Geraldine Briggs

Geraldine Briggs is a major character in the Series 16 episode ''Change. ''She is the only child of John Briggs, who leaves his company to her and she later becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. She is portrayed by Sharon Small.

Background
Geraldine is the only child of John Briggs and his late wife. She was apparently quite close to her father as a child. However, when she was sixteen, her uncle Phillip raped her, resulting in her falling pregnant. Geraldine's parents didn't believe her when she claimed her own uncle had assaulted her; they were more concerned about what a teenage pregnancy would do to Briggs company name, fearing it would tarnish the 'family image'. John forbade Geraldine from getting an abortion, forcing her to carry her unwanted baby to term. When Geraldine gave birth to a baby daughter, she finally found herself able to love her child. Unfortunately, John took her daughter away soon after, and had her adopted. Geraldine was devastated and never forgave her father for the pain he caused her.

Geraldine stated that her mother told her she was "put on this earth to endure pain" and that she "killed her mother with disappointment", implying that Geraldine was blamed for her mother's premature death. Geraldine became estranged from her father; at the time of his death, she hadn't seen him in nineteen years.

Change
Geraldine is contacted and comes to London when her father dies, as John left her the company in his will. Geraldine tells the medical examiner, Nikki Alexander, that she isn't sure how to feel over John's death; the two bond over their shared experiences with fathers. Geraldine is reunited with a young woman named Deanna, who she is lead to believe is her long-lost daughter. Geraldine is heartbroken when Deanna is murdered, even more so when DNA testing confirms that Deanna wasn't really her daughter. DS Gold questions Geraldine, as she was the last person to see Deanna alive. Geraldine becomes distraught over the implication that she murdered Deanna and reveals to Gold and Nikki that she was raped by Phillip. Geraldine is pressured to sell her father's company, but decides against it, believing that her father gave her the company for a reason.

However, she is later arrested on suspicion of killing Annette Kelly, her father's secretary. She is eventually acquitted. Towards the end of the episode, Nikki reveals she has tracked down Geraldine's real daughter, living in what appears to be a home for adults with learning difficulties. Nikki tells Geraldine that the family that adopted her daughter gave her back, because "she wasn't perfect either". An emotional Geraldine is then finally reunited with her daughter.