Kirsty Knight (Shortland Street)
| Kirsty Knight | |||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Angela Dotchin | ||||
| Duration | 1992–98 | ||||
| First appearance | 25 May 1992 episode 1 |
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| Last appearance | 23 February 1998 | ||||
| Created by | Jason Daniel | ||||
| Introduced by | Caterina De Nave | ||||
| Book appearances | Kirsty and Lionel - Shortland Street Books (1996) | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
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| Mother | Mary O'Malley |
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| Husband | Lionel Skeggins (1995–98) |
Kirsty Knight (previously Skeggins) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and was portrayed by Angela Dotchin as part of the 1992 original cast up until 1998.
Originally appearing as the clinic's blonde bombshell teenage receptionist, the character was a love interest for heart throb Stuart Neilson (Martin Henderson) but by the time the character departed after 6 years, was a major character in the soap opera. Known for her "Secret Squirrel" storylines, Kirsty was the forefront of the show in numerous storylines such as an attempted rape at the hands of villain Darryl Neilson (Mark Ferguson), exposing two murderers, a hugely popular romance with fan favourite Lionel (John Leigh) and for her comedic pairing with eccentric receptionist Marj Neilson (Elizabeth McRae). The character left the show in 1998 when she fell in love with nemesis Darryl's twin, Damien (Mark Ferguson).
The character was hugely popular and is remembered for her iconic storylines, mainly her romance with Lionel and her initial appearance as the "Blonde Bombshell" archetype that would become a recurring characterisation throughout the show's history. Dotchin was nominated for two New Zealand Film and TV Awards for "Best Actress" throughout her run on the soap.
Kirsty was created as part of the original core cast of the show, being a teenager so that young audiences could relate to the show. Original producer Caterina De Nave credits storyline supervisor Jason Daniel as the man who created Kirsty. The character was set to debut in a storyline that saw Kirsty have a crush on teenager Stuart Neilson, only for Stuart to come out gay. However the producers pulled the storyline at the last minute and Stuart was instead written as heavily religious.
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