Len Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Leonard "Len" Reynolds is a fictional character
in the British ITV
soap opera
Emmerdale
. He was played by Peter Martin
.
However, the marriage was destroyed when it was revealed that Angie had been sleeping with criminal Cain Dingle
and Sean left to start a new life with his mistress, Lady Tara Oakwell
. Len stayed behind to help Angie rebuild her life, at the request of his granddaughter Ollie. Len kept a close watch on his grandchildren - not knowing that soon he would be required to take on a more pivotal role in their lives.
In November 2002, Angie was killed in a car crash whilst attempting to set Cain up in order to get him out of her life, leaving Len to look after Marc and Ollie. Marc went to live with his father but Ollie chose to stay in Emmerdale with Len and soon her boyfriend Danny Daggert
moved in with them. Len enjoyed living with them and was sad when Ollie moved away to go to university.
At the same time, Len had developed feelings for local pensioner Edna Birch
but she did not reciprocate. However, he found love again with flamboyant newcomer Pearl Ladderbanks
. Enchanted by Pearl’s sunny personality, Len moved in with her.
Pearl, however, was hiding a secret. Her son, Frank Bernard Hartbourne, whom she had said was a financial advisor, was released from prison - after serving a sentence for rape. When Len found out the truth, he was horrified and it looked like their relationship was over but he realised what Pearl had been through and he agreed to stand by her.
Having nowhere else to go, Frank was invited to Emmerdale by a reluctant Pearl. When news of his arrival was announced in the local paper, the villagers were outraged and turned against Pearl and Len. Only vicar Ashley Thomas
and Edna stood by them. Devastated at being treated so cruelly by their neighbours, the couple decided to leave Emmerdale for good. But, after Frank left after being viciously assaulted by Scott Windsor
and Syd Woolfe
, Len and Pearl decided to stay and try and rebuild bridges with their neighbours.
Len was delighted for Pearl when her grandson Owen Hartbourne came to visit from Hong Kong
and even agreed to start saving for a trip overseas to see him. But Pearl’s saving got out of hand. She started investing in an internet scheme that turned out to be a scam and lost all her money. The mistake ended up putting Pearl into financial turmoil and she ended up owing a huge sum of money to her boss Eric Pollard
. When he found out that Pearl had been blackmailed by Eric, Len punched him and thought that the matter was resolved. But although he had got the loan he had to given Pearl back, Eric insisted on charging an early settlement charge that he said must be paid or he would report Len for assault. Pearl decided to keep this from him and Len had no idea that her debts had spiralled even further. Their relationship ended when Len found out about Pearl's lies and she left the village in disgrace.
Two months later, she returned to Emmerdale with the intention of winning her respect back and reuniting with Len. But Len knew he was in love with Edna Birch
and had been for a long time. He confessed his love for Edna to Pearl, but she vowed to stand by him and was satisfied with being second best as they both knew that Edna did not feel the same way about Len that he did for her. Len then proposed, and the couple began planning their wedding.
On 17 May 2007, Len, with most of the other villagers, attended the village pageant to celebrate Emmerdale's 500th birthday. Pearl was supervising activities, had failed to include Edna. Len was disappointed with Pearl and went after Edna to see if she was alright, and he comforted her. Len then returned to the church hall with his friend Sandy Thomas
. Whilst the celebrations were occurring outside, Len died in his chair of a heart attack
. He was found by Sandy, who had been bringing Len a drink. Sandy thought Len friend had fallen asleep and attempted to wake him until he checked Len's pulse and realised Len had died. Sandy, knowing it was too late, told a shocked Pearl, who was devastated. Jo Stiles
, who had become a close friend of Len's through Danny begged Donna Windsor-Dingle
to keep on trying to resuscitate Len, but her attempts were to no avail. An ambulance arrived to take Len's body away, while Pearl tried to contemplate her loss in private and Sandy comforted Betty and Edna. As news of Len's death spread around the village, Len's body was driven away in an ambulance whilst Katherine Jenkins
sang him out, although as she was closing the pageant, she was unaware of the death that had occurred in the village.
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 ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
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,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
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...
. He was played by Peter Martin
Peter Martin (actor)
Peter Martin is an English actor who was known in the 1980s for his TV commercials for Jewsons Hardware. He played the fish shop man in First of the Summer Wine. He also played 'Charlie the moonlighting gravedigger' in the Beiderbecke Tapes...
.
Character's background
Len arrived in Emmerdale in 2001 to visit his only son Sean following the death of his wife and Sean's mother, Eileen. Len’s presence was a great comfort to his son and his family. Sean and his wife Angie were going through difficulties in their marriage and having Len as a mediator was helpful.However, the marriage was destroyed when it was revealed that Angie had been sleeping with criminal Cain Dingle
Cain Dingle
Cain Dingle is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Jeff Hordley.-Character creation:In 2000 series producer Kieran Roberts introduced three new members of the Dingle family. The new characters were introduced to the regular cast in 2000, who first arrived...
and Sean left to start a new life with his mistress, Lady Tara Oakwell
Tara Reynolds
Tara Reynolds was a fictional character on ITV's Emmerdale from 1997-1998, 2000-2002 and returned in 2007 for Len Reynolds' funeral. She was played by Anna Brecon, and her character was famous for "stirring up trouble" amongst the villagers...
. Len stayed behind to help Angie rebuild her life, at the request of his granddaughter Ollie. Len kept a close watch on his grandchildren - not knowing that soon he would be required to take on a more pivotal role in their lives.
In November 2002, Angie was killed in a car crash whilst attempting to set Cain up in order to get him out of her life, leaving Len to look after Marc and Ollie. Marc went to live with his father but Ollie chose to stay in Emmerdale with Len and soon her boyfriend Danny Daggert
Danny Daggert
Danny Daggert is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Cleveland Campbell.-Character's background:When Danny and his family arrived in the village in 2001, it was clear they were really struggling for money. At the first chance he got, Danny went out to get a job so...
moved in with them. Len enjoyed living with them and was sad when Ollie moved away to go to university.
At the same time, Len had developed feelings for local pensioner Edna Birch
Edna Birch
Edna Birch is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Shirley Stelfox.In a village marred by affairs, double-crossing and sin, widow Edna is a paragon of virtue. She first appeared on the show in 2000, but had been living in the village for many years...
but she did not reciprocate. However, he found love again with flamboyant newcomer Pearl Ladderbanks
Pearl Ladderbanks
Pearl Ladderbanks is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Meg Johnson. She first appeared on the show during the episode airing on 30 July 2003.-2003–07:...
. Enchanted by Pearl’s sunny personality, Len moved in with her.
Pearl, however, was hiding a secret. Her son, Frank Bernard Hartbourne, whom she had said was a financial advisor, was released from prison - after serving a sentence for rape. When Len found out the truth, he was horrified and it looked like their relationship was over but he realised what Pearl had been through and he agreed to stand by her.
Having nowhere else to go, Frank was invited to Emmerdale by a reluctant Pearl. When news of his arrival was announced in the local paper, the villagers were outraged and turned against Pearl and Len. Only vicar Ashley Thomas
Ashley Thomas
Ashley Michael Thomas is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by John Middleton.-1996–99:Ashley soon began developing feelings for the landlady of the Woolpack pub, Bernice Blackstock. He tried putting them aside as Bernice was engaged to Gavin, despite suspecting that...
and Edna stood by them. Devastated at being treated so cruelly by their neighbours, the couple decided to leave Emmerdale for good. But, after Frank left after being viciously assaulted by Scott Windsor
Scott Windsor
Scott Windsor is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale.From 1993-1996, Scott Windsor was played by Toby Cockerell...
and Syd Woolfe
Syd Woolfe
Sydney "Syd" Woolfe was a fictional character in the soap opera Emmerdale, played by Nathan Gladwell.-Character's background:A jack the lad builder who arrived in the village with his workmate Jerry "Mack" MacKinley...
, Len and Pearl decided to stay and try and rebuild bridges with their neighbours.
Len was delighted for Pearl when her grandson Owen Hartbourne came to visit from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and even agreed to start saving for a trip overseas to see him. But Pearl’s saving got out of hand. She started investing in an internet scheme that turned out to be a scam and lost all her money. The mistake ended up putting Pearl into financial turmoil and she ended up owing a huge sum of money to her boss Eric Pollard
Eric Pollard
Eric Charles Pollard is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Chris Chittell.Pollard has appeared on the show since 1986, making him the second longest running current character after Alan Turner who has appeared since 1982. He has lied to, cheated and swindled...
. When he found out that Pearl had been blackmailed by Eric, Len punched him and thought that the matter was resolved. But although he had got the loan he had to given Pearl back, Eric insisted on charging an early settlement charge that he said must be paid or he would report Len for assault. Pearl decided to keep this from him and Len had no idea that her debts had spiralled even further. Their relationship ended when Len found out about Pearl's lies and she left the village in disgrace.
Two months later, she returned to Emmerdale with the intention of winning her respect back and reuniting with Len. But Len knew he was in love with Edna Birch
Edna Birch
Edna Birch is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Shirley Stelfox.In a village marred by affairs, double-crossing and sin, widow Edna is a paragon of virtue. She first appeared on the show in 2000, but had been living in the village for many years...
and had been for a long time. He confessed his love for Edna to Pearl, but she vowed to stand by him and was satisfied with being second best as they both knew that Edna did not feel the same way about Len that he did for her. Len then proposed, and the couple began planning their wedding.
On 17 May 2007, Len, with most of the other villagers, attended the village pageant to celebrate Emmerdale's 500th birthday. Pearl was supervising activities, had failed to include Edna. Len was disappointed with Pearl and went after Edna to see if she was alright, and he comforted her. Len then returned to the church hall with his friend Sandy Thomas
Sandy Thomas
Sandy Thomas is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Freddie Jones and made his first appearance on the show 6 November 2005...
. Whilst the celebrations were occurring outside, Len died in his chair of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was found by Sandy, who had been bringing Len a drink. Sandy thought Len friend had fallen asleep and attempted to wake him until he checked Len's pulse and realised Len had died. Sandy, knowing it was too late, told a shocked Pearl, who was devastated. Jo Stiles
Jo Stiles
Josephine Madonna "Jo" Sugden is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Roxanne Pallett.-Overview:...
, who had become a close friend of Len's through Danny begged Donna Windsor-Dingle
Donna Windsor-Dingle
Donna Windsor Dingle is a fictional character that appeared in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was originally played by Sophie Jeffery, and later replaced by Verity Rushworth in 1998. Donna was the third longest running character on Emmerdale at the time of her departure. She made her first...
to keep on trying to resuscitate Len, but her attempts were to no avail. An ambulance arrived to take Len's body away, while Pearl tried to contemplate her loss in private and Sandy comforted Betty and Edna. As news of Len's death spread around the village, Len's body was driven away in an ambulance whilst Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
sang him out, although as she was closing the pageant, she was unaware of the death that had occurred in the village.