Katherine Dow Blyton played Harriet Finch on Emmerdale for nearly a decade before she was killed off in a devastating storyline – and the actress was not impressed

Emmerdale’s Katherine Dow Blyton, who played Harriet Finch from 2013 to 2022, voiced her disappointment over how her character’s exit was managed by the soap’s bosses. Harriet met a tragic end during Emmerdale’s 50th anniversary celebrations in October 2022 when she fell off a quad bike during a storm and was subsequently crushed by the bike following an explosion.

Katherine has recently spoken out about her departure from Emmerdale and her initial reaction upon learning that her character would be written out of the show. She also expressed her dissatisfaction with the direction her character had taken on the soap, criticising the storylines created for Harriet by the bosses.

“I went up [to the office] and they basically said, ‘We love Harriet and we’re going to give her a good death’. I did sit there for ten seconds thinking, have I done something wrong? They say don’t take it personally but it’s impossible not to,” Katherine confessed on the Soap From The Box podcast.

She continued: “I was taken aback. I said, ‘Well you don’t know what to do with me anyway, do you? ‘ I tried to get out of the building, sat in my car and burst into tears because it was a shock.”

Despite this, Katherine admitted that she had been contemplating leaving the soap “for a while”. She also expressed relief that the decision to write Harriet out of the show was made by ITV bosses, as she might not have “been brave enough” to make the decision to leave on her own.

Former policewoman-turned-vicar Harriet’s return to the force in the beloved soap didn’t sit well with actress Katherine, who confessed she felt “uncomfortable in my own skin” as it simply “just felt wrong” for her character to take up policing again. The actress also expressed disappointment over the evolution of her role, reminiscing how “fabulous” Harriet was initially a little bit naughty and quirky with a dash of humour.

“When Harriet came in she was such a fabulous character, she was a bit naughty, a bit off the wall, and she had a sense of humour. When did you last see Harriet laugh? ” Katherine mused. Besides her stint on Emmerdale, Katherine’s acting portfolio boasts roles on Coronation Street, where she took on four different guest characters, and as Sally Hunter in Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2005. Her film work includes turns in Brassed Off and This Is England ’88.