| Valerie Pitman | |||||||
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| Doctors character | |||||||
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| Portrayed by | Sarah Moyle | ||||||
| Duration | 2012–2022 | ||||||
| First appearance | "Home Free" 15 October 2012 | ||||||
| Last appearance | "Where the Heart Is" 16 December 2022 | ||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||
| Introduced by | Will Trotter | ||||||
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Valerie Pitman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Sarah Moyle. Valerie was introduced as a temporary receptionist at the fictional Mill Health Centre on 15 October 2012. Valerie is depicted as a kind, nosy and humorous character who enjoys getting involved in other people's lives. Her backstory involves growing up as an only child with no friends who dresses differently to other people, so since she feels like an outsider, she is desperate to be part of a unit of loved ones. Moyle was originally contracted on the soap as a recurring character, but after a positive reaction from viewers, she was promoted to a regular cast member. One of the storylines that accredited to her popularity was an issue-led storyline that saw Valerie diagnosed with hodgkin lymphoma. Moyle felt honoured to be given the storyline and found it interesting to play the storyline from a comedic perspective.
Valerie has had numerous love interests in her time on the soap, but after she concludes that she is the most important person in her life, she marries herself in a sologamy storyline. One of her love interests "comes back to haunt her" when Grant Hill (Jack Ryder) is murdered and she is accused of his murder, which results in her having to take a break from working at the surgery.[1] Valerie was the feature of another issue-led storyline in 2022 after she is the victim of a home invasion and attack. Moyle felt out of her comfort zone filming the scenes since she had become accustomed to filming comedy scenes as Valerie, but again felt privileged to be given a serious storyline.
In 2022, Moyle announced her decision to exit from the series. She had originally told producers that she was leaving in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she asked producers if she could reverse her decision. Her final appearance aired in December 2022 after Valerie is sacked from the Mill after forging a prescription in Al Haskey's (Ian Midlane) name. For her portrayal of Valerie, Moyle was nominated for numerous awards at the British Soap Awards and went on to win the Best Comedy Performance at the 2019 ceremony. She was also nominated for Best Acting Performance at the RTS Midlands Awards, as well as receiving a nomination in the Serial Drama Performance category at the 26th National Television Awards.