| Diana Corkhill | |||||||||||
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| Brookside character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Paula Frances | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1990–1993 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 November 1990 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 12 March 1993 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Mal Young | ||||||||||
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Diana Corkhill (also Spence) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Paula Frances. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 19 November 1990. Diana was introduced as a love interest of the established character Rod Corkhill (Jason Hope) and it was Frances' first television role. Diana is characterised as a kindly soul who is desperate to overcome hardships. Diana works as a sales assistant at a chemist but is hiding a secret about her education. She is the daughter of Freddie Spence (Peter Corey), who disapproves of her relationship with Rod. Writers made their relationship fraught with arguments because of his police career.
Diana does not believe Rod is safe working as an undercover police officer. In one storyline, Diana is jilted on her wedding day because Rod is beaten up and hospitalised by a criminal. Their second attempt at marriage is successful. Writers continued to create problems and Rod is attacked with a knife. Diana forces her husband to quit the police force and change his occupation. Producers entrusted Frances to portray two divisive and controversial stories. The first explored adult learning as Diana reveals she is illiterate. Viewers complained about the story's plausibility because Diana had managed to secure a good job. Brookside's executive producer Mal Young defended Diana, stating that the point of the story was to show Diana could still succeed in life. The other storyline profiled the social issue of date rape. When Diana and Rod's marriage ends, Diana seeks comfort from her good friend Peter Harrison (Robert Beck). He misunderstands Diana's intentions and sexually assaults her. Writers played Peter genuinely believing in his innocence. Diana was adamant that she refused consent and reported Peter to the police. Peter was charged and put on trial for sexual assault and he was later found not guilty. Writers filmed two alternate endings and the cast were initially unaware of the outcome. The date rape story received a divided response from viewers and critics. Frances made her final appearance as Diana in the episode broadcast on 12 March 1993.