Susan Hanson (born 11 February 1943) is an English actress who played the part of Diane Lawton (later Parker and Hunter) in the long-running British soap opera Crossroads from 1965–87, when her character was controversially killed off.
[1][2] After a short-lived marriage to BBC Radio 1 DJ Tommy Vance in the 1960s,[3] Hanson married musician Carl Wayne in 1974; they had a son, Jack.
A few years later, she returned to British TV screens in the role of the mother of Todd Carty's character in an episode of Holby City, whilst also appearing in That's What I Call Television, alongside former colleagues Jane Rossington (Jill Chance), Tony Adams (Adam Chance) and Paul Henry (Benny Hawkins).
[citation needed] In November 2009, Hanson made appearances on both The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Loose Women, with each interview giving her the chance to promote Network DVD's new boxset marking Crossroads' 45th anniversary.
Her character, Penny Thornley, began the chain of events leading to the departure of Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers).