PC Mel Ryder played by Rhea Bailey

First appearance    Gun Runner: Trigger Happy [# 599] (02/07/08)     

PC Mel Ryder is no shrinking violet; she's not afraid to give her colleagues upfront and honest opinions. She's ballsy, upbeat and will take no nonsense from criminals, or her colleagues alike. One of life’s true fighters, she manages to be both outspoken and well-liked.

Mel is of the opinion that life is for living; she doesn't like wasting time and is often very direct. Although small in stature, she makes up for it with her smile, making it difficult for people to stay mad at her for long, even when she does accidentally engage her mouth before consulting her brain. She still thinks nothing of partaking in banter with anyone, no matter what their rank, and lightly teasing her 'soft' southern colleagues. Originally from Leeds, Mel is proud of her northern background, although her family are less enthusiastic about her choice in career, as Mel was heartbroken to find out after her brother Jordan was implicated in a stabbing on Mel's first New Year's Eve shift in London.

It’s only when under real personal pressure that the cracks in her sunny disposition start to show; but we know that, whatever life throws at her, she’ll bounce back.