| Petra Taylor | |||||||||||||||
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| Brookside character | |||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Alexandra Pigg | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1982–1983 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 23 November 1982 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 3 August 1983 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Created by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||
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Petra Mary Taylor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Alexandra Pigg. One of the show's original characters, Petra debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 23 November 1982. Brookside is set in Liverpool and Pigg is a Liverpudlian from Knotty Ash. Her casting was announced on 5 October 1982 and she spoke optimistically about joining the show. Petra is characterised as a moody typist working at an insurance office. Petra is introduced into the series alongside her husband Gavin Taylor (Daniel Webb). The Taylor's problematic marriage causes Petra's moodiness and writers scripted her transformation into a tragic character.
Petra desperately wants a child of her own but Gavin's low sperm count prevents this. Webb left the show and Gavin was killed off. This sent Petra into a prolonged period of grief, only unburdened by discovering she is pregnant. Writers introduced Petra's family into the show which included her sisters, Marie Jackson (Anna Keaveney) and Michelle Jones (Tracy Jay). Her subsequent miscarriage and doomed relationship with Barry Grant (Paul Usher) allowed writers fully realise Petra's depression and her story culminates in a suicide storyline. Pigg was happy Petra had been killed off because she was unhappy in the role. She believed her happy personality clashed with Petra's misery and depression. She disliked having to play constant tragedy after Gavin's death and grew annoyed at the public reaction to Petra's disappearance story.