Eva Strong
Encyclopedia
Tania Evette "Eva" Strong is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Sheree Murphy
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 23 April 2010.
actress Murphy had been cast in the role of Eva, the long-lost biological mother of Anita Roy
(Saira Choudhry
). Of her casting, a Hollyoaks source said: "Bosses have been trying to sign her up for a while now - but she's always put her family first. But after years out of acting, she wants to give it another go. Sheree has started filming scenes and was very nervous being on set again, but she's a professional and has taken to Hollyoaks like a duck to water. She's loving it - and everyone loves having her on the team." Murphy was the first major signing of series producer Paul Marquess
, who told entertainment website Digital Spy
that Murphy was not cast because of her high-profile. He stated, "Casting Sheree Murphy, it was day one and they said: 'We have to cast this today'. They showed me a DVD of six perfectly good actresses, one of whom was Sheree Murphy who I recognised and said, 'Let's have her'. It's as simple as that - I've watched Emmerdale and I know what Sheree can do."
In August 2010 it was announced that Murphy had decided not to renew her contract with the serial because she planned to move abroad with her family. An exit storyline was devised for Eva. Her plans later changed and she decided to stay in the UK, Marquess decided to bring Eva back after a short on-screen hiatus, with Murphy agreeing to reprise the role. Of the situation Marquess stated: "Sheree will be taking a little break on screen because of her family commitments, but we're already thinking about how we'll bring her back."
(Stephen Uppal
) and introduces herself as Kate Simpson. She asks Ravi about Hollyoaks High School and he tells her that he has a sister at the school, and Eva realises that Ravi is Anita Roy's adoptive brother. Eva then gives Ravi her phone number. A few weeks later, Eva returned to have a date with Ravi where she met Anita for the first time. However, the date did not go well and Eva decided to run off, with Ravi annoyed thinking he had done something wrong. But her secret did not last when Anita decides to start to look for her birth mother, in which she learns her mother has a market stall in Manchester. Eva is worried, but eventually gets caught out when Anita spots her at her stall. Anita is devastated and Eva tries to explain the situation, but Anita was too hurt to listen to what she had to say and runs off, horrified to learn that her brother's girlfriend is actually her mother and that all that time she did not say anything about it. However though Eva decided to see Anita again and visited her at work, but Anita is utterly furious to the fact that she never mentioned that she was her mother. After a heart to heart with Dominic Reilly
(John Pickard
) Anita decided to give Eva another chance. However Eva was less interested in Anita and telling her that Anita's father was a holiday fling. Eva then meets Jem Costello
(Helen Russell-Clarke) and went on a fashion advice with her instead. Anita is deeply frustrated and further upset by this until and to make matters worse, they were interrupted by Anita's best friend Theresa McQueen
(Jorgie Porter
), who has just avoided a termination of her baby and embraced Anita for comfort. This made Eva feel uncomfortable because to the fact that she gave her baby up for adoption and decided to leave the flat. Eva returned to the village to see Anita once again and they went shopping together after Ravi gave her some money. Anita and Eva eventually struck up a bond. However Eva always jeopardized things, such as sleeping with Ravi. She and Ravi did this several occasions, much to the annoyance of Anita, who although disgusted at first, soon seemed to accept it. She also kissed Duncan Button
, much to the humiliation of Anita, however, Eva could not figure out what she did wrong. Eva got a job as design artist at Hollyoaks High, however she was fired when headmaster Rob, caught her and Ravi messing around in the art room during her free period. However, after finding out a secret of Rob's, that his wife had taken a baby from the hospital, she helped him cover it up, and then blackmailed him for a better job at the school. She was promoted to personal assistant. In November she catches Anita kissing Bart McQueen
in a utility room in the school. She tries to talk to Anita about what she saw, but Anita is embarrassed, so she refuses to talk about it.
It was discovered that Eva stole Amber Sharpe
's diary, which contained Amber making up fantasies about her and Rob, including pretending that Rob is Amber's unborn child's father. Eva revealed right before her departure that Anita is not her only child.
refer to Eva's most memorable moment as when Anita found out that she was her mum. They also brand her as bein "Free-spirited and enigmatic."
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 Sheree Murphy
Sheree Murphy
Sheree Murphy is an English actress and television presenter. A former student of the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Murphy placed second on the fifth series of the Reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!...
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 23 April 2010.
Character creation and casting
In February 2010, The Sun reported that former EmmerdaleEmmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
actress Murphy had been cast in the role of Eva, the long-lost biological mother of Anita Roy
Anita Roy
Anita Roy is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Saira Choudhry. Choudhry was cast in 2008 as part of the new Roy family and arrived in November and stayed in the serial for 2 years before she left Hollyoaks on 20 January 2011...
(Saira Choudhry
Saira Choudhry
Saira Choudhry is an English actress, most notable for her role as Anita Roy in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks .-Television:-External links:...
). Of her casting, a Hollyoaks source said: "Bosses have been trying to sign her up for a while now - but she's always put her family first. But after years out of acting, she wants to give it another go. Sheree has started filming scenes and was very nervous being on set again, but she's a professional and has taken to Hollyoaks like a duck to water. She's loving it - and everyone loves having her on the team." Murphy was the first major signing of series producer Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
, who told entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
that Murphy was not cast because of her high-profile. He stated, "Casting Sheree Murphy, it was day one and they said: 'We have to cast this today'. They showed me a DVD of six perfectly good actresses, one of whom was Sheree Murphy who I recognised and said, 'Let's have her'. It's as simple as that - I've watched Emmerdale and I know what Sheree can do."
In August 2010 it was announced that Murphy had decided not to renew her contract with the serial because she planned to move abroad with her family. An exit storyline was devised for Eva. Her plans later changed and she decided to stay in the UK, Marquess decided to bring Eva back after a short on-screen hiatus, with Murphy agreeing to reprise the role. Of the situation Marquess stated: "Sheree will be taking a little break on screen because of her family commitments, but we're already thinking about how we'll bring her back."
Storylines
Eva arrives in Hollyoaks village and goes to Relish diner. She meets Ravi RoyRavi Roy
Ravi Roy is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Uppal. He first appeared in an episode airing on 20 May 2008, introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood. Since then he has been central to a bisexuality storyline and living with an aneurysm...
(Stephen Uppal
Stephen Uppal
Stephen Uppal is an English actor of Asian descent from Ormesby in Middlesbrough. He is known for playing Ravi Roy in the long-running British soap Hollyoaks, the 2009 film Freight, and also for playing characters in The History Boys at Wyndham's Theatre.Uppal gained a qualification in English at...
) and introduces herself as Kate Simpson. She asks Ravi about Hollyoaks High School and he tells her that he has a sister at the school, and Eva realises that Ravi is Anita Roy's adoptive brother. Eva then gives Ravi her phone number. A few weeks later, Eva returned to have a date with Ravi where she met Anita for the first time. However, the date did not go well and Eva decided to run off, with Ravi annoyed thinking he had done something wrong. But her secret did not last when Anita decides to start to look for her birth mother, in which she learns her mother has a market stall in Manchester. Eva is worried, but eventually gets caught out when Anita spots her at her stall. Anita is devastated and Eva tries to explain the situation, but Anita was too hurt to listen to what she had to say and runs off, horrified to learn that her brother's girlfriend is actually her mother and that all that time she did not say anything about it. However though Eva decided to see Anita again and visited her at work, but Anita is utterly furious to the fact that she never mentioned that she was her mother. After a heart to heart with Dominic Reilly
Dominic Reilly
Dominic "Dom" Reilly is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by John Pickard. Dom made his first appearance on 13 September 2005 as the estranged half-brother of Tony Hutchinson, whose portrayer, Nick Pickard, is John Pickard's brother...
(John Pickard
John Pickard (British actor)
John Pickard is a British actor who is currently best known for appearing in Channel 4's Hollyoaks playing Dominic Reilly from 2005-2010. He is the brother of fellow Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, Dom's half-brother, in the soap...
) Anita decided to give Eva another chance. However Eva was less interested in Anita and telling her that Anita's father was a holiday fling. Eva then meets Jem Costello
Jem Costello
Jem Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Helen Russell-Clark. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 March 2010.-Character creation and casting:...
(Helen Russell-Clarke) and went on a fashion advice with her instead. Anita is deeply frustrated and further upset by this until and to make matters worse, they were interrupted by Anita's best friend Theresa McQueen
Theresa McQueen
Theresa McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jorgie Porter. She made her first appearance in November 2008. The character was introduced as an extension of already established McQueen family...
(Jorgie Porter
Jorgie Porter
Jorgina Alexandra "Jorgie" Porter, is an English actress, notable for her role as Theresa McQueen in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks...
), who has just avoided a termination of her baby and embraced Anita for comfort. This made Eva feel uncomfortable because to the fact that she gave her baby up for adoption and decided to leave the flat. Eva returned to the village to see Anita once again and they went shopping together after Ravi gave her some money. Anita and Eva eventually struck up a bond. However Eva always jeopardized things, such as sleeping with Ravi. She and Ravi did this several occasions, much to the annoyance of Anita, who although disgusted at first, soon seemed to accept it. She also kissed Duncan Button
Duncan Button
Duncan Button is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Dean Aspen. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 2 November 2009. Duncan was originally credited as Duncan Smith until he was credited with Button...
, much to the humiliation of Anita, however, Eva could not figure out what she did wrong. Eva got a job as design artist at Hollyoaks High, however she was fired when headmaster Rob, caught her and Ravi messing around in the art room during her free period. However, after finding out a secret of Rob's, that his wife had taken a baby from the hospital, she helped him cover it up, and then blackmailed him for a better job at the school. She was promoted to personal assistant. In November she catches Anita kissing Bart McQueen
Bart McQueen
Bartholomew "Bart" McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jonny Clarke. He first appeared onscreen at his stepmother's funeral in August 2010, introduced by producer Paul Marquess as a member of the McQueen family...
in a utility room in the school. She tries to talk to Anita about what she saw, but Anita is embarrassed, so she refuses to talk about it.
It was discovered that Eva stole Amber Sharpe
Amber Sharpe
Amber Sharpe is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lydia Lloyd-Henry. The character was introduced as a member of the new Sharpe family, as part of series producer Paul Marquess' rejuvenation of the serial in 2010. She made her first on-screen...
's diary, which contained Amber making up fantasies about her and Rob, including pretending that Rob is Amber's unborn child's father. Eva revealed right before her departure that Anita is not her only child.
Reception
Holy SoapHoly Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
refer to Eva's most memorable moment as when Anita found out that she was her mum. They also brand her as bein "Free-spirited and enigmatic."
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website.
- Character profile on the Holy Soap website