Patrick Doyle is a very shrewd and a cunning genius, as manager of the Dragons his steadfast attitude towards the team is be part of the team or you won't be! Doyle is firm but fair with his players and unlike some of his Harchester predecessors he'll have a laugh with his lads, just as long they don't take it too far. Prior to his move to Harchester replacing Monday Bandele at the helm, he was manager of Paris Saint German and helped them to become a top club both domestically and in Europe can he repeat this feat at Harchester? He certainly thinks so.

In the 2001-2002 season Doyle moved back to England with Harchester mid-way through the season and with Harchester in the latter stages of the UEFA Cup with Patrick determined to clinch their first European trophy. Off the field he has a fair few problems to deal with in particular the rivalry between Stevie Shaw and Linton Alexander, this was a test of his superb man-management skills. With Monday Bandele as his assistant gaffer Doyle took the club to the UEFA Cup Final in Amsterdam against giants AC Milan... only they never made it to the stadium when disaster reared its ugly head again and caused a fatal coach crash, whilst recuperating in hospital his courageous Dragons were to suffer a 1-0 defeat by the Italians.

The start of the 2002/2003 season was full of optimism for Patrick and the Dragon, their UEFA defeat surely to act as a catalyst for greater things. However, things would turn troublesome again for the midlands club when a Consortium, belonging of Patrick and Jeff Stein, had their offer to purchase Sam Irvine's club rejected in favour of a die-hard fan and a lottery-winning plumber, Phil Wallis. In retaliation to this rejection Doyle took advantage of his power and placed a bet... £1 million on Harchester to be relegated. Would he succeed alone? No. In the following weeks as strangely Harchester topped the league against Arsenal, Phil's wife (Jacqui) finds out about the bet and in anger to her husband spending all of their winnings on a dud-player she joins his bet using the necklace her husband purchased for her. Their bitter revenge slowly gathers pace and with Harchester darting towards certain relegation Jacqui gets a sudden change of heart although Doyle won't let her call off the bet instead he exerts his authority over her - their affair begins. As the Dragon's grew in poor performances, Patrick also grew but in cunning. Although he made a mistake when he assumed that Fletch, with his off-field problems mainly due to the lack of a renewed contract, would want in on the bet... sadly for Doyle this wasn't to be instead he had just begun a war in Harchester, your regular good verses evil clash.

With Fletch banging in the goals, Patrick was unable to drop him with the fear of extra-public interest in his management choices - all for the deterioration of the club. Instead he begins the mind games with Karl, there would be only on winner on those stakes. Patrick spikes Fletch's drink with cocaine, Fletch was out of the game or risk a greater stay on the sidelines. Fletch wasn't the only team-member who he had let in on the bet there were others, goalkeeper Jamie Parker in a rich vein of awful form was also in on the bet thus letting in blunders everywhere, surely with Fletcher out and a leaky back the Dragons we're defeated? Jacqui had a sudden attack of conscience and told her husband everything. Patrick was out as manager but with his insiders the job would still go ahead. However on the final day of the season Patrick pushed Jamie one step too far by handing him a gun thinking that Jamie would kill himself and end his personal misery. Instead Jamie took the team hostage in the dressing room at half time during the final game! Jamie was shot by the police when he was falsely told that his wife would be outside the Dressing Room to meet him, Parker died. The FA got wind of the bet and initially decided that United would be relegated but some heroic pleaing by Phil saved the day. United would be allowed to play Everton for the right to stay in the Premiership. United won 1-0. The bet had failed, Patrick had failed. The syndicate he advised to place the bet were angry, furious even, they lashed out as soon as the final whistle struck - they killed Patrick Doyle.

Statistics

First Appearance: Episode 5.22
Final Appearance: Episode 6.32

Season 5 Character Popularity: 0.19% (16th)
Season 6 Character Popularity: 2.192% (8th)

Filmography

Rosemary & Thyme - The Gongoozlers (2004) TV Episode .... Vernon
The Courtroom - Nudist Breach (2004) TV Episode .... Edward Palmer
Heartbeat - The Rivals (2001) TV Episode .... Trevor Shields
Casualty - Something from the Heart (2001) TV Episode .... Mark Fletcher - Beggars Can't Be Choosers (1991) TV Episode .... Rob Carrington
The Bill .... DS/DI Chris Deakin (1994-2000) - All Change (1999) TV Episode .... DS/DI Chris Deakin - Unlicensed (1998) TV Episode .... D.I. Deakin
The Bill: Target (1996) (TV) .... DI Chris Deakin
Wild West (1992) .... Tony
Poirot ... aka Agatha Christie's Poirot (UK: complete title) - Death in the Clouds (1992) TV Episode .... Norman Gale
Nightingales - Scrutiny of the Bounty (1990) TV Episode .... DI George
Bergerac - In Love and War (1990) TV Episode .... Scholes
Passion and Paradise (1989) (TV) .... Dennis Bullingham
The River (1989) TV Series .... Tom Pike
Boon - Fiddler Under the Roof (1987) TV Episode .... Sean Jones, bridegroom
Escape (1987) .... Jan ... aka Border (UK: TV title)
The Lady's Not for Burning (1987) (TV) .... Nicholas Devize
Season's Greetings (1986) (TV) .... Clive
The Winning Streak (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Paul Savage
The Browning Version (1985) (TV) .... Peter Gilbert
Brass (1983) TV Series .... Jack Fairchild
The Agatha Christie Hour - In a Glass Darkly (1982) TV Episode .... Neil Carslake
The Merchant of Venice (1980) (TV) .... Stephano... aka The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice (USA: video title)
Hanover Street (1979) .... Male Patient #1

Last updated June 2006. For more up-to-date information, please visit IMDb.