Eve Jenson
Eve Jenson | |
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Emmerdale character | |
Harriet Finch |
Eve Jenson (also Birch) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Suzanne Shaw. She made her first on-screen appearance on 31 August 2001. The character was originally played by Raine Davison from 2001 to 2002, reappearing briefly in 2006. In early 2010, series producer Gavin Blyth recast the role and Shaw took over. Eve was introduced as the granddaughter of Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox). In April 2011, it was announced that Shaw had quit her role of Eve and she departed on 2 August 2011.
Casting
On 10 July 2001, Rick Fulton of the
Recast
In January 2010, it was announced that Eve would be returning to the show after a nearly four-year absence with a new actress in the role. Series producer Gavin Blyth stated in an interview with Digital Spy that he auditioned 50 to 60 actresses for the role, one of them being former Hear'Say singer and West End theatre star Suzanne Shaw who made the trip to Yorkshire from Manchester where she was playing Judy Haynes in the musical White Christmas. The decision to cast Shaw was announced on 29 January. Shaw signed a year-long contract and debuted on 2 April 2010.[3]
Suzanne Shaw has described Eve as "feisty and very flirtatious. She's been left with a lot of debt in France and she turns up in the Dales because she has nowhere else to go – she knows that Edna's a real soft touch and wouldn't leave her own family at the front door. Eve does lie to start with because she doesn't want anyone to know why she's actually there – she doesn't want to let everyone know that she's failed again. Edna finds out the truth, though, and demands to know why she lied. Because she's going through a break-up, she deals with it by flirting with the men of the village. She finds it easier to get on with guys than girls – she's quite sarcastic and to-the-point."[4]
Discussing the audition proses Shaw said "I got asked before Christmas to audition for the part of Eve. I was asked to do a screen test, but it got snowed off because of all the bad weather over Christmas. I didn't hear anything for ages and I thought it wasn't going to happen, and then just a few weeks before I started filming they offered me the part. It was a lovely surprise. They auditioned quite a lot of actresses for the role. I was up against some strong contenders so it was quite nerve-wracking when I went in, but Gavin Blyth, the producer, was so lovely and made me feel really at ease."[5]
Character development
Affair with Carl King
In 2010, it was revealed that Eve would have an affair with Carl King, played by Tom Lister. Commenting on the storyline, Shaw said "I was really excited when I found out Eve would be having an affair with Carl but I quickly realised it would make me very unpopular with the majority of Emmerdale fans because everyone loves Carl and Chas together. So I’m preparing myself for all the trouble it’s going to cause. It’s a great storyline and I have no idea how it will all turn out. There’s also the small matter of Chas. It’s going to take some doing for Carl to keep it from her. It would be a brave or a stupid man who tests Chas but Carl seems determined to give it a go and Eve certainly isn’t one to hold back. One thing’s for sure, if Chas does uncover Carl’s dirty secret he’ll be wise to sleep with one eye open!"[6]

In September 2010 Shaw and Lister teased of the storyline Shaw said "Quite a bit. We don't quite know what's going to happen around Christmas time but there's something juicy coming up." also Lister said "It's all going well so far. I'm having a great time and I think it's going to play out a bit longer. We'll see whether he gets found out or not."[7] Lucy Pargeter, who plays Chas hinted that her firebrand alter ego may react in a surprising way if she eventually rumbles the affair. she said "It's either going to be the usual Chas thing or we'll go against the grain and do something not necessarily expected, but who knows, we've got a long time to run it yet."
Departure
In April 2011, it was announced that Shaw was to leave Emmerdale.[8] Of her departure, Shaw said "Playing Eve has been a wonderful experience for me. I have had the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented people and to learn from them. After much soul-searching we decided that as a family we wanted to be based in one place at this point in our lives. My family must come first and I have therefore decided to leave the show in the summer."[8]
Storylines
2001–2006
Eve is the daughter of
). Against Donna's wishes, Eve pursues Marc and they become a couple, later sleeping together.In September 2001, whilst on a night out in Hotten, Eve, Marc,
In October 2006, Edna, with escort
2010–2011
In April 2010, Eve returns to Emmerdale to stay with Edna after leaving James, who is in debt. Edna discovers that Eve had slept with James's best friend and warns her not to take advantage of her kindness. On discovering Eve is back in the village, Andy and Katie make it clear that Eve is not welcome but she shows up at Ryan Lamb (James Sutton) and Andy's house warming party regardless and kisses Ryan just as a disgusted Katie, Ryan's ex-girlfriend, arrives. Ryan and Eve sleep together but the following day, Eve tells Ryan that she isn't interested in a relationship.
By May, Edna is frustrated with Eve's excuses for not being able to find a job. Edna asks
Carl's brother Jimmy (Nick Miles) finds out about the affair when he catches them together and threatens to tell Chas unless he ends things with Eve. Carl lies to Jimmy, that he has ended the relationship but Edna also finds out and berates Carl and Eve, telling Eve that she hasn't learned anything from her encounter with John. She then promises to support Eve, whatever happens.
In October, Chas finds out about the affair when, after attending a lingerie party held by Chas's half-sister,
On Christmas Day, the wedding goes ahead and Chas reveals Carl and Eve's affair to the congregation and punches Carl, and jilting him. The following day, Chas picks a fight with Eve in the pub. In January, Scarlett visits her mother in Canada so Eve takes care of the business in her absence. When Jimmy goes missing, Eve tries to comfort Carl and Jimmy's wife, Nicola (Nicola Wheeler), but they both shun her. After Jimmy is found and returns to the village, suffering from amnesia, Eve befriends Kelly Windsor (Adele Silva), Jimmy's ex-fiancée, who is trying to convince Jimmy that they were having an affair at the time he lost his memory. In order to back Kelly's claims up, and to get revenge on Carl and Nicola for their ill-treatment, Eve forges hotel receipts and fakes photographs of Jimmy and Kelly together. When Kelly reveals that she had attacked Jimmy, giving him the injuries that had caused his amnesia, Eve suggests that Kelly tell Jimmy the truth.
When
When Scarlett decides to leave for Mexico, she folds the Hen Party business and Eve is unemployed again. Carl mocks her for this and Eve becomes disillusioned with her life in the village and after talking to Alicia, who is emigrating to Spain, considers leaving too. The next day in the pub, Eve helps herself to a drink whilst the bar is unmanned.
References
- ^ a b c d e Fulton, Rick (10 July 2001). "Woolpack bratpack; New kids on the flock". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ Green, Kris (20 September 2006). "Former 'Neighbours' actress heads to The Dales". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (29 January 2010). "Suzanne Shaw joins 'Emmerdale'". Digital Spy.
- ^ Green, Kris (23 March 2010). "Suzanne Shaw (Eve Jenson, 'Emmerdale') – Emmerdale Interview – Soaps". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived 13 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Daniels, Colin (15 August 2010). "Shaw: 'Fans won't like Eve, Carl affair' – Emmerdale News – Soaps". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ pa.press.net (31 December 1999). "Emmerdale affair to get 'juicy' – Latest car stories – MSN Cars UK". Cars.uk.msn.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Suzanne's off". Emmerdale. itv.com. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.