Sarah Sugden

Sarah Connolly (also Sugden) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale. She was first played by Madeleine Howard from 1988 until 1994 then by Alyson Spiro from 1994 until 2000. Creation and casting In 1988, Emmerdale acquired new series producer Stuart Doughty, who made a series of changes to make the show to feel more up to date. This included introducing new characters Sarah Connolly and the three-strong Hughes family in September to "shake up the mix and to act as identification figures" for newer viewers. The new characters were "outsiders" who challenged the Sugden family's way of life. Madeleine Howard was cast as Sarah. She was in her first term at college, where she was learning to teach the Alexander Technique, when she first auditioned for the show. The role as Jack Sugden's (Clive Hornby) love interest was originally scheduled to last for seven episodes. Howard recalled: "After my first stint I sat on the train home and thought to myself that was it." Howard was later asked to reprise her role twice before she was promoted to the main cast. Development Howard played Sarah until 1994. She decided not to renew her contract, along with Frazer Hines (Joe Sugden) and Fionnuala Ellwood (Lynn Whiteley). Hines commented "We've all been there for a while and just decided it was time to move on." Instead of writing the character out, producers recast the role to actress Alyson Spiro. Spiro admitted that taking over another actor's role was "slightly odd", but she had also never watched Emmerdale before, so it felt like a clean slate to her and made the part easier to approach. Spiro said Hornby helped her out a lot, but the public did not take to her and she received several comments saying "you aren't like the other one, are you?" Viewers eventually warmed to Spiro's take on the character during a storyline in which her stepson Robert Sugden (Christopher Smith) goes missing. As Spiro took over the role, Sarah goes through a personality change partly triggered by the birth of her first child. The actress said that it was a strong storyline to come into and wanted to make sure it continued. Spiro explained that Sarah has had enough and realises that she is sick of Jack and farm life. She told Inside Soap'''s Victoria Ross: "I think that the scriptwriters have remembered the Sarah of old.