DCI Grace Barraclough

Grace Barraclough
Emmerdale character
Portrayed by	Glynis Barber
Duration	2006–2007
First appearance	26 December 2006
Last appearance	27 September 2007
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Date of death	27 September 2007
Occupation	Police Officer
Family Mother Mary Barraclough Romances Carl King

Detective Chief Inspector "DCI" Grace Barraclough is a fictional character in the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale. Her first episode was broadcast on December 26 2006. She was portrayed by Glynis Barber.

Character's background

DCI Grace Barraclough usually appeared with her colleague Detective Chief Inspector Vikesh Dasari, as part of the storyline surrounding the death of Tom King. While investigating Tom's murder, she suspected Bob Hope, especially after he confessed. However, it emerged that he had confessed to protect his son Jamie.

She later started dating Carl King secretly, as a honeytrap. Their relationship became serious as they arranged many secret rendezvous. They knew that if they were discovered, Grace could lose her job. She seemed willing to risk it until her colleague, Vikesh Dasari, saw her with Carl and gave her an ultimatum; end the relationship or he would tell Vaughan and her career would be over. (Vaughan was already angry with Grace for failing to get a conviction on the King case, complained about the cases which followed and messed up the chance he gave her to get her career back on track, giving a speech at the 'Long Service and Good Conduct Ceremony'.) Knowing what she must do, Grace ended the affair, telling Carl that it was 'just a bit of fun'. But clearly her feelings ran deeper.

After Grace ended the affair, Carl told his brothers that he had just been dumped by Grace and they sent him to Europe to get over her. In the meantime, she seemed to be getting on fine until Carl returned and seduced her again. She tried again to end the relationship but when she learned that her mother had had a stroke, she regretted being so hard on Carl as he refused to be a shoulder to cry on. She stopped answering when he called; and later in the week, when Carl read about her mother's death in the paper, he resorted to waiting outside the police station and Grace's home in order to get her to speak to him. It finally worked, but she confessed that the first time they had had a drink together, she had followed him and was trying to trap him for information about the murder of Carl's father. Grace and Carl worked through their issues and their relationship was back on track.

All through the relationship, right up until Grace's mother's died, Carl and Grace were fighting for the upper hand. Her mother's death made Grace realise that she really cared for Carl, and wanted more than the 'bit of fun' they had previously been having. This gave Carl the power in the relationship, and he wasted no time in abusing it, blowing hot and cold with Grace and making her doubt their relationship almost before it had restarted.

Grace died on 27 September after being hit by a lorry after Carl admitted to her that he had killed his father. Carl didn't attend her funeral but laid flowers at her grave later on. It was supposed that Matthew King had ordered her death.

External links

• Barraclough's Blog

See also

• Who Killed Tom King?