Karen Pirie viewers open-mouthed as EastEnders star pops up in ITV detective drama with VERY different look
The second series of Karen Pirie, a series based on Val McDermid's Inspector Karen Pirie, fit our screens earlier this month.
The show originally aired its first series on ITV in September 2022.
It stars Lauren Lyle as DS/DI Karen Pirie, Chris Jenks as DC /DS Jason Murray, Zach Mywatt as DS Phil Parhatka and Rakhee Thakrar as Bel Richmond.
ITVX's official synopsis reads: 'The relentless Scottish DI returns with a baffling new cold case.
'Can she crack the infamous 80s disappearance of an oil heiress and her son? BAFTA-winning drama starring Lauren Lyle.'
And some have just realised where they recognise Dr. River Wilde from, the character who is Karen's best pal and professor of forensic anthropology and archaeology.
Dr. River is played by actress Emer Kenny, 35, who has previously played a number of other roles in various TV shows.
But many will remember her taking on the role of Zsa Zsa Carter in EastEnders in 2010.
One said on the EastEnders Facebook fan page: 'Emer Kenny who played Zsa Zsa Carter is in the new ITV show Karen Pirie.'
'I thought it was her!'
'Same here I recognised her from somewhere.'
The former soap star starred in 56 episodes and also appeared in the first and second series of EastEnders: E20.
Her alter-ego is the daughter of Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) and Mark Reynolds.
She turned up in Walford and caused a scene after she kissed Peter Beale (Thomas Law) at a party in front of Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa).
Zsa Zsa then appears in E20, where her relationship with Leon Small (Sam Attwater) plays out and decides to move to France in her van because of the drama.
Not only that, she's also been a screen writer for the BBC soap for three episodes, with one in 2012, another in 2013 and another the following year.
One of Emer's first roles was playing Gail in Coming Down the Mountain.
She later played Kate in Freefall, Rebecca in Lesbian Vampire Killers and Joan Bartlett in Eric and Ernie.
Between 2012 and 2014 she played Danielle Reeves in Pramface.
She also played Hope in Beaver Falls, Rachel in Badults and Izzy in Siblings.
Emer took on the role of Penelope Windermere between 2017 and 2021.
Most recently she's appeared in The Duchess and The Curse.
The actress has also done a lot of writing over the years for various TV shows.
Some include EastEnders, Doctors, Holby City, Harlots, Save Me, Karen Pirie and The Curse.
Emer is married to TV presenter Rick Edwards, 46 and the couple share one son.
The pair tied the knot in 2016, but met three years prior at a Jessie Cave show, with Rick proposing just six weeks later.
Earlier this week ITV viewers dubbed Karen Pirie 'the new Line Of Duty ' and binged through episodes.
The show is produced by World Productions, the same company behind other hits including Bodyguard and Line Of Duty.
Sunday's episode saw Detective Karen investigate a challenging kidnapping case when a man's body is found.
The remaining episodes of the new season will air each Sunday evening on ITV1, and will be available to stream on ITVX.
The new season of Karen Pirie was well-received by some fans who took to social media to rave.
One posted on X: 'Enjoyable first episode of the new series, so intriguing I immediately binge-watched the other two on ITVX!'
Another chimed in: 'I thought #KarenPirie was excellent TV, looking forward to next Sunday.'
Someone else said: '35 minutes in and I'm hooked. This is brilliant #KarenPirie.'
'Feel like I've been waiting a lifetime for this new series of #KarenPirie,' one fan posted.
'The new Line of Duty I think!' someone else said, according to WalesOnline.
Another reportedly added: 'Watched the first three episodes already! So good.'
'Tried watching #KarenPirie but really don't care about any character past or present. Boring drama by numbers.'
The new season of Karen Pirie was well-received by some fans who took to social media to rave, though not everyone was so impressed
The Mail's Christoper Stevens rated the drama an impressive five out of five stars.
He described the story line and various 'plots as deep and dark as a coal mine shaft'.
'The characters aren't merely well drawn — they're alive, constantly seeking to understand and learn more about each other,' the critic gushed.
Karen Pirie airs on ITV1 on Sundays at 8pm and streams on ITVX.
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When she needs to court attention, the easiest way is often to insult the wives and girlfriends of the men who watch her and come to her events. 'I just loved … knowing I was doing something their wives should have done.' She recommends bringing their partners' underwear along. 'I'll make them smell MUCH nicer'. And just remember, she confides to camera, 'that if a girl says she's on her period, there's nothing wrong with her throat.' But, Silver remains essentially unconfrontational in her approach, and no match for one as robust and unfazed by other people's opinions as Billinger. The latter claims that her career is what feminism has fought for 'for years and years'. So, if young girls are seeing her content and fearing that this is what they should be offering boys? Then it's up to their parents to teach them that it's not for everyone. The idea of a collective or social responsibility, any considerations beyond the purely individual and/or financial gain no traction. Silver rarely pushes back, even when Billinger recruits visibly nervous, deliberately young-looking female content creators for a video in a 'sex education lesson' where performers roleplay students – she asks nothing about possible harms to them or in encouraging male fantasies around girls too young to consent. The basilisk Blue stare seems to hold her in its thrall. There are only perhaps two moments that, for me, come close to revealing anything about Billinger, and even these are only a measure of – maybe – how deep the traits she has already willingly shown us run. The first is her comment: 'Everyone says my brain works different. I'm just not emotional … If I don't want to get upset, I won't get upset.' It reminds me of the statistics that show a high proportion of CEOs and the like – and what is Billinger if not her own CEO – are technically sociopaths. And the second is that when she computes the risk of being insulted in the street she says: 'At least they're getting off the sofa.' This 26-year-old woman who spurned university as unnecessary, was driving a Mercedes C-class by the age of 19, and bought a house shortly thereafter. Hard graft seems to be a high calling, laziness the only sin. Do I admire her work ethic and facility for business? Yes. Do I wish we lived in a world where the best option for realising those talents as a young woman was not through making online porn? Yes. Do I see where we go from here? Yes, I do. And Billinger will be fine. Beyond that individual? Not so much. Not so much. 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story is available on Channel 4.
