The Chase is a British television drama series that aired on BBC One between 16 July 2006 and 26 August 2007. It centred on a family-run veterinary practice.
The show was co-written by Gaynor Faye (credited as Gaynor Mellor), the daughter of the show's creator, Kay Mellor. Much filming for the series was carried out in and around Otley, West Yorkshire; the series is set in the fictional town of "Oxley".
Cast
Gaynor Faye as Anna Williams - the daughter of the late Imogen and Frank but she was brought up by George and Imogen Williams and sister to Sarah, cousin to Fiona and wife to Tom. Mother to Daisy, Luca, Jake and baby Imogen and a very experienced vet. Nicola Stephenson as Sarah Williams - the daughter of the late Imogen and only biological daughter of George Williams and sister to Anna, Sarah moved to London following the death of her mother and the discovery of Tom's affair with Fiona. Having returned to Oxley, Sarah is a competent vet. Sarah marries Adrian and becomes pregnant, but loses the baby. After discovering that her sister and husband discussed her fertility problems behind her back, she sleeps with Sebastian. She later finds out that she is pregnant with his child. Nicholas Gleaves as Tom Bedford - husband to Anna and father to Daisy, Luca, Jake, baby Imogen and Theo Jones. He had a one-night stand with Fiona, which resulted in her getting pregnant with Theo. Heather Peace as Fiona Jones - single mother to Theo, the result of a drunken one-night stand with Tom. She has her heart set on getting Tom for herself and Theo. Brought up by a single mum, Fiona's like the third sister of the Williams clan and constantly feels like Cinderella. She was the one in the hand-me-down clothes, who trained to be a nurse not a vet, and who couldn't get the man. Michelle Holmes as Claudie Williams - widow of George. She was genuinely in love with him but also conscious that he was sitting on a gold mine. She happily encouraged him to re-mortgage the house to fund their lengthy honeymoon stay in Malta. Janet Dibley as Deborah Johnson - Rick's domineering wife Deborah is the very bossy Practice Manager of The Chase. An old nag, and snobby too, Deborah doesn't have a nice word to say about anyone or anything. She's always right and happy to let everyone know. Reece Dinsdale as Rick Johnson - the hen-pecked husband of Deborah, Rick is a senior partner at The Chase. He is put upon and nagged to death by his wife but he loves his work and is a close associate of the Williams family. The only person who really seems to understand what he goes through is Clare. Rachel Davies as Margaret Wright - a Practice Nurse, Margaret's been at The Chase since it was built. Margaret is always there - and always happy to gossip about it. Although undoubtedly good at her job, she's very scatty and liable to become stressed at the drop of a hat. Sunetra Sarker as Clare Burnes - Clare is the Practice Nurse at The Chase. Her rip-roaring sense of humour keeps everyone happy, especially Rick. Liam Garrigan as Matt Lowe - the most junior Practice Nurse at The Chase, Matt has dreams of leaving it all behind and becoming a rock star. He had a short relationship with Anna. Paul Opacic as Adrian Huby - local farmer and Sarah's first love, who marries Sarah in series 2. Rebekah Manning as Paula Higgins - Paula is Claudie's younger sister. Claudie set Paula up as a beautician in order to turn her life around. Paula arrives in the village to be with her sister and causes chaos in the practice as half the contents of her salon seem to arrive with her. Blonde and bubbly, she is close to her sister but likes to remain on good terms with everyone. Christian Cooke as Liam Higgins - Liam is Claudie and Paula's younger brother. Only 19 and a bit of a rogue, he appears during the series after having been let out of a young offenders institute. Philip Jackson as Frank Jones - Fiona's estranged father, Frank returns to Oxley unexpectedly. He doesn't have many friends in the village, as it is common knowledge that he left his wife and young daughter for another woman. Only Fiona knows that the other woman was in fact Anna and Sarah's mother Imogen, who decided to remain with George and the girls at the last minute. He is secretly Anna's father. Guy Henry as William Montgomery - the eldest son of the late Lord Montgomery, William has taken his father's title and responsibility of the estate. The Chase's best client, he holds a long-standing respect for George and his two daughters. Adam Croasdell as Sebastian Montgomery - William Montgomery's younger brother and old friend of Adrian Huby. Sebastian is good looking and charming, and keen to avoid any of the business of the family estate. Involved in the music business, he is good at making money, and attracting female attention. Grace Cassidy as Harriet Johnson - Rick and Deborah's 15-year-old daughter - as in series 2 Grace Ruiz as Daisy Williams Nathan Chaplow as Jake Williams Eliot Anthony as Luca Williams Charlie Connew as Theo Jones Keith Barron as George Williams (Series 1) - George was the father of Anna and Sarah and the head vet of The Chase. His first wife, Imogen, died. Recently, he married Claudie. George was much respected in the local community for always being available to treat farm animals, even on Christmas Day. His principles meant that the practice was somewhat strapped for cash though. Fiona murdered him by cutting the brakes in the Land Rover - however, she had intended to kill Sarah, and was devastated when her "uncle", whom she truly loved, died instead. Some notes are taken from here.
Series 1 (2006) Episode 1 Chevin Chase veterinary practice is buzzing with excitement. The finishing touches are being made to the marquee in the garden with flowers arriving and tables being laid. Eight months pregnant Anna is directing the activity but begins to panic. Time is ticking away and her father George, the groom, is still operating on a puppy. Meanwhile, in London, Sarah walks out on her cheating boyfriend David and drives up north. The church is packed to the rafters. Practice Manager Deborah is making disparaging remarks about everyone to her husband Rick, the practice senior partner. During a brief lull in her tirade, he slips outside for a sneaky cigarette with nurse Matt. Meanwhile, fellow nurses Clare and Margaret enjoy a gossip about the guests and Sarah's imminent arrival. Sarah hasn't been home since her mum died two years ago and everyone wonders why... not least her sister Anna. Little does she know that Sarah hides a painful secret - she caught Anna's husband Tom in bed with one of the nurses, Fiona. And she hasn't been able to face any of them since. Just as Sarah enters the church, Fiona takes her seat. There's no time for trouble as the young bride Claudie, 30 years George's junior, makes her breath-taking entrance. At the wedding reception, chemistry ignites between Rick and Clare who share a brief kiss. Meanwhile, George makes a shocking announcement - he's retiring and moving to Malta with wife Claudie, leaving pregnant Anna and Sarah with a struggling business, one vet down, one vet defecting to the local opposition and a list of operations as long as their arm. George's revelation is enough to send Anna into labour. Anna and Tom race to the hospital, leaving Sarah in charge of the practice and their unruly kids. Anna gives birth to a girl who she names after her mother, Imogen. But George drops another shocking bombshell - they've re-mortgaged the house by £200,000. This leaves Sarah with no option but to muck in at the Chase. After a heated discussion, Fiona and Sarah make amends. Fiona reveals she has a son Theo from a previous failed relationship but little does Sarah know that the child is Tom's. Sarah's astonished when David turns up, begging her to come home, but she reveals she is home. Elsewhere, Tom's late on Theo's monthly payment. Fiona threatens to reveal all if he doesn't cough up soon...
Episode 2 It's Sarah's first day in the practice and just the thought of it is giving her nightmares. During the morning household scrum she puts on her battle armour to face the big day - hair, make-up, suit - looking every inch the professional. But it's a costume hiding her big secret. Practice Manager Deborah isn't very welcoming and her encounter with Sarah leaves feathers severely ruffled. Sarah's first client of the day is a border collie which needs a mammary strip - a straightforward operation but tricky without an ultrasound. Fiona has the dog prepped, but when Sarah realises that the practice doesn't even have an ultrasound she freaks and walks out, heading back to David and London. Unknown to Sarah, her sly ex appears to be entertaining another woman. Anna is furious and bombards Sarah with some hard home truths and accuses her of constantly running away. Anna drops the shocking bombshell that their mother used to run away and cheated on their father, George. Furious and cornered, Sarah finally makes her big confession, "I'm not a vet any more. I gave it up two and a half years ago. I lost my confidence. I lost a dog... the blood kept on coming." Anna is shocked into silence. At the front desk, Deborah's dealing with the angry collie owner. It's Sarah's old flame, local farmer, Adrian Huby. He's delighted to see her again, but Sarah's intent on getting back to London. On the way home, she's haunted by her memories and decides to face her inner demons. Determined to confront the past head on, she returns to the practice to operate on Adrian's collie. It's touch and go for a while but after a tense two-hour operation, the dog pulls through. Eager to make the practice a success, Sarah sells her car to pay for the ultrasound equipment. She also calls David to tell him it's over once and for all. George and Claudie's return stuns Sarah and Anna. It transpires they've been stuck in Liverpool for two days as George's passport was out of date. George confides to Sarah that he's not ready to leave Oxley. Elsewhere, a feline client forces Rick and Clare to take a step closer. Meanwhile, Tom's secret is spiralling out of control as he struggles to meet Fiona's demands. In her stalker style, Fiona confides she wants Tom to be a proper father to Theo, and that their night of passion wasn't a mistake - she chose him.
Episode 3 Still waiting for George's passport to arrive so they can go on honeymoon, Claudie is making her presence felt in the household. Both Anna and Sarah are struggling to keep their feelings towards their stepmother under control. When Claudie starts throwing their mum's belongings out, they are furious. And when George approaches Anna to suggest that she might invite Claudie to be Imogen's godmother, Anna refuses point blank. Sarah has arranged for an ultrasound demonstration and the team gather to see what this new technology can offer. They're all impressed and Sarah offers to pay for one there and then. George's unhappy about the rapid changes taking place in his practice until his daughter's remind him that, technically, he has retired. While everyone has been involved trying out the new equipment, Claudie has been babysitting with disastrous consequences, putting her on a collision course with Anna who is apoplectic with rage. The morning of Imogen's christening dawns with the usual family chaos. When Imogen is sick down her gown, George remembers that Anna's old gown is in a box amongst the things Claudie was clearing out. Dashing upstairs, Anna uncovers more than she bargained for when she opens the box and her birth certificate floats to the floor. She's stunned to discover George is not her father. When confronted, he declares he's always loved Anna like she's his own daughter. Anna demands to know who her real father is but he says that Imogen wouldn't reveal his identity. After a few drinks, Anna and George are reconciled.