| C H A R A C T E R
David Stockwell | |
|---|---|
 David Lonsdale as David Stockwell | |
|
Episodes |
259 |
|
First Episode |
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Last Episode |
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Family |
Florence Stockwell (mother, deceased) Peggy Armstrong (aunt) |
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Dog |
Deefer |
David Stockwell was played by David Lonsdale and appeared in 3 occasional episodes as an occasional character in 1993 and 1995, and 256 episodes as a regular character.
Biography[]
A Comical village buffoon. Originally it was subtly suggested that David had learning disabilities and possibly a kind of intellectual disability, having to be cared for by his mother. However, as his appearances became more regular these elements were toned down, and he grew into more of a comedy character: clumsy, slow-witted, easily-led and uneducated, but with the proverbial "heart of gold". Due to his gullible nature he became a dogsbody first to Claude Greengrass, then Vernon Scripps, then Peggy Armstrong. David's signature gesture is to whip his hat off when he meets another person, or to scrunch it up in his hands when he is nervous or worried. David earns a living of sorts by doing odd jobs such as making deliveries, digging graves, gardening, and driving a taxi (originally for Vernon Scripps, though since the latter's departure from the series David is now apparently self-employed as a taxi driver, with his base being Bernie's garage, where he also acts as a mechanic). David originally "worked" for and lived with Claude Greengrass, and he took on Greengrass' house when the latter emigrated. Later Vernon Scripps moved in with David, until he too left the series. David's latest "house guest" is his aunt Peggy (Armstrong), who took it upon herself to move in with him. For many years David was accompanied by a lurcher dog called Alfred, which originally belonged to Greengrass. Alfred's death upset David greatly, but the grief was lessened by Peggy's gift of a new dog "Deefer" (from "D for dog"). He is portrayed as loving and a bit of a softie. He cried when Dr. Kate Rowan died of Leukaemia even though he had only met her once, you could see they got on as she understood him. He was also upset with the tragic death of Dr. Helen Trent. In Daniel, David was very upset when he found out that Gina and Phil's first born baby son Daniel Bellamy had died and couldn't stop crying. He had even bought him a little lamb for his cot. In Series 17, Gina Bellamy became pregnant again by Phil after his death and informed David that she wanted him to be her baby's godfather. This time the baby was born healthily and nothing went wrong and he and the others were surprised when Philip Bellamy Jr was born on the day that everyone threw a surprise party for Oscar's birthday. In one episode in Series Thirteen, One Thing Leads to Another, both Vernon and Bernie entered a romantic poetry competition, with Vernon typically claiming that he was the one who beat his younger half-brother in all the competitons. Although Bernie remembered it was the other way round. Naturally, David decided to enter although Vernon and Bernie reckoned that he had no chance whatsoever. Just as when it looked like Vernon was the winner, he was disqualified by the judges for cheating and entering a masterpiece of Lord Byron's under his own name. So David ended up winning, with his own composistion Ode To Alfred. His prize was a meal for two at a restraunt but suggested that Gina and Phil go out for dinner instead after what had happened with baby Daniel, who had tragically died when he was two days old. He may be considered stupid to some but actually capable of surprising people around him with his good nature and generosity. Sometimes, David's reliability can be questioned upon. In the first episode of series nine, Manoeuvres in the Dark, Greengrass came up with the idea of organising a French gournmet evening and entrusted David with bringing back the food from Whitby but while driving Greengrass' truck he lost control and ended up covered in half of it, thus ruining the main course. In one episode, David and Vernon recieved a lot of bills in the post and Vernon decided he had to get a proper full-time job, aside from the odd jobs he usually did for others. David got a job with Farmer George Walker and Vernon was furious when he discovered that David made George keep the wages that he was meant to give to him. David's last appearance was in Sweet Sorrow, where Oscar's life was hanging in the balance and he and the other Aidensfield Arms regulars toasted Oscar, as a mark of respect. This ended the series on a cliffhanger, as it is unknown what happened to David and the others afterwards. Yet the series may be brought back in the future.- so things may not be the end.
Relationships[]
Medical staff[]
An overview of David's on screen relationships with the medical staff of Aidensfield. Since becoming a regular character, David has witnessed the arrival and leaving of several doctors. Many of them have died and David has been shocked by some of their deaths - including that of Dr Neil Bolton in a fire and Dr Helen Walker dying in an explosion of the Police House.
"Loveable rogue" lineage[]
An overview of the relationship between Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, Vernon Scripps and Peggy Armstrong respectively. It is they that David spends most of his time with, often being roped into their moneymaking schemes. Sometimes they are often exasperated by David's grasp of things and he occasionally messes things up, leaving the likes of Bernie to pick up the pieces.
Aidensfield village "bobbies"
PC Nicholas " Nick " Rowan
PC Michael Dunstan " Mike " Bradley
PC Stephen " Steve " Crane
PC Robert " Rob " Walker
PC Joe Mason
Ashfordly Police sergeants
Sgt Oscar Blaketon
Sgt Raymond Craddock
Sgt Dennis Ian Merton
Sgt George Miller
Other Ashfordly police
PC Alfred " Alf " Ventress
PC Philip " Phil " Montgomery Bellamy
PC Thomas "Tom " Nicholson
PC Geoffrey " Geoff " Younger
Detective Sgt Rachel Dawson
PC Don Wetherby
Medical staff
Aidensfield doctors
Dr Alex Ferrenby
Dr Kate Rowan
Dr Neil Bolton
Dr Patricia " Tricia " Summerbee
Dr James Alway
Dr Liz Merrick
Dr Helen Walker
Other medical staff
Dr James Radcliffe
Nurse Maggie Bolton
Jenny Merton
Nurse Carol Cassidy
Dr Chris Oakley
Aidensfield Arms staff
Georgina " Gina Ward
Mary Ward
Susie Ward
Dawn Bellamy
Aidensfield Garage staff
Bernard " Bernie" Scripps
Rosemary "Rosie " Cartwright
Other regular characters
Lord Ashfordly
Katie Rowan
Eileen Reynolds
Joanna " Jo " Rowan
Jacqueline "Jackie" Rosemary Bradley
Andy Ryan
Ben Norton
Jack Hollins
Debbie Black
Recurring characters
Alan Maskell
Susan Maskell
Walter Maskell
Angela Hamilton
Biography from ITV.com[]
David is not too bright and his trademark gesture is to remove his cap whenever he meets another person.
His grasp of the world is essentially childlike and he once famously gave house room to a large ventriloquist's dummy. Vernon Scripps was not amused.
David's moral values are strong, but he is easily confused by counter-argument (especially by Peggy) and can be drawn into schemes about which he remains dubious. Peggy constantly draws David into her schemes, but does not exploit him.
His emotions are never far from the surface. David has great affection for his dog, Deefer, who remains a loyal friend. Deefer is so named because it's "D for dog".
Gallery[]
