Carly Mellen

Carly Mellen is a fictional character in the soap opera Beverley Terrace, played by Kym Marsh as the wife of Sam Mellen (Jake Wood), and the proud mother of three children. She first appeared on 10 November 2014. Alongside her on-screen family, she was created and introduced by producer Ashley Rivera.

Creation and development
Upon the debut of the programme, the Mellens were a family of five pieces, consisting of parents Carly and Sam, their three children, Charlotte Mellen (Brooke Vincent), Dan Mellen (Jack McMullen) and Alex Mellen (Keith Rice), and Sam's father, Tim Mellen (Timothy West). Ashley Rivera wanted to create an "iconic" family for the show, feeling that the characters they originally had planned didn't give the show much to go by.

Carly was moulded into the role of wanting all things good for her three children, and wishes to have the "perfect family". She's motherly to her children, husband and step-father, and her job as a social worker reflects on her motherly instincts.

Critical reception
Viewers reacted well to the casting of Kym Marsh, saying that she was "totally right for the part, and she'll play it wonderfully". Upon the airing of the first episode, fans of the show suspected that she was the "thread of the family".