of Doctors, we occasionally get these special episodes.
"In those specials, it was great to have the same director for so many episodes and really create a great feeling of trust among the cast, crew and director. Again, I was working with Elisabeth mostly, and that was fantastic because I find her wonderfully easy to work with and fabulously intelligent in the way that she approaches the scripts. She's such a great actress."
