The doctors will see you now...
The big dramas of the special week revealed…
As former practice boss Julia Parsons makes a return visit to The Mill Health Centre this week, Diane Keen, who played Julia for almost a decade, reveals how much she enjoyed her trip down memory lane…
“When I was asked to come back to
Doctors, it was a no-brainer,” claims the much-loved star. “I almost said yes before the sentence was finished! It’s quite mindblowing to think that Julia has been in the show on and off for most of Doctors’ 20 years. It was very exciting to be a part of the anniversary episode, and I was delighted to do it. It’s been heaven!”
When Diane’s Letherbridge alter ego Julia first arrived in January 2003, the surgery was still based at the Riverside Practice. Having started out as receptionist, she became practice manager of The Mill in 2007. But a traumatic few years lay ahead after Julia was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2010 – before ending up the victim of a sexual assault by her colleague Charlie Bradfield while recovering from the illness at home.
“It was surreal stepping back on to the set again this time,” shares Diane. “Julia walks into The Mill looking around and seeing all these changes, and it was the same for me. But I walked in as Diane, and the next thing I knew, Julia was taking over. It’s kind of like muscle memory – after playing her for nearly 10 years, you slip right back into it.”
With Doctors being filmed in Birmingham, the city has become as vital a part of the show as its cast – and Diane tells us it sometimes prompted unexpected conversations with the show’s loyal local viewers. “There’s a real sense of ownership of the show in Birmingham,” she shares. “I’d just finished filming once, and popped over to [Birmingham shopping centre] the Bullring. There was a guy working behind one of the counters, and he said to me, ‘I shouldn’t really do this, but there isn’t an appointment for tomorrow, is there?’ I said, ‘Um, I’ll have to check, although I don’t think so…’!”
It’s been almost eight years since Julia left Letherbridge for a new life in Wales with partner Martin Millar. She returns in a plot which sees a documentary being made about The Mill, and Diane felt as warmly welcomed back as Julia…
“It was lovely – as though I’d never been away,” she beams. “We had such great times over the years, and I’ve never felt so welcomed or so
loved. Doctors is in my psyche now. Back at the start, we were unsure what would happen with the show – but here we are 20 years later, and it’s just extraordinary. This fabulous load of people just keeps delivering excellence every day!”
It was surreal stepping back on to the set!