australian television information archive

Kate Atkinson as Karen Miller

Karen Miller is a good young local girl of conservative, country upbringing and values. She is a straightforward person with simple traditional needs. She is looking forward to the joys of getting married, having children and spending the next 70 years of her life in Pearl Bay. And she has fitted Angus into this long-term plan.

When Kate Atkinson went to university, majoring in film and theatre, she never thought she would actually end up acting. After graduating with a BA from Curtin University in Western Australia, her immediate options were to produce a film independently or to act. She found her first acting job and the acting work snowballed. Kate travelled to Melbourne on a working holiday, found an agent, and has been acting ever since. Her television credits include The Man From Snowy River, State Coroner and Blue Heelers. Youthful and petite, Kate is often asked to play younger characters; recently, she was cast as a 13-year-old! Her role as 24-year-old Constable Karen Miller is the oldest part 26-year-old Kate has played.

'I know I couldn't be a policewomen, nor do I have a yearning desire to marry. There are similarities though — I like things to be organised, ordered and in the realm of my control. In my spare time I enjoy simple pleasures, such as horse riding, reading, going to the movies and cooking — just like Karen.' — Kate Atkinson.