Linzie Ferguson (Emma Gill) 2003 First Appearance: 6.23 (#283) Bending the Truth Sunday 16th March 2003 Last Appearance: 6.32 (#292) Just The Ticket Sunday 18th May 2003 Linzie is a young girl who is a newly qualified nanny. She is invited to an interview for what will be her first big role - caring for the baby daughter of football agent Tash Parker, but is delayed first by her train down from the North, and when she is dropped off at the wrong housing estate. Luckily she has Abi Fletcher on her side when an irritated Tash wants to dismiss her right away. Linzie soon learns that caring for Hope will be fairly easy compared to what she will witness from Hope's family around her. When he drinks himself out cold over losing his career as an agent, granddad Jeff passes out with a lit cigar dropping to the floor causing a fire. Linzie manages to get herself and Hope out before raising the alarm. When Hope's dad, Harchester goalkeeper Jamie attempts to back out of a sinister syndicate's bet to see the club relegated, Patrick Doyle sends a heavy to trick Linzie into letting him drive she and Hope to the game in London. Jamie knows exactly who the heavy is when he sees him holding Hope, and warns Linzie never to let that happen again. Linzie gets to know Jamie's team mate Ryan Naysmith, when he is out injured for the remainder of the season, and romance blossoms between the two. When Jamie's downward spiral sees him shot dead at the end of a siege, Linzie does her best to make things easier for Tash, and with Jeff makes sure Hope's first birthday is marked with a party. As the club survives relegation, Ryan presents Linzie with their summer holiday, tickets on Concorde to Texas with the Parkers joining them so Linzie won't have to leave the family right now. Whilst out there, Tash is enticed by an oil millionaire and decides to stay indefinitely, and no longer needed with the family, Linzie doesn't stay with Ryan and returns home.