The character of Patricia rapidly developed into the main focus of the show, with her neurotic bitchiness and scheming being the source of most of the drama and tension between the other characters. Patricia became a popular character among viewers and was dubbed 'Pat the Rat' by the media. New characters introduced later in the season included Patricia's best friend, the dizzy socialite Charlie Bartlett (Sarah Kemp), Rob Keegan (Noel Hodda), the younger brother of Beryl Palmer who falls in love with and marries Angela, and Paul Sheppard (Mark Ferguson), the morally confused and neurotic grandson of Patricia's former lover James Sheppard, who left Patricia a substantial amount of his fortune following his death.