Claudia Irving (Georgia Zaris) 2001-2002

First Regular Appearance: 5.1 (#229) Passports Out  Sunday 16th September 2001

Last Regular Appearance: 5.32 (#260) Forsaking All Others  Sunday 5th May 2002

Duration: EP: 229 - 260  |  SE: 5.1 – 5.32

Position: P.A / Marketing (2001-2002) / Harchester United Chairwoman (2002; for a nice few hours at least!)

Last Seen: On board the doomed UEFA Cup-bound coach after being given the club by her father. Doesn’t survive the crash.

With a domineering businessman for a father in Samuel Irving, and two older brothers her father prioritised to follow in his footsteps, Claudia longed to be recognised for the brain-for-business she knew she had. When Sam bought Harchester United in July 2001, Claudia travelled from Australia with him and was largely unimpressed with the uneventful location of her father’s new venture. But when her dad tells her he has a position she would suit, Claudia is excited for the opportunity to be a Premier League Chief Executive at just twenty-two. But Sam doesn’t plan on giving Claudia that job, instead putting former owner and United queen Lynda Block ahead of his daughter whilst she gets the belittling role of PA to her father’s latest interest. Embarrassed by this, Claudia doesn’t let on to anyone that she is Irving’s daughter, using instead the psynodom Claudia Spence.

The boys in the team are impressed with Claudia, and womanising duo Andrei Belanov and Stevie Shaw make a bet on which will sleep with her first. Stevie produces a piece of Claudia’s nightwear, claiming he has won, but when she finds out what he is saying Claudia arranges a meeting of her own for the skipper - with both of Stevie’s fiancées present! Claudia has the honour of being at the centre of two of DT’s sexiest scenes ever, alongside the two-footballs-for-a-bra photoshoot for her marketing manager bid, a backwards fall on the muddy training pitch sees Claudia take the chance to use the team showers. Manager David Spears catches her, but Claudia isn’t uncomfortable, for she’s had her eye on David for some time. Married Mr. Spears cannot resist the beautiful Claudia, and an affair begins between the pair.

The two are caught at the Christmas party, with furious Sam sacking the man who dared to corrupt his daughter! David had fallen in love with Claudia, but she was just looking for a man to have fun with who would devote attention to her, and with some regret she watches him leave. If Claudia thought that was the end of the matter, next came the attention of David’s embittered wife Dawn! Claudia was terrified when she began being stalked, with the culprit even breaking into the home she shared with best pal Nikki. Claudia has a close call when Dawn reveals herself as the two are alone in the house Dawn is due to be evicted from. Dawn knocks Claudia unconscious, ties her up and turns on the gas mains leaving Claudia to die. She is found in time by Lynda, Nikki and Linton Alexander.

Lynda appreciated Claudia more than she realised, but Claudia could never accept the latest woman in her father’s life. Determined to stop Lynda and her father marrying, she teams up with resident bitch Victoria Baptiste to expose Lynda’s affair with Karl Fletcher. She ends up not needing to, as Sam himself has seen the pair together and ditches Lynda at the alter. Claudia is regretful to see her father hurt, but not to see the back of Lynda, and the day gets better for her when Sam gives his daughter what she’s wanted all along – Harchester United. Because of this, Claudia takes her seat on the team coach destined for the UEFA Cup Final in Amsterdam. The coach crashes on the M1 and Claudia is killed, leaving Sam feeling bitter at having sent his daughter to her death. He rids himself of the club to Phil and Jacqui Wallis.

In May 2020, Georgia appeared at the Dream Team cast reunion fundraiser Harchester Reunited