Susannah Morrisey (also Farnham) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Karen Drury. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 22 July 1991. Susannah was created as the ex-wife of established character Max Farnham (Steven Pinder) and writers instantly used her to create problems in Max's marriage to Patricia Farnham (Gabrielle Glaister). Susannah's feud with Patricia and desire to reunite with Max formed the basis of her early storylines. Susannah's initial characterisation was only that of a mean, disgruntled ex-spouse but Drury decided to play her more sweet and snobbish. Susannah's persona allowed writers the versatility to create both tragic and comedic stories for her. Susannah's tragedies were formed via her difficult marriage to Max, family bereavements and poor mental health. Writers later transformed her into a promiscuous and scheming woman which gained her infamy in the British press.
When Drury returned to the series in 1995, writers reunited her with Max and explored the Farnhams running their restaurant business alongside their continued relationship problems. Producers then created dramatic plots for Susannah because Drury was considering leaving Brookside. Writers explored the issues of child bereavement and road safety when they killed off her two children Matthew and Emily in a car crash with Susannah at the wheel. The story featured various repercussions for the character with a decline in her mental health, an attempted suicide and gradual acceptance of their deaths. Series creator Phil Redmond was keen for Brookside to portray the issue of surrogacy because it was heavily featured in the British media at the time. Susannah is told she cannot have any more children and enlists Jacqui Dixon (Alex Fletcher) to become a surrogate mother. Writers complicated the plot with Susannah actually becoming pregnant and later giving birth to a daughter, Emma. This created a long-running feud between Jacqui over the custody of her surrogate son Harry.
Other stories include Max's affair with Faye Spence (Joanne Zorian) and their divorce. Susannah then has affairs with Greg Shadwick (Mark Moraghan) and Darren Roebuck (Timothy Deenihan), and a relationship with Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick). Susannah had fully transformed into a promiscuous and man-eating character. Writers devised a mystery whodunit death storyline to coincide with Drury's departure from the show. The show created five suspects with Max eventually being revealed as the culprit after he pushes her down the stairs. Susannah's legacy became her being regarded as one of Brookside's most iconic and dramatic characters. Her promiscuity gained her a reputation of being a "man-eater" and a "nymphomaniac" in British newspapers. Drury's acting received positive reviews, especially during her tragic stories. Susannah's car crash and her death have been cited as some of the show's most memorable stories by television critics.
Development Backstory and characterisation The character and Drury's casting was announced on 6 June 1991. Judith Moss from the Liverpool Echo reported that Susannah was created as the ex-wife of established character Max Farnham (Steven Pinder) who would create problems for in his marriage with Patricia Farnham (Gabrielle Glaister). In their backstory, Susannah and Max met each other while studying their A levels at sixth form college.Tibballs 1992, p.80. They married soon after and both began studying at Liverpool Polytechnic. Susannah discovered that she was pregnant and her parents agreed to subsidise both her and Max. When they purchased their first home together, Susannah became pregnant again which complicated her marriage. Max begins an affair with Patricia and divorces Susannah. He then marries Patricia, who gives birth to his son Thomas (Kieran Warham). Susannah was scorned by Max and following a "bitter divorce" she wanted what she was owed.Tibballs 1994, p.40. Max then has to pay Susannah maintenance to contribute to his other children, Matthew (Gareth and Ryan Jones) and Emily's (Victoria Bennett) upbringing. Max worked as a quantity surveyor but the continuous maintenance payments meant they had to settle for a small house on Brookside Close.
Writers initially characterised Susannah as Max's mean ex-wife but Drury decided to change her persona. She told a reporter from the Lancashire Telegraph that the part was originally conceived as "a really horrible ex-wife. Perhaps to make it more interesting, I decided to play her very sweetly. She was very nice, but a terrible snob. Those little subtleties got a bit lost at the end, but I just had to adapt to it." Drury liked Susannah's characterisation and range of stories writers created for her. Drury told Vicky Spavin from the Daily Record that "One minute Susannah is very tragic, the next she's very comic." While often portrayed as a tragic figure, Susannah has at times shown strength and determination to overcome her hardships. She gained viewers affection for her strength in overcoming her children's deaths. She gained admiration for her controlling ways in keeping her adulterous husband, Max at home.
A writer from the official Brookside website profiled that Susannah's "life and fate were to be irrevocably bound up with Max." They noted that despite Max's numerous affairs she was depicted "forever smitten" with him. They added that her "obsession intensified" after Matthew and Emily's deaths and that it was fate that Max brought about her demise.
Scheming against Max and Patricia Susannah's initial stories explored her fractious relationships with Max and Patricia. In 1992, Pinder told Geoff Tibballs, author of Brookside – The First Ten Years that Max and Patricia had faced numerous financial issues because of Susannah and the children. Glaister assessed that Patricia had always felt guilty about stealing Max from Susannah.Tibballs 1992, p.81. Susannah's introduction occurred via Max's visits with Matthew and Emily. This meant constant contact between Susannah and Max, which leaves Patricia feeling increasingly wary of them. Patricia had begun her relationship from infidelity and she worried that Max could easily have more affairs. Tibballs noted constant on-screen chemistry between Susannah and Max, and that Patricia was aware of this, too, and worried Susannah would win him back. In one scene, Patricia admits that she purposely became pregnant to guarantee that Max would stay with her.
Patricia becomes increasingly threatened by Susannah's presence when Max begins spending more time with her. Patricia refuses to accompany Max to an important Round Table function.Tibballs 1994, p.45. Geoffrey Fletcher (Chris Wright) tells Max that attending alone will damage the company's brand image and he asks Susannah to pose as his wife. He keeps the dinner date a secret but Patricia later discovers the truth. Patricia confronts Susannah and sets new terms about his contact with Max. Writers then revealed Susannah's true intentions in the scene, as Susannah claims that she could reconcile her romance with Max any time she chooses to. Susannah then schemes to fool Patricia into thinking Max is sleeping with her. When Patricia works away in London, Susannah answers the Farnham's house phone to upset Patricia. She returns home and confronts Max, who insists Susannah was staying over to care for Emily who was ill. Patricia refuses to believe Max and throws him out of their home. They soon reconcile when Patricia needs Max to support her through her breast cancer diagnosis.Tibballs 1994, p.47.
Susannah begins dating Andrew and agrees to move to the United States with him. She informs Max, who threatens legal action to prevent Matthew and Emily leaving with her. She ignores him and moves the family to Florida. Max tracks them down, kidnaps them and returns to Liverpool.Tibballs 1994, p.49. Susannah follows them and upon her return sees an opportunity to destroy the Farnham marriage. Tibballs stated that Susannah used the children as a "weapon" against Max, used herself as "bait" and "played on his emotions". Her attempts to seduce Max work and they have sex. Tibballs added that Max "surrendered meekly" to Susannah's charms and Max himself even claimed to have been powerless when faced with Susannah's seduction.Tibballs 1995, p.88. Drury later assessed that Susannah had hounded Max and wormed her way back into his affections. Patricia's father David Crosbie (John Burgess) discovers their affair and tells his daughter. Susannah's scheming only worked for a short time. Patricia divorces Max but they soon remarry and have another child together.
When Susannah returns in 1995, she once again resumes her campaign to win back Max. This time she romances Patricia's friend Dil Palmer (Gordon Warnecke). To promote her return, the show's publicity department teased "Max is finding it hard to control his libido, but he's determined to be faithful to Patricia... But how long will it last?" Max was then accused of soliciting prostitutes and arrested. Susannah decides to support him but Patricia ends their marriage and moves to France. Max is found not guilty and Susannah uses the opportunity to reunite with Max. The "kerb-crawling" storyline invoked sympathy from viewers and Brookside producer Mal Young stated it provided scriptwriters an opportunity to "work Susannah back into his affections".Tibballs 1996, p.17.
Another reason for reuniting the couple was Glaister's decision to leave the series. When Young learned that Glaister wanted out, he decided that Susannah could easily replace Patricia. Young told author Geoff Tibballs that "for Patricia to storm off and be replaced by Susannah seemed a natural development in Max's complicated love life."Tibballs 1996, p.38. Young added that Susannah had previously been a "reactive character" but this allowed her to become a "proactive character" with her own stories rather than just reacting to Max's dramas. When Patricia has an additional cancer scare, Susannah is faced with the prospect of raising her daughter Alice, who has Down syndrome. Susannah cannot commit to such a responsibility, Young added that it further complicated Susannah and Max's relationship. Susannah then secretly buys Max's restaurant and tells him he can have half of the business if they get remarried.Kibble-White 2002, p.109. Producers also brought back Patricia from France for one last showdown with Susannah and Max. They prioritised Susannah and Patricia's rivalry by broadcasting five episodes in one week to showcase the story's culmination.
Car crash, children's death and suicide attempt