| Susannah Morrisey | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Brookside character | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Karen Drury | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1991–1993, 1995–2000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 22 July 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 29 November 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||||||
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Susannah Morrisey (also Farnham) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Karen Drury. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 22 July 1991. Susannah was created as the ex-wife of established character Max Farnham (Steven Pinder) and writers instantly used her to create problems in Max's marriage to Patricia Farnham (Gabrielle Glaister). Susannah's feud with Patricia and desire to reunite with Max formed the basis of her early storylines. Susannah's initial characterisation was only that of a mean, disgruntled ex-spouse but Drury decided to play her more sweet and snobbish. Susannah's persona allowed writers the versatility to create both tragic and comedic stories for her. Susannah's tragedies were formed via her difficult marriage to Max, family bereavements and poor mental health. Writers later transformed her into a promiscuous and scheming woman which gained her infamy in the British press.
When Drury returned to the series in 1995, writers reunited her with Max and explored the Farnhams running their restaurant business alongside their continued relationship problems. Producers then created dramatic plots for Susannah because Drury was considering leaving Brookside. Writers explored the issues of child bereavement and road safety when they killed off her two children Matthew and Emily in a car crash with Susannah at the wheel. The story featured various repercussions for the character with a decline in her mental health, an attempted suicide and gradual acceptance of their deaths. Series creator Phil Redmond was keen for Brookside to portray the issue of surrogacy because it was heavily featured in the British media at the time. Susannah is told she cannot have any more children and enlists Jacqui Dixon (Alex Fletcher) to become a surrogate mother. Writers complicated the plot with Susannah actually becoming pregnant and later giving birth to a daughter, Emma. This created a long-running feud between Jacqui over the custody of her surrogate son Harry.
Other stories include Max's affair with Faye Spence (Joanne Zorian) and their divorce. Susannah then has affairs with Greg Shadwick (Mark Moraghan) and Darren Roebuck (Timothy Deenihan), and a relationship with Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick). Susannah had fully transformed into a promiscuous and man-eating character. Writers devised a mystery Whodunit death storyline to coincide with Drury's departure from the show. The show created five suspects with Max eventually being revealed as the culprit after he pushes her down the stairs. Susannah's legacy became her being regarded as one of Brookside's most iconic and dramatic characters. Her promiscuity gained her a reputation of being a "man-eater" and a "nymphomaniac" in British newspapers. Drury's acting received positive reviews, especially during her tragic stories. Susannah's car crash and her death have been cited as some of the show's most memorable stories by television critics.