Pat Sugden

Patricia Ruth "Pat" Sugden (also Harker and Merrick) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by actresses Lynn Dalby in 1972 and 1974. Helen Weir took over the role when Pat was reintroduced as a regular character in 1980. Pat's main stories are her marriages to violent drunk, Tom Merrick (Dave Hill) and later Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby). One of Pat's most prominent storylines involved the reveal of her son, Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock) being Jack's biological son. Weir and Hornby began a relationship off-screen and later married. Weir became pregnant and writers decided to also make Pat pregnant and she gives birth to Robert Sugden. Producers offered Weir an additional two year contract to remain in ''Emmerdale'' but she declined their offer. Weir later revealed that her decision came from a dispute with producers over the inclusion of her and Hornby's son playing the role of Robert. Producers decided to kill Pat off in a car accident story and she made her final appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 August 1986. Provided by Wikipedia