Isobel 'Izzie' Redpath was a Drama teacher at Waterloo Road and the mother of Mika and Chlo Grainger.
Personality
Izzie was in her mid-to-late 30s, warm, with bags of charisma and a 'sod the rules' approach. She was a popular teacher who winged it too much for her own good. She was easy and open and could have a laugh at her own expense with the pupils. She was also a single mum with two teenage daughters of her own at the school - Mika (16) and Chlo (15) - with her ex-husband Jimmy Grainger.
History
A former singer and dancer, Redpath worked as a drama and English teacher at Waterloo Road school, and was shown as having a libertarian, "no rules" approach to lessons.
She had two daughters Mika and Chlo, with her ex-partner, Jimmy Grainger. Her best friend Lorna Dickey was married to colleague Tom Clarkson, but their marriage broke down after Tom found out Lorna was pregnant and had aborted their baby. After a while Tom and Izzie began a relationship and Tom moved into the house. While Chlo accepted the new relationship, Mika was less enthusiastic about the prospect of living with two teachers.
However, Lorna was heartbroken by the relationship, hoped to win Tom back and saw the relationship as a betrayal by her two best friends. At the end of Series 1, Lorna threw herself into a river in a suicide attempt, but was saved by two men. She left town briefly, but returned at the beginning of Series 2, to find that Izzie was pregnant with Tom's baby.
When Lorna returned, she moved in with Tom and Izzie until she could find her own flat. Tom was suspicious of Lorna as he thought she was trying to the newer relationship, borne out when Lorna threw herself down the stairs in an attempt to injure herself so she would have to stay with them longer.
Eventually Lorna moved on and found her own flat. However, as Izzie helped Lorna move her belongings in, they had an argument, resulting in Izzie taking a fall and consequentially losing her baby. After this tragedy, Izzie ended her relationship with Tom for a short time as she felt there was nothing to it any more.
Lorna discovered she had Multiple Sclerosis and booked a holiday at a cottage, inviting Tom and Izzie. Neither knew the other would be going, so once they arrived they were forced to stay and work things out. Lorna was happy to spend her last night with her two best friends once they had all sorted things out, and after getting very drunk she went upstairs and took an overdose of her medication. She died shortly after a devastated Izzie and Tom found her. For Izzie and Tom it was the wake-up call they both needed to realise they loved each other, and Tom proposed to Izzie. She accepted.
Izzie was stabbed by Jed Seddon at the end of Series 2, after seeing headmaster Jack Rimmer in a fight with him, and fell into Jack's arms in the school car park. At the beginning of the next series, it was revealed that she had died, but it was never revealed whether Jed was ever charged with killing her.
In Series 4 Episode 18, Chlo gave birth to her daughter, and named her after Izzie.
Trivia
- When Tom tries to leave early in series 3, Chlo rushes out crying, telling him that she misses her mother.
- When Chlo tells Tom that she's pregnant she says that she misses her mum.
- Chlo names her baby after Izzie, albeit with the slightly different spelling 'Izzy'.
- A plaque dedicated to Izzie is visible on the Rochdale school campus.
- Izzie's Year 10 dance class performed at the school's open evening in series 1.
- Tom and Izzie often did team teaching together throughout series 2, which more often than not led to an argument between the two.
Quotes
- "Mika, will you have some toast?" (first line)
- Izzie: "You swine!"
- Mika: "Mum!"
- Chlo: "It was him?!"
- Izzie: "Give me the keys! I'll be sending you a bill for fixing my car, and a copy to the solicitors!"
- Jimmy: "I'm not giving you anything until you let me see my daughters."
- Izzie: "Screw you."
- Mika: "What if a mad axe man breaks in? What do we tell him? We don't know where our mum is?"
- Izzie: "Tell him to ring me on my mobile."
- "JACK!" (last line)