Carole Lucas (Kim Taylforth* / Chrissie Cotterill**) 1999, 2000 Duration: EP: *160, **204, 206, 212 | SE: *3.20, **4.2, 4.4, 4.10 For a number of years in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Carole was married to Alex Lucas and they had a son Scott. When Scott was seven years old, Carole had an affair with another married man from work, and became pregnant. When Alex learned that the child she was carrying wasn’t his, he left her and also disappeared from his young son’s life, his absence having a deep affect on Scott which he carried into adulthood. Carole had a second son, Darren, and raised her boys alone, keeping quiet that Scott and Darren did not share the same father. Scott showed immense talent as a footballer, and from schoolboy age it was evident that he had the quality to go all the way. But he always found it hard to settle, craving the attention and affection he’d missed from his dad growing up, and it led to him winding up managers and team mates the wrong way, through Millwall, to Liverpool and Harchester. It was months into his spell with Harchester that Scott took a managerial decision by Luis Amor Rodriguez so to heart that he went on strike and stuck it out at his mom’s house. Carole’s home was traipsed through by various club officials, while the press camped out front. Eventually Scott was made to face his actions and returned to the club. It was next Gaffer Ray Wyatt who gave Scott the ultimatum that he needed to sort his head and feelings out for the good of his career, and talking his feelings through with councillor Lisa, Scott realised he wanted to see his dad. When Scott’s ex-partner Ann Patterson gives birth to his son Sam, named after Carole’s father, she arrives unannounced one day to see her grandson. Here Carole learns Ann has in fact moved to her mom’s in Bristol, and visiting him there, Scott begins asking questions about his dad. Carole is rattled not wanting to bring up events from so many years ago, and distracted, she bumps another car’s tail-light. Breaking down, Carole admits to Scott his dad left them because she’d had an affair. Scott doesn’t let his mission to find his dad go, and on another occasion with Carole, asks whether she might know where his dad is now. To his surprise, Carole simply hands him the phonebook showing Alex has been living not too far away. Scott gets his wish and meets up with Alex, but Alex is not interested in letting Scott into his present life where he has a wife and another two sons.