Karen Hollins (also Teale) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Jan Pearson.
Writers eventually introduced a family for Karen; husband and police sergeant Rob (Chris Walker), and their children, Imogen (Charlie Clemmow) and Jack (Nicolas Woodman).
Karen is depicted as a hardworking person who cares about her job and the patients at the surgery, but someone who prioritises her family above her work responsibilities.
Karen's storylines in the programme included becoming a healthcare assistant, having an abortion, the breakdown and reconciliation of her marriage to Rob, having amnesia after being involved in a car accident, becoming a foster parent and suffering from a heart attack that led to her eventual death.
Walker himself devised the storyline for Karen's memory loss and she was proud of the work that they both put into the year-long story arc.
After she recovers her memories and their children move out to attend higher education, Rob and Karen decide to become foster parents.
She becomes suspicious of his involvement with colleague Harriet Shelton (Carley Stenson) and after numerous fights, they agree that their marriage cannot be saved.
Karen suffers a heart attack after an argument with nemesis Princess Buchanan (Laura White) and Luca McIntyre (Ross McLaren) finds her collapsed.
Producers asked Pearson for suggestions on who should play Karen's husband, but she left it to the casting director, joking that it was like an arranged marriage.
[2] Karen's BBC profile noted that while she is great with the patients at the surgery, she is a "complete hypochondriac who won't hesitate to pester the doctors for a diagnosis".
[3] On Karen becoming a healthcare assistant, the profile explained that although she appears confident when her job responsibilities increase, she does not have complete faith in her abilities.
[2] However, she appreciated how "comedic and camp" Doctors can be and liked how often she got to dress up on the soap, with costumes including the Mad Hatter and a black PVC bondage suit.
Pearson joked that although she loved the range of costumes, she equally missed her nurse uniform from her time appearing as Kath Fox on Holby City since it was comfortable.
While dealing with a difficult case involving a child with anger management issues, Karen hides details from Rob about the incidents.
She reaches over the desk and presses the door's button, and after she exits, Karen falls to the ground and suffers a heart attack alone.
However, concerns over Pearson leaving Doctors were further fuelled by scenes that see Karen and Rob agree to sell their house and go travelling.
[1] After wrapping "If Wishes Were Horses", Karen's final physical episode, Walker gave a speech in honour of Pearson.
Series producer Peter Eryl Lloyd, who created Karen, wrote a statement for social media following Pearson's exit.
[11] He was proud of the regional representation of the Black country and the portrayal of a working-class woman that had been told through Karen, describing it as "a highly valued story on the show".
[11] Three months after Karen's death had aired, Pearson was asked about her exit from Doctors by journalists at the 2023 British Soap Awards.
[20] Following a change to Pearson's hair, Jane Corscadden of The Focus wrote that Karen "looks fantastic", with viewers echoing the comment.