Adam Forsythe
| Adam Forsythe | |||||||
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| Emmerdale character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Richard Shelton | ||||||
| Duration | 2005–06 | ||||||
| First appearance | 13 May 2005 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 10 November 2006 | ||||||
| Introduced by | Kathleen Beedles | ||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Occupation | General practitioner | ||||||
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Dr. Adam Forsythe is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Richard Shelton.
Storylines
Adam arrived, looking for a quiet life in Emmerdale, following his divorce. His first medical emergency from on his arrival was being alerted by Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor) that Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) was in labour while in Seth Armstrong's (Stan Richards) hut.
Adam set up a clinic at the church hall and worked hard to gain the respect and admiration of his new neighbours. Working in the village and living at the B&B, Adam was right at the heart of the community and soon won over pensioners Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox) and Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbrook) with his well-worn charm offensive. It wasn’t just the pensioners that loved the new GP.
His living circumstances meant Adam started spending a lot of time with B&B manager Steph Stokes (Lorraine Chase) – who was finally getting her life back on track after a traumatic year. From the offset there was a flicker of attraction between the pair and as they continued to live under the same roof as their relationship blossomed. But falling in love hadn’t been on Steph’s agenda – especially considering she’d never experienced real devotion before. However, Adam got her to trust him and soon she opened up about her traumatic childhood, confessing to him that her brother Terence (Nick Brimble) had sexually abused her. Horrified by the revelations, Adam vowed to support Steph and appealed to her to tell her father Alan (Richard Thorp) what had happened. However, as Steph and Adam were grappling with the fall out of her confession, Alan had got back in touch with Terence.
Upon arriving in Emmerdale, Terence was quick to deny Steph's claims – leaving only Adam believing her story. Life was hard for the couple as Terence continued to cast a shadow over their lives but a breakthrough came when the violent alcoholic admitted to Alan that he had abused Steph. Adam was delighted to see him driven out of Emmerdale and hoped for a quieter life. The problem was that Terence had no intention of going quietly and started digging around in the doctor’s past to find blackmail material. He didn’t have to dig too far, soon Terence discovered that Adam was not legally allowed to practice as a doctor after being struck off years before for assaulting a child. Backed into a corner, Adam started to panic and when he came home to find Terence in the B&B cornering Steph, a struggle ensued. The violent altercation ended when Adam struck Terence over the head with a Fire extinguisher and killed him. He and Steph dragged the body to the woods and buried it.
Terrified she was going to confess all, Adam then whisked Steph away to Barbados and married her. The newlyweds returned to Emmerdale but it was clear Steph wasn’t coping so Adam felt forced to drug her to try to contain her growing paranoia – provoking suspicion in those close to them. But as hard as Adam tried to keep Steph quiet, he couldn't and when she spectacularly fell apart, he was forced to take drastic measures. Letting her confess to Alan, Adam then accompanied father and daughter to the woods where Steph offered to dig up Terence’s corpse. However, Adam had already moved it and Steph later found out that he moved Terence's body to under the Kings Show Home, (where it was discovered after the House Collapse) and she was left, looking mad. Realising he had double-crossed her, Steph went crazy and was promptly sectioned. Adam has proved that beneath the polished surface beats the heart of a calculating villain willing to go to any measures to stay afloat.
Adam left the village to escape what he thought was the inevitable exposing of his actions. The police discovered Terence's body. It emerged from the police that Adam was able to continue to illegally practice medicine, because his father, who had the same name and was also a doctor, died whilst abroad in Africa. Adam did not inform the authorities (the GMC and coroner's office) in the UK, but merely obtained and started using his dead father's Medical Registration documents. On 7 November, the day of Steph's trial, Adam was led to court in handcuffs to testify against his estranged wife who flew into a rage when she saw him after the court had adjourned for the day. After Steph falsely admitted to murdering Terence along with Adam, Adam committed suicide in prison, by hanging himself, and his body was found on 12 November.