Sarah-Louise Grimshaw
Encyclopedia
Sarah-Louise Platt is a fictional character
in the British soap opera Coronation Street
.
from 1987-1999. Lynsay's twin sister Leah, who died of cot death in 1987, alternated in the role of Sarah with Lynsay for a brief period until her death. Tina O'Brien
was recast in the role in 1999. O'Brien was given the part when she was 16, playing the character who was still only 12 at the time. She left the role in 2007, but has said that she would consider returning to the role in the future.
. Questions are raised about whether Brian is Sarah's father due to Gail's affair with Brian's cousin. Brian rejects Sarah at birth in 1987, thinking she is not his daughter. Even after a blood-test reveals he is her father, it takes Brian time to bond with Sarah. Brian is murdered just two weeks after her second birthday, and Sarah is subsequently raised by Gail's second husband Martin Platt
.
In February 2000, just after her 13th birthday, Sarah discovers she is pregnant. Her daughter Bethany is born four months later. The father, Neil Fearns, has no interest in Bethany. However, in late 2003, after Neil dies in a car crash, Bethany's paternal grandmother, Brenda Fearns, establishes contact with Sarah. This nearly leads to Bethany's death, when Brenda tries to commit suicide with Bethany, fearing Bethany is being brought up in a house of sin; Emily Bishop
, however, finds them and stops Brenda before harm is done.
During autumn 2002, Sarah becomes rebellious. She dumps her boyfriend Todd Grimshaw
and starts dating troublemaker, Aiden Critchley, who takes her out joyriding and crashes the car they are in, leaving Sarah coma
tose with severe head injuries. She survives and ends her relationship with Aiden, disgusted that he had left her to die in the wreckage.
Sarah rekindles her relationship with Todd in early 2003 and, to her mother's horror, becomes pregnant, aged 16. She is unsure whether to have the baby but is persuaded by Todd. Todd drops out of school to spend more time with his new family. Against the wishes of their families, they get engaged; however unbeknowst to Sarah, Todd is struggling against his homosexual feelings and starts an affair with nurse Karl Foster, behind Sarah's back. When Sarah finds out, she suffers a placental abruption, and is given an emergency caesarean. Her baby son, Billy, dies soon after birth. Sarah blames Todd and refuses to allow him to attend their son's funeral.
Sarah dates Asian
skip man, Scooter Makuna, briefly in 2005 before having a more serious relationship with Todd's brother Jason Grimshaw
, effectively stealing him from his girlfriend Violet Wilson
. Sarah and Jason get engaged in March 2006, but once again, their families opposed the marriage. Jason gets cold feet on their wedding day, and jilts her at the altar; it takes Sarah time to forgive him, but the relationship survives and the wedding is reorganised.
Sarah's relationship with her brother David grows strained in 2007, when Bethany takes an ecstasy pill, David had hidden in one of her dolls, and nearly dies. David and Sarah continue to bicker continuously up until Sarah's wedding day, when he attempts to kill himself. The police interrupt the ceremony to inform the Platts of the attempted suicide; Sarah marries Jason regardless. Shortly after, Sarah's uncle Stephen Reid visits and offers David a job in Milan. Jealous, Sarah sabotages David's plans by planting drugs on him, which causes Stephen to withdraw the job offer. Stephen instead offers the job to Sarah. She accepts, and on 30 December 2007, she, Jason and Bethany leave for the airport to fly to Milan. However, at Piccadilly station, Sarah confesses to Jason that she planted the drugs on David. Disgusted he walks away, leaving Sarah to fly to Milan alone. Jason later visits her to reconcile, but Sarah declares their marriage is over; they divorce and Sarah begins dating an Italian man.
In November 2011, Gail proudly mentions to Sally Webster
(Sally Dynevor) that Sarah is engaged to her boyfriend and is expecting his child.
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the British soap opera Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Creation and development
The characters' teenage-pregnancy storyline was created to highlight the risks of teenage pregnancy. However, the storyline has been a highly controversial and discussed storyline because of the possibility that it glamorised the idea. Despite this, it has been praised for its message. Actress Tina O'Brien has revealed that she was "naive" over the plot at the time of filming, oblivious that it would create much controversy. The storyline has been discussed in Television and criticism published by Intellect Books, which talked about the character and the storyline's impact.Casting
She was played by Lynsay KingLynsay King
Lynsay King is a British actress. She played the part of Sarah-Louise Platt in the popular ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She played the part from 1987 to October 1999, when she was replaced by Tina O'Brien....
from 1987-1999. Lynsay's twin sister Leah, who died of cot death in 1987, alternated in the role of Sarah with Lynsay for a brief period until her death. Tina O'Brien
Tina O'Brien
Tina O'Brien is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sarah-Louise Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Acting career:...
was recast in the role in 1999. O'Brien was given the part when she was 16, playing the character who was still only 12 at the time. She left the role in 2007, but has said that she would consider returning to the role in the future.
Storylines
Sarah is the daughter of Brian Tilsley and Gail TilsleyGail Platt
Gail McIntyre is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Helen Worth, the character first appeared on screen on 12 July 1974...
. Questions are raised about whether Brian is Sarah's father due to Gail's affair with Brian's cousin. Brian rejects Sarah at birth in 1987, thinking she is not his daughter. Even after a blood-test reveals he is her father, it takes Brian time to bond with Sarah. Brian is murdered just two weeks after her second birthday, and Sarah is subsequently raised by Gail's second husband Martin Platt
Martin Platt
Martin Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by Sean Wilson.-Departure:Actor Sean Wilson was axed from Coronation Street when a major storyline conference decided the character of Martin had been "played out". At the time, it was said that...
.
In February 2000, just after her 13th birthday, Sarah discovers she is pregnant. Her daughter Bethany is born four months later. The father, Neil Fearns, has no interest in Bethany. However, in late 2003, after Neil dies in a car crash, Bethany's paternal grandmother, Brenda Fearns, establishes contact with Sarah. This nearly leads to Bethany's death, when Brenda tries to commit suicide with Bethany, fearing Bethany is being brought up in a house of sin; Emily Bishop
Emily Bishop
Emily Bishop is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
, however, finds them and stops Brenda before harm is done.
During autumn 2002, Sarah becomes rebellious. She dumps her boyfriend Todd Grimshaw
Todd Grimshaw
Todd James Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bruno Langley. He originally appeared from 13 January 2001 till 22 September 2004 and returned for a brief stint in from 15 October 2007 till 7 November 2007...
and starts dating troublemaker, Aiden Critchley, who takes her out joyriding and crashes the car they are in, leaving Sarah coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose with severe head injuries. She survives and ends her relationship with Aiden, disgusted that he had left her to die in the wreckage.
Sarah rekindles her relationship with Todd in early 2003 and, to her mother's horror, becomes pregnant, aged 16. She is unsure whether to have the baby but is persuaded by Todd. Todd drops out of school to spend more time with his new family. Against the wishes of their families, they get engaged; however unbeknowst to Sarah, Todd is struggling against his homosexual feelings and starts an affair with nurse Karl Foster, behind Sarah's back. When Sarah finds out, she suffers a placental abruption, and is given an emergency caesarean. Her baby son, Billy, dies soon after birth. Sarah blames Todd and refuses to allow him to attend their son's funeral.
Sarah dates Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
skip man, Scooter Makuna, briefly in 2005 before having a more serious relationship with Todd's brother Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared during the episode airing on 25 December 2000, when he comes looking for mother Eileen at the Battersbys' home.Jason is very much the...
, effectively stealing him from his girlfriend Violet Wilson
Violet Wilson
Violet Wilson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street. She was portrayed by Jenny Platt making her first onscreen appearance on 8 October 2004 and remained until 29 February 2008. Platt returned for one episode on 24 April 2011.-2004–11:Violet first appeared on the...
. Sarah and Jason get engaged in March 2006, but once again, their families opposed the marriage. Jason gets cold feet on their wedding day, and jilts her at the altar; it takes Sarah time to forgive him, but the relationship survives and the wedding is reorganised.
Sarah's relationship with her brother David grows strained in 2007, when Bethany takes an ecstasy pill, David had hidden in one of her dolls, and nearly dies. David and Sarah continue to bicker continuously up until Sarah's wedding day, when he attempts to kill himself. The police interrupt the ceremony to inform the Platts of the attempted suicide; Sarah marries Jason regardless. Shortly after, Sarah's uncle Stephen Reid visits and offers David a job in Milan. Jealous, Sarah sabotages David's plans by planting drugs on him, which causes Stephen to withdraw the job offer. Stephen instead offers the job to Sarah. She accepts, and on 30 December 2007, she, Jason and Bethany leave for the airport to fly to Milan. However, at Piccadilly station, Sarah confesses to Jason that she planted the drugs on David. Disgusted he walks away, leaving Sarah to fly to Milan alone. Jason later visits her to reconcile, but Sarah declares their marriage is over; they divorce and Sarah begins dating an Italian man.
In November 2011, Gail proudly mentions to Sally Webster
Sally Webster
Sally Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sally Dynevor, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986.-Casting:...
(Sally Dynevor) that Sarah is engaged to her boyfriend and is expecting his child.
Reception
For her portrayal of Sarah, O'Brien was nominated in the category of "Best Actress" at the 2005 British Soap AwardsBritish Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
.