User:AnemoneProjectors/Karen Taylor (EastEnders)

Karen Taylor
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Lorraine Stanley
Duration	2017–
First appearance	Episode 5511 15 June 2017 (2017-06-15)
Classification	Future; regular
Introduced by	Sean O'Connor
In-universe information Occupation Unemployed Sons Keanu Taylor Riley Taylor Chatham Taylor Daughters Chantelle Taylor Bernadette Taylor

Karen Taylor is a character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lorraine Stanley. She makes her first appearance in episode 5511, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 15 June 2017, along with four of her children, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), Riley Taylor (Tom Jacobs) and Chatham Taylor (Alfie Jacobs).

Storylines

Karen and her family move into Albert Square, having moved from Walford Towers. She annoys her neighbours with her loud, brash behaviour, and argues with her son, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), which is heard by their downstairs neighbours, Ted Murray (Christopher Timothy) and his wife, Joyce Murray (Maggie Steed). Later, Karen argues in the street with her son Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), and the Murrays are horrified to realise the Taylors are their new neighbours as they once caused their friend, Joan Murfield (Eileen Davies), to suffer a nervous breakdown. Karen is revealed to be on benefits. She is annoyed when Joan visits the Murrays, blaming Joan for causing problems by regularly calling the police about her family. Denise Fox (Diane Parish) tries to make peace with Karen over her altercation with Keegan a few months previously, but Karen threatens violence against her if it happens again. When Louise tells her stepmother, Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean), that Keegan raped her, Sharon confronts Karen, so Karen punches Sharon in the face. Keegan tells Karen that he made up the rumour because he likes Louise and wanted to end her relationship with Travis Law-Hughes (Alex James-Phelps), so Karen berates. Keegan is arrested on suspicion of rape and Karen is arrested for assault, and Karen threatens worse violence against Sharon. Keegan is not charged due to lack of evidence but Karen is ashamed of him for lying. Karen forces Keegan to tell Louise the truth, and Sharon accuses Karen of being a bad parent.

Karen looks for work and after befriending Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), Jane convinces her husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) to employ her as a cleaner at their restaurant. Bernadette complains of being ill, so Karen realises she could be pregnant so takes her to Dr Natasha Black (Rachel Bavidge), who confirms she is pregnant. Karen asks Dr Black not to inform social services, and is against Bernadette keeping the baby. However, she later tells Bernadette is it her own choice, but Karen worries about how the family will afford to raise another child. Karen loses her job with Ian on her first day after attempting to take food she assumes will be thrown out. Karen later overhears Keanu telling Bernadette that he will support her financially and keep their secret. This leads to Karen asking Keanu if he is the father, but Keanu is shocked that she would think that he would do that to his sister, and tells her that the father is a boy in Bernadette's year at school.

Karen and Bernadette clean the house for a social services visit and get some second-hand baby clothes. Bernadette steals some baby clothes from pregnant Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) and Karen scolds Bernadette's action. Karen ignores the bailiffs when they visit. Following a gas explosion, Bernadette suffers a miscarriage, devastating Bernadette, Karen and Keanu. Bernadette goes to see her daughter at the hospital and returns home with a box containing her daughter's footprints and is further angry with Karen for allowing the hospital to cremate her. Karen decides to have a memorial after speaking to Shirley Carter (Linda Henry). Keegan punches Callum (Shaun Aylward) when he realises he is the father, but Callum joins the family for the memorial and Bernadette reveals they were going to name their daughter Belle. After Keegan's initial hostility, he admits to Karen that he blames himself for Bernadette's miscarriage as he was not there for her. When Riley and Chatham return home, they ask questions about the baby, and Shirley comforts Karen when she breaks down.

After Keanu begins showing a romantic interest in Ingrid Solberg (Pernille Broch), Keanu agrees for Karen to meet her. When Ingrid is due to come round, Karen accidentally lets the bailiffs in. When Janet Mitchell (Grace) is knocked over accidentally by Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White), Janet's father Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) wants to get Janet a dog. Karen agrees that Billy can have Bronson for a few nights for Janet. Karen panics when Riley and Chatham have been collected from school by a loan shark called Lloyd that she has borrowed money from. He allows her time to get the cash within 24 hours, and she manages to get money by selling Riley and Chatham's games console. However, Lloyd claims she is still overdue from the first repayment; he orders bailiffs to remove her television set which upsets Karen.

Desperate for the cash, Karen reluctantly decides to pawn a wedding ring that she has kept. Keanu tries to convince her not to, as it had belonged to his grandmother. When Karen decorates the flat for Christmas, she finds Stacey's phone that was taken and hidden by Riley and Chatham. Karen finds out that it was Riley and Chatham when she confronts her children. Karen later takes on the role of the angel in the Nativity. The Taylors' belongings are removed by bailiffs due to Karen failing to repay loans, but they can get them back the next day if they can raise £1000, so Karen and Bernadette go to visit Karen's sister, Kandice Taylor (Hannah Spearritt). Kandice agrees to loan them the money, but when Karen begins arguing with her, Kandice changes her mind. Bernadette meets up with Kandice and emotionally pleads with Kandice to help, but she apologetically refuses to and when the bailiffs are due to visit, Kandice turns up with the money. After bickering again and Karen throwing the money back, Karen and Kandice make up.

When Karen sees Apostolos Papadopolous (Tarrick Benham) in the launderette, she accuses him of being an asylum seeker, without realising he is the owner, and he ejects her when she asks for a job interview. However, she calls him and puts on a posh accent to secure an interview. When she attends it, he is angry, but she manages to convince him that she is the right person for the job and he offers it to her. However, she is confused when she takes down the job advert and it reappears. She is furious when she learns Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) has been offered the job, so Apostolos says he will offer the job to whoever does the cleaning of the launderette the best. Despite this, they argue and spill bleach, but later, Masood says he was to blame. Apostolos offers Karen the job, but only because an employment agency failed to send anyone. Karen then offers a personal ironing service to the customers in a bid to make more cash, but receives complaints when she mixes up people's clothes.

Karen's ex-boyfriend and the father of Keegan and Chantelle, Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths), arrives on Albert Square, and he is warned away from the family by Keanu, but he later returns and he shouts for Karen and Keegan at the flat, but Keanu punches him. Mitch flirts with Karen at the launderette whilst she is working and when Karen brings Mitch home, Keegan, Keanu and Bernadette do not want Mitch's presence, but Karen later sneaks him into the flat. Keanu is disgusted with Karen for letting Mitch stay the night and Mitch brings up Keanu's father. Karen attempts to reluctantly talk to Keanu about his father, but she fails and talks to Mitch about her being stabbed by Keanu's father. Karen considers re-conciliating with Mitch, but she discovers that he has a girlfriend who is pregnant. Karen breaks up with Mitch and he leaves Walford.

Karen helps to contribute money to raise for Kat Moon's (Jessie Wallace) funeral and Karen is angry to discover that Kat is alive and her grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse) was behind Kat's "death". Karen tries to attack Mo, but Kat confronts her, causing a fight between the pair, which then leads to a bar fight. Karen and Kat continue their feud and when Kat advertises her cleaning business in the laundrette, another fight between the pair occur. However, both Karen and Kat make up and become friends. Karen is devastated to discover that Keegan has been stabbed. Keegan survives the attack but his best friend Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi) dies from his injuries. This causes Karen to remember when Keanu's dad tried to attack her with a knife whilst she was pregnant. Karen supports Keegan, who plans revenge against the boys behind the attack. Without Karen's knowledge, Keegan confronts some of the boys behind the attack and accidentally stabs one of them. Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford) discovers the boy, and lies to Keegan that he has killed him. Keegan discovers Carmel's lie, and this leads to a confrontation between Karen and Carmel, but Karen understands Carmel's reasons behind the lie and forces Keegan to apologise to Carmel. Karen discovers that her son Keanu is having an affair with her married rival Sharon. She forces them to end the affair, but she learns that Keanu and Sharon are still sleeping together, so she confronts Sharon. Keanu reveals to Karen that someone is blackmailing them, and they discover that it is Louise, so Karen threatens her.

Mitch returns to Walford with his daughter Bailey Baker (Kara-Leah Fernandes) and he lies to Karen that Bailey is his friend's daughter. Karen later discovers that Bailey is his own biological daughter. Mitch wants Bailey to live with the Taylors as her terminally ill mother, Dinah Wilson (Anjela Lauren Smith), is due to die from multiple sclerosis. Karen cannot let Bailey live with her because she has no space, but agrees to help Bailey and her mother. However, she agrees to let Bailey live with her when her mother dies. Louise's father, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), sends Keanu to Spain to help him look after his business, but Karen is worried that she has not spoken to Keanu for several weeks and blackmails Sharon to tell Phil to bring Keanu back to Walford, otherwise she will expose their affair. Karen sees a photo of Keanu being beaten up in Spain and Phil goes back to Spain to bring him back. Meanwhile, Keegan's drug addiction is exposed when he almost overdoses, and Karen has an argument with Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) about her sister Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) supplying Keegan with drugs. Karen calls the police on Tiffany who is arrested and questioned. However, Karen agrees to drop the charges when she discovers that Mitch knew about Keegan's drug addiction and that it has been going on for a while.

Development

Casting and introduction

The character of Karen and Stanley's casting were announced on 10 May 2017, along with other members of the Taylor family, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), Riley Taylor (Tom Jacobs) and Chatham Taylor (Alfie Jacobs). Stanley said she was "chuffed to be cast in such an iconic show" and "Working with my new family is really quite special, and I'm proud to play their mum." Sean O'Connor, the executive producer of EastEnders who introduced the family, stated that he was "hugely excited" at the arrival of the Taylors, calling them "noisy, brash and not-to-be-messed-with", and revealing that Karen has brought up her children, including Keanu, with no support or money, but said that they "have love and warmth in spades". Stanley had previously appeared in the 2004 spin off Pat and Mo as a young Mo Harris, and in EastEnders in 2016 as Thelma Bragg, the mother of Linzi Bragg (Amy-Leigh Hickman). Stanley was not sure she would get the part because she had appeared so recently, but called Karen "the right character for me".

O'Connor later said that the Taylors "feel very different to the other characters" and "they bring the breath of fresh air that the Jacksons did". He added, "The writers are loving writing for them as they're such great characters and they're all played by amazing actors."

Characterisation and appearance

Karen is characterised as a heavy smoker of 20 cigarettes a day, and was called a "lioness" by both Stanley and O'Connor. In reality, Stanley uses electronic cigarettes, but still enjoys smoking real cigarettes as Karen. Karen does not work because she is bringing up two sons with learning difficulties, and Stanley said that Karen "does everything for her kids", adding that she is a "strong woman" and "not to be messed with". Upon the character's announcement, she was described as a "fierce woman who won't hear a bad word said about her family, but those close to her know that she's also kind-hearted and loyal." Stanley said Karen has a "heart of gold", while O'Connor revealed that Karen was raising her children unsupported with no money "and a very loud mouth".

Stanley decided that Karen's clothes should be too tight "because she thinks she's a size 12 when she's actually a size 16 or 18", but she "has it all hanging out" and does not care. The character also does not wear makeup, which Stanley said was because she wanted Karen to appear as "real" as possible, but said she looked "awful on screen".

See also

• List of EastEnders characters (2017)

References

Category:EastEnders characters Category:Television characters introduced in 2017 Category:Fictional smokers Category:Female characters in television