With Faye’s (Ellie Leach) dad now on the scene, Anna is finding that her relationship with her adoptive daughter is floundering. So when Faye’s social worker starts to question their arrangement, Anna next week decides to change tack. But after she invites Tim round to the house to spend time with Faye, Owen (Ian Puleston-Davies) hits the roof. Struggling to keep everyone happy, which relationship will Anna sacrifice? Actress Debbie Rush reveals more about Anna’s quandary:

So how does Anna feel now that Faye has tracked down her real dad on the internet?
She’s really concerned, purely for the fact that Faye has had a very difficult start in life. Her mother was a heroin addict who died when Faye was first in care with Anna is worried that her dad might be a wrong’un like her mum was. All that she knows is that he left the family when Faye was only two, so he had no rights or anything and he couldn’t contact her. So that is why she ended up going into care.

How sure is Anna that banning Anna from seeing Tim is the right thing to do?
She’s worried about who he is and where has he comes from and why. But I also think she’s feeling a little bit insecure. She’s put all this time and effort into giving Faye a loving home – she lost her partner Eddie through it, so she’s invested such a lot. She isn’t jealous or envious, but she does feel a little threatened by the situation. She’s worried that Faye will not realise that the best thing for her is to be with Anna. She’s given virtually everything up for her and it might all backfire.

Does Anna have any suspicions that Faye is lying to her and still seeing her dad?
To begin with, she doesn’t think Faye is lying to her at all. Owen is constantly saying that she’s naughty and can’t be trusted, but Anna wants to trust her children. When that trust is broken it feeds Anna’s paranoia and her mistrust of the whole situation. It’s already making Faye behave in a different way.

And then we see that Faye has given Izzy and Gary the slip while out on a cinema trip…
Again it reinforces her fear that this man is a bad influence. Anna believes that she’s taught Faye well in the last 12 months and that she’s starting to be a well- behaved young girl. Now, all of a sudden, the old Faye is re emerging. The family unit had really started to bond and then this person came along and put a spanner in the works.

And how does Anna react when Tim brings Faye home and informs her that Faye said Anna had agreed to the meetings?
She’s shocked because she had no clue Faye had been in touch with him. And when she actually sees him, he’s not at all what she was expecting. She’d been expecting somebody much younger who looked like they’d had a bad life. Tim is much more respectable, so now she’s even more wary of him. She doesn’t understand why he disappeared from Faye’s life and why he now wants to be involved.

How does she react when Tim tells her he wants visiting rights to see his daughter?
He’s being ever so reasonable, telling Faye to listen to Anna. But there’s just something that Anna is not sure about. She very much distrusts him because she sees an edge that Faye hasn’t. She’s furious that he wants visiting rights because, as far as she’s concerned, she’s adopted a child that has no family. And all of a sudden someone has turned up who wants rights.

Does Anna talk to Faye and find out her thoughts about seeing her dad?
Anna does try and sit down and talk to her. But, when she doesn’t get the response she wants, she tries to explain in a very gentle way that they don’t know anything about this man and that he’s a total stranger. But Faye has reached an age where she’s started to want to know more about herself and her family. 

And then we have Owen to consider – does he now feel like a dad to Faye?
He’s upset because it’s gone from a situation where Faye was starting to treat Owen more like a dad to her now saying that she hates him. He feels very pushed out but, as usual, he goes about things the wrong way and Anna gives him a warning. He’s well meaning but he just doesn’t deal with situations like this very well. 

What does the visit from social services bring up?
Anna thinks that this will sort it all out, but social services have looked into Tim’s background and there is no reason for them to stop him seeing Faye. They’ve vetted him, but Anna is still suspicious about his motives for suddenly turning up.

So why does she then invite Tim round for dinner?
Faye wants him to come. It’s funny because Anna is normally the best hostess, but she just plonks down beans on toast. But then, of course, Owen arrives home and it looks like they’re playing happy families. So it doesn’t go down too well.

If Anna was faced with choosing between Faye and Owen, who would she pick?
She made that decision when Eddie was around and I think she would choose Faye again. But it would be more difficult now because she really does care for Owen and she knows they could have a great family life.