Kathy Brookman (also Bates, Merrick, Tate and Glover) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Malandra Burrows.

[2] Kathy arrives in Emmerdale with her mother, Caroline (Diana Davies), and brother, Nick (Cy Chadwick), in 1985, following her parents' separation.

Kathy studies for her A-levels but leaves school when Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) gives her a job at NY Estates as a farm worker.

Kathy begins a relationship with Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock) but they break up temporarily, in 1987, when Kathy begins dating Tony Marchant (Mark Payton), a rich relative of NY boss Christopher Meadows (Conrad Phillips), causing Jackie to smash up Tony's van out of jealousy.

For several months Kathy loses interest in everything and only comes out of her shell when she reluctantly joins the cast of Amos Brearly's (Ronald Magill) village production of Dracula, in January 1990.

One of Chris' drivers, George Starkey (James Noble), brings news that a cafe owner in Southampton – who was also a medium – had a message from her dead husband, in a bid to win her over.

Their marriage collapses in 1994 when Chris begins an affair with his would-be second wife Rachel Hughes (Glenda McKay) and impregnates her.

Following the divorce settlement, Kathy invests the money to buy the old tearooms in the village and begins a relationship with Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey) – who ironically works for the Tates.

Although Steve is found guilty of Kathy's attempted murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime, with the addition of serving 12 months each for theft and obtaining money by deception, Kim eludes facing justice for her nefarious activities after escaping the village in a helicopter with James – though not before nearly killing Chris, after attacking him with an ornament.

The pair eventually decide to leave the village for a fresh start of their own but things spiral out of control when Kathy discovers that Graham had actually killed Rachel and confronts him about it.

Kathy's attempt to move on from her trauma with Graham becomes short-lived when she gets involved in a bus accident, when the vehicle is hit by a Tate Haulage company lorry which had run out of control; she survives, while her friend, Butch Dingle (Paul Loughran), is fatally injured and he later passes away in hospital.

When Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) is arrested for the suspected murder of his estranged wife, Sarah (Alyson Spiro), Kathy moves into the farm to look after the children, Andy (Kelvin Fletcher), Robert (Christopher Smith) and Victoria (Hannah Midgley).

Struggling to cope, Kathy nearly has a mental breakdown when Robert and Andy argue incessantly and the herd of cows contracts tuberculosis.

Kathy returns to the village when she accompanies Seth Armstrong back to reunite with his long-term companion, Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbrook).