Katherine Dow Blyton

Katherine Dow Blyton (born 20 November 1964) is an English actress. After beginning her acting career in the 1990s, she began making appearances in various British television series. From 2001 to 2005, she portrayed Sally Hunter on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, after which she appeared as Harriet Finch on the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale from 2013 to 2022.

Early life Blyton was born on 20 November 1964 and was raised in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. Her mother was a nurse, while her father worked for a paper company. Whilst pregnant with Blyton, her mother starred in a production of Grease. Blyton is distantly related to writer Enid Blyton, who is the cousin of her grandfather. In her youth, she worked at a greengrocers, earning £5 a day. A year later, her film debut came about in Brassed Off (1996), as well as continuing to make minor appearances in various British television series including soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street. In 2001, she was cast as Sally Hunter on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a role she stayed in until 2005. Following Hollyoaks, she continued making varied appearances in television series, including a role in This Is England '86 as Chrissy Jenkins in 2011, as well as starring in the first series of the BBC drama The Syndicate in 2012. She also appeared in various stage productions, including A Taste of Honey at the York Theatre Royal in 2007.

In 2013, Blyton joined the cast of the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale as Harriet Finch. Her second regular soap role, her character became the vicar of the fictional town throughout her tenure. She remained in the role until 2022, when her character was killed off as part of high-profile episodes commemorating the soap's 50th anniversary. Following her exit, she confirmed that she would be continuing to pursue acting and had begun auditioning for new roles. 2023 saw her appear in an episode of the Sky One series Brassic, followed by appearing in the ITV1 medical drama Malpractice in 2025.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1995 Cracker Doctor Episode: "Best Boys: Part 2" 1996 Emmerdale Doctor Guest role 1996 Band of Gold Airport Official Episode: "Love" 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007 Coronation Street Various 5 episodes 1996 Cardiac Arrest County Infirmary Receptionist Episode: "The Age of Consent" 1996 Out of the Blue Alison Episode: "Shooting Ducks" 1996 Brassed Off Nurse Film 1997 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates Kelly Episode: "A Rose by Any Other Name" 1997 Common As Muck Policewoman 1 episode 1997 New Voices Ann Episode: "Alarmed" 1997 My Wonderful Life Nursing Mother Episode: "Dinner for Two" 1997 Screen Two Fran Episode: "Stone, Scissors, Paper" 1999 Lost for Words Sister Television film 1999 Where the Heart Is Karen Haynes Episode: "A Higher Duty" 1999 The Cops Cheryl Clark 1 episode 2000 At Home with the Braithwaites Clinic Receptionist 1 episode 2000 North Square Sarah Frorath 1 episode 2001–2005 Hollyoaks Sally Hunter Regular role 2006, 2008, 2011 Doctors Various 4 episodes 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013 Casualty Various 4 episodes 2009 The Royal Andrea Bennett Episode: "The Enemy Within" 2010 This Is England '86 Chrissy Jenkins Main role 2011 Monroe Sarah Cormack 1 episode 2011 Sirens Colette Fox Recurring role 2012 Silent Witness Deborah Barron Guest role 2012 The Syndicate Annie Main role 2013 Father Brown Annie Mace Episode: "The Man in the Tree" 2013 The Village Mrs. H Recurring role 2013 Scott & Bailey Catherine French Episode: "Undermined" 2013 Frankie Emma Turner 1 episode 2013 Truckers Debbie 1 episode 2013–2022 Emmerdale Harriet Finch Regular role 2014 The Knife That Killed Me Mrs. Botharm Film 2015 This Is England '90 Chrissy Jenkins Main role 2016 Cardboard Boy Amanda Short film 2017 Arnilia Grove Mother Short film 2023 Brassic Geraldine Episode: "The Manolito Problem" 2025 Malpractice Maria Carter Recurring role 2025 Giant Alma Ingle Film