Dawn Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Dawn Cunningham is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Lisa Williamson. Williamson was cast as one of the original characters on Hollyoaks in 1995, however she left in 1997 when the character died.
described her as an "easy-going interior designer. She was someone who had time for everyone and a shoulder to cry on." The Independent
described her as the "equally stunning" friend of Natasha and questioned how she could "wild weekends and the emotional demands of a divorced mother with a toyboy?" before questioning if anyone "Will anyone care?"
and Angela Cunningham's children. At sixteen, Dawn had embarked on an affair with her best friend Ruth Osborne
's father Jack
. She had fallen pregnant and had Beth Cunningham, who she then put up for adoption. After this, Dawn spent time in her life to track down her daughter but to no avail.
The eldest of the Cunningham children, Dawn went to school with Ruth Osborne
. They were best friends until Ruth found out about Dawn's affair with her father. Ruth's reaction was that she did not want to see Dawn ever again. When she was sixteen, before the series started, Dawn had a relationship with Jack which resulted in a teenage pregnancy. After putting the child Beth up for adoption she later spent much effort tracking her down, only to discover her in need of a kidney transplant, which resulted in a plea to Jack and the breakdown of his first marriage.
Spirited, independent and friendly to everyone, Dawn was Natasha Anderson
’s best friend. She worked at Maddie Parker
’s mother’s interior design shop and had continual problems with her mother’s boyfriend, Terry, but refused to let anything get her down. However, Natasha died after Rob Hawthorne
spiked her drink with drugs at Lucy Benson
’s 18th birthday party. Dawn was so distressed that she confessed to her friend, Jambo Bolton
, that at sixteen she had a daughter whom she gave up for adoption. Jambo then got in contact with Dawn’s daughter and Dawn plucked up the courage to go and see her. Dawn watched her from a distance whilst Jambo stood close by to provide her with a shoulder to cry on. Dawn then discovered that her mother, Angela, had breast cancer; upset by the news of her mother’s condition, Dawn turned to Jambo. The pair ended up kissing, but Dawn insisted that they should remain friends. Dawn then found out that Terry had run off, leaving her mother in debts of over £55,000. Dawn's bad luck continued when she learnt that her daughter Bethany had kidney failure and she was her last hope. However, Dawn found out she wasn't compatible, so her father Gordon
offered her his kidney instead. However, Gordon also failed as a match for Dawn’s daughter so she had to contact Jack Osborne
. Jack was shocked as he had not known about the pregnancy but was a match and had the operation. Jambo and Dawn realised they loved each other but their happiness was short-lived. Dawn soon felt unwell and visited her doctor, only to discover that she had leukaemia. On Christmas Day, Jambo and Dawn hired a rowing boat and Jambo asked Dawn to marry him. Dawn, however, lost her battle with leukaemia and died in his arms.
said on the show "Favourites have to be Jude's sickly- sweet sister Dawn, whose untimely death caused much distress". They also commented on the character's death saying "When there's a problem with a character in Hollyoaks, they just kill them off."
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...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Lisa Williamson. Williamson was cast as one of the original characters on Hollyoaks in 1995, however she left in 1997 when the character died.
Characterisation
The Liverpool EchoLiverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
described her as an "easy-going interior designer. She was someone who had time for everyone and a shoulder to cry on." The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
described her as the "equally stunning" friend of Natasha and questioned how she could "wild weekends and the emotional demands of a divorced mother with a toyboy?" before questioning if anyone "Will anyone care?"
Storylines
Dawn was the eldest of GordonGordon Cunningham
Gordon Hilton Cunningham is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bernard Latham. He first appeared as one of the original characters on the show when it started, he left in 2004 when the character died of a heart attack which he had after being...
and Angela Cunningham's children. At sixteen, Dawn had embarked on an affair with her best friend Ruth Osborne
Ruth Osborne
Ruth Osborne is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Terri Dwyer. She first appeared in 1995 as part of the Osborne family before leaving in 2001. Since then, she has made guest appearances between 2003–2004 and 2008. In 2009 Dwyer said she'd return...
's father Jack
Jack Osborne
Jack William Osborne is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jimmy McKenna. He first appeared on 18 November 1996 and is the second longest serving character although Cindy Longford and Mandy Richardson both appeared before him both have taken...
. She had fallen pregnant and had Beth Cunningham, who she then put up for adoption. After this, Dawn spent time in her life to track down her daughter but to no avail.
The eldest of the Cunningham children, Dawn went to school with Ruth Osborne
Ruth Osborne
Ruth Osborne is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Terri Dwyer. She first appeared in 1995 as part of the Osborne family before leaving in 2001. Since then, she has made guest appearances between 2003–2004 and 2008. In 2009 Dwyer said she'd return...
. They were best friends until Ruth found out about Dawn's affair with her father. Ruth's reaction was that she did not want to see Dawn ever again. When she was sixteen, before the series started, Dawn had a relationship with Jack which resulted in a teenage pregnancy. After putting the child Beth up for adoption she later spent much effort tracking her down, only to discover her in need of a kidney transplant, which resulted in a plea to Jack and the breakdown of his first marriage.
Spirited, independent and friendly to everyone, Dawn was Natasha Anderson
Natasha Anderson
Natasha Andersen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Shebah Ronay. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 October 1995. She was created by Phil Redmond as one of the serial's original characters....
’s best friend. She worked at Maddie Parker
Maddie Parker
Madeline "Maddie" Parker is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester. She was played by actress Yasmin Bannerman between 1995 and 1997. Maddie was created by screenwriter Phil Redmond as one of Hollyoaks'...
’s mother’s interior design shop and had continual problems with her mother’s boyfriend, Terry, but refused to let anything get her down. However, Natasha died after Rob Hawthorne
Rob Hawthorne (Hollyoaks)
Robert "Rob" Hawthorne is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Warren De Rosa.-Character history:...
spiked her drink with drugs at Lucy Benson
Lucy Benson
Lucy Benson is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kerrie Taylor. Taylor appeared from the first episode on 23 October 1995. Taylor later quit the role with the character leaving in 2000 when she went travelling.-Casting:Taylor quit the role saying...
’s 18th birthday party. Dawn was so distressed that she confessed to her friend, Jambo Bolton
Jambo Bolton
James "Jambo" Bolton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Will Mellor. He first appeared as an original character in 1995, before leaving in 1998...
, that at sixteen she had a daughter whom she gave up for adoption. Jambo then got in contact with Dawn’s daughter and Dawn plucked up the courage to go and see her. Dawn watched her from a distance whilst Jambo stood close by to provide her with a shoulder to cry on. Dawn then discovered that her mother, Angela, had breast cancer; upset by the news of her mother’s condition, Dawn turned to Jambo. The pair ended up kissing, but Dawn insisted that they should remain friends. Dawn then found out that Terry had run off, leaving her mother in debts of over £55,000. Dawn's bad luck continued when she learnt that her daughter Bethany had kidney failure and she was her last hope. However, Dawn found out she wasn't compatible, so her father Gordon
Gordon Cunningham
Gordon Hilton Cunningham is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bernard Latham. He first appeared as one of the original characters on the show when it started, he left in 2004 when the character died of a heart attack which he had after being...
offered her his kidney instead. However, Gordon also failed as a match for Dawn’s daughter so she had to contact Jack Osborne
Jack Osborne
Jack William Osborne is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jimmy McKenna. He first appeared on 18 November 1996 and is the second longest serving character although Cindy Longford and Mandy Richardson both appeared before him both have taken...
. Jack was shocked as he had not known about the pregnancy but was a match and had the operation. Jambo and Dawn realised they loved each other but their happiness was short-lived. Dawn soon felt unwell and visited her doctor, only to discover that she had leukaemia. On Christmas Day, Jambo and Dawn hired a rowing boat and Jambo asked Dawn to marry him. Dawn, however, lost her battle with leukaemia and died in his arms.
Reception
The Daily RecordDaily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
said on the show "Favourites have to be Jude's sickly- sweet sister Dawn, whose untimely death caused much distress". They also commented on the character's death saying "When there's a problem with a character in Hollyoaks, they just kill them off."
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website