Harriet Finch in Emmerdale: Vicar, police officer and actress Katherine Dow Blyton’s tears over her untimely death
Harriet died in a grisly way
Harriet Finch died two years ago in Emmerdale and has pretty much been forgotten about ever since her death.
The poor woman didn’t even get an on-screen funeral and we’ve been begging for justice since this moment.
Here’s everything you need to know about Harriet – the character the show seems desperate to forget. But, don’t worry, she’ll always live on in our heads.
Harriet Finch: Police officer turned vicar
Arriving in the Dales in 2013, Harriet hid her huge past history from her fellow villagers which was only revealed years later.
She had been a detective sergeant who went by the name of ‘Michelle’ whilst being an undercover cop for five years. During this time, she’d faked a relationship with drug dealer Will Taylor and had been a mum figure to a young Dawn before leaving the family abruptly.
With Will arrested, she then started an affair with DI Mark Malone…
Entering the Dales, Harriet ditched her days in the police force and instead became the village vicar. But, she wasn’t the most moral of vicars, that’s for sure!
Relationship history
Harriet’s initial days in the village saw her have a brief fling with Dom Andrews. However, after Harriet took his phone off him so she could kiss him on the night of Dom’s daughter – Gemma’s – death, they were doomed to fail.
In 2014, Harriet then dated fellow vicar Ashley Thomas. A few years later though, Harriet turned her attention towards bad boy, Cain Dingle. Quite the unexpected pairing!
Starting an affair with Cain in 2017, Cain confessed his feelings for Harriet after two drug dealers stabbed her. Cain almost had Ross Barton killed due to his involvement in the situation.
Ultimately though, Cain reunited with Moira after the birth of Isaac. It’s safe to say that Harriet wasn’t happy, believing that Cain was only getting back with Moira to protect her after Emma Barton’s death.
Moving on, Harriet started a relationship with her former flame, Will Taylor. But, this got her into a very sticky situation indeed!
Emmerdale: Harriet Finch and DI Malone
In 2020, DI Malone revealed himself to be the leader of Will’s old gang – and it turned out that he still possessed his gun. Harriet remained unaware of this link though.
Malone started threatening Will to work for him again, with Will going behind Harriet’s back to do some dodgy business for Malone.
Things got really sinister when Malone tried to convince Dawn to take a fatal overdose. Harriet intervened and knocked Malone on the head with an ornament.
She thought that she killed him but it was only as Malone started to stir that Dawn realised that he was still alive, shooting him three times and finishing him off.
Harriet then helped Dawn bury Malone’s body, with Will later teaming up to make sure that no traces of the killing would come back to his family.
Emmerdale: Harriet Finch death
In 2022, after Will and Harriet’s eventual split, Will prepared to marry Kim Tate.
However, Harriet still had feelings for Will and wanted to change his mind about going through with the wedding.
On Will and Kim’s wedding day, and on the soap’s 50th anniversary, a big storm hit the Dales. With a young and pregnant Amelia missing, Harriet jumped on a quadbike and entered the woods, looking for her.
Sadly, she crashed her bike in the storm. A lightning strike then hit and bike and exploded, with Harriet dying as a result. Brutal stuff.
Katherine Dow Blyton on soap exit
Poor Harriet was killed off in an awful way and didn’t get much of a tribute after her death. Whilst she did get a bus stop made in her memory (and Liv Flaherty’s), she didn’t even get an on-screen funeral. And, the village really didn’t take much time in getting over their grief for the former vicar.
Speaking to Soap from the Box, it seems that actress Katherine Dow Blyton also didn’t feel like Harriet had the best treatment at the end.
The star shared: “Why did the 50th have to be such a tragic outcome?”
Speaking out about the moment she first found out about Harriet’s fate, Katherine added: “I went up and they basically said: ‘We love Harriet and we’re going to give her a good death.’ I did sit there for 10 seconds thinking, have I done something wrong? They say don’t take it personally, but it’s impossible not to.
“I was taken aback. I said, ‘No, that’s fine, that’s fine.’ I said: ‘Well you don’t know what to do with me anyway, do you?’ I kept trying to get out of the building. Then I sat in my car and burst into tears because it was a shock.”