Mrs Tembe

Acting Practice Manager (2012, 2015)

Practice Manager (2016-2019)

Children's Charity Manager (2019-)

'Winifred Clements' (better known as and credited as Mrs Tembe) is a fictional character from the BBC Daytime Soap Doctors, played by Lorna Laidlaw. She first appeared during the episode broadcast 5 January 2011. Mrs Tembe was introduced as the new receptionist at the Mill Health centre, as a replacement for Ruth Pearce (Selina Chilton). She was originally introduced as Mrs Tembe, with an unknown forename, however it was later revealed to be Winifred, however the character was always credited as Mrs Tembe and she refused to let anyone call her by her first name. Laidlaw temporarily departed screens after eight months in the role of Mrs Tembe in 2011. Her on-screen exit storyline saw her flee back to Botswana after not feeling safe due to the intense racism she had received from her neighbour. Mrs Tembe's exit aired on 3 August 2011 and it was not confirmed after whether or not the character would return. However, on the episode broadcast on 19 September 2011, Mrs Tembe was confirmed to be returning the following day and Mrs Tembe returned to screens on 20 September 2011. After practice manager Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) departed in May 2012, Mrs Tembe was made Acting Practice Manager at the Mill and interviewed for the post permanently, but she lost out to Howard Bellamy (Ian Kelsey), returning to reception as Senior Receptionist. However in October 2015, after Howard's death, Mrs Tembe was made the Acting Practice Manager of the Mill once again and interviewed for the post, but lost out closely for a second time to Anthony Harker (Adam Astill). Laidlaw took a break from Doctors in 2016 in order to direct some episodes, Mrs Tembe's exit storyline saw the conclusion of a workplace bullying storyline that Mrs Tembe had been the centre of, as she had been bullied by new practice manager, Anthony. She accepted a job he had recommended to her at another health centre and Mrs Tembe departed on 19 February 2016 in what seemed like a permanent exit for the character. However, in the episode broadcast on 1 April 2016, Mrs Tembe made a surprised, unannounced return to screens when she appeared in a phone conversation with Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan), she also made appearances on 5 April in another phone conversation with Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) and appeared at Zara's housewarming party the following episode on 6 April. She made another appearance on 8 April, when Jimmi visited her at her new workplace, which was revealed to be in serious financial trouble and was very understaffed. She made further appearances on 12 and 14 April in episodes that showed she was the new Acting Practice Manager of Kings Green since the Practice Manager quit, the 14 April episode revolved around her new workplace. Mrs Tembe made a permanent return on 25 April when she returned to the Mill and assumed the role of Practice Manager. Laidlaw later took a short break from Doctors in early 2018 and her exit storyline saw her take some annual holiday leave to visit her brothers and nephew in Botswana, Mrs Tembe last appeared on screens on 18 January 2018, however she appeared twice through webcam, speaking to colleagues, Ben Galadima (who she left in charge of the Mill) and Jimmi, these appearances were on 24 January and 31 January. Mrs Tembe returned to screens on 7 March 2018. On 8 January 2019, it was announced via What's On TV that Laidlaw had chosen to leave Doctors and the role of Mrs Tembe after 8 years. She filmed her final scenes in October 2018 and Mrs Tembe made her last appearance on 13 February 2019, where her exit storyline saw her move to Newcastle with Reverend Gordon Clements, who she had reunited with and gotten engaged to and so she could also start a new job with a charity and attend a university where she would train to become a vicar. Mrs Tembe remains a much loved Doctors character and is one of the most iconic characters the soap has ever had, being known for her Botswanian accent, Christian views, cooking and most importantly, her different wigs. Mrs Tembe is still referred to by her colleagues, with her wedding taking place off screen on 23 February.

Mrs Tembe's storylines on the show have included her friendships with Heston Carter (Owen Brenman), being a victim of racism from her neighbours, defending Heston after he faced jail for attacking a teenager, a romance with Reverend Gordon Clements, the discovery that she lied about her husband, Thomas dying because he was gay and she was ashamed of him, the breakdown of her relationship with Gordon, taking in colleague Karen Hollins (Jan Pearson) after she lost her memory, helping to stop a man named Josh from committing suicide by throwing himself off the Church roof, a rivalry with Al Haskey (Ian Midlane) over his smoking habits at the Mill, doing her back in which led her to develop a close but inappropriate bond with her chiropractor, launching Project Happiness at the Mill to boost staff moral, becoming Acting Practice Manager after Howard's death, taking on a conman named Hutch who was scamming pensioners in Letherbridge, being attacked and left for dead by Hutch, supporting Valerie Pitman (Sarah Moyle) through her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, being bullied by new Practice Manager Anthony, leaving the Mill over her ordeal, helping to expose Anthony's true colours, returning to the Mill as Practice Manager, launching several new schemes such as the paperless scheme, a check-in-machine, a feedback machine, a death board and a sugar ban. Other storylines since then include introducing a library to the Mill, being tricked in pheremone dating by Valerie, strangulating her hernia, being involved in a love triangle with biker JJ Kenright and surgeon Charles Gupta, a romance with JJ Kenright, trying to cope with JJ's criminal past, catching chlamydia from JJ, the breakdown of her and JJ's relationship when he moves to Spain, the discovery that Ruhma Carter (Bharti Patel) helped an illegal pregnant immigrant, mentoring Ben Galadima to look after the Mill whilst she was away on holiday, a rivalry with Jeremy Smail over his proposed rival practice, Sutton Vale, having to try and stop Smail from stealing the Mill's staff, having a fallout with Heston, being involved in a car crash with Al and Heston, suffering serious injuries from the car crash, having to have a tracheostomy performed on her, dealing with her grief over the car accident and Heston's death, losing her Faith in God, her rejection of help from her colleagues, the return of Gordon and her faith to her life, a reunion with Gordon, having to deal with practice partners, Daniel and Zara's relationship breakdown, becoming engaged to Gordon, resigning from the Mill, trying to find a replacement, a rivalry with Catrin Ballard and introducing Becky Clarke (Ali Bastian) to the Mill as her replacement.

In her 8 years on the soap, Laidlaw appeared in 1,071 episodes as Mrs Tembe.