Ralph Dobson

Ralph Dobson was a manager at Ingram's clothing factory and a close friend of Peter and Jackie Ingram. Ralph was put in charge of Mike Baldwin when Ingram made Mike work's manager on the shop floor to get at him.

Following Ingram's sudden death due to a heart attack, Ralph broke the news to the staff and took charge of the factory, while lending Jackie all the support he could. Despite his lowly position within the business, Mike started acting as if he was in charge and handled phone calls meant for Ingram. As a more by-the-book businessman, Ralph clashed with Mike over business practices. Mike soon realised there wasn't enough room at Ingram's for both of them and moved in on Jackie, advising her on factory matters so that they would benefit him, all while making a show of being friendly by inviting Ralph and his wife Enid to dinner along with Jackie, Alma Sedgewick and Phil Jennings. Mike convinced Jackie she should make a go of running the factory herself and passed this news onto Ralph. Ralph saw that Mike was now pulling the strings at the factory and handed in his resignation, advising Jackie that she was out of her depth and that Mike was poison.

A year later, Ralph arranged a private meeting with Jackie, who was now engaged to Mike. Since leaving Ingram's, Ralph had set up a new firm and he now wanted to buy Jackie out. Jackie agreed to sell but she asked Ralph not to tell Mike. While investigating Ingram's accounts, Ralph discovered that Alcazar Holdings, which Mike had told Jackie was a holding company for tax purposes, was actually the lease holder on Jim's Cafe, managed by Mike's ex Alma. Now married to Mike, Jackie believed her husband when he told her the cafe was a good business investment and there was nothing between him and Alma. More was to come however as after an argument with Mike, Phil Jennings told Jackie about how Mike had kept secrets from her and manipulated her. Jackie walked out on Mike and asked Ralph to handle the sale of the factory to his firm. Before the deal was final, Ralph had a final confrontation with Mike, when he refused to disclose Jackie's location.

List of appearances
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1990
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 * Mon 13th Aug
 * Wed 15th Aug
 * Fri 17th Aug
 * Wed 22nd Aug
 * Mon 17th Sep
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 * Wed 19th Sep
 * Wed 26th Sep
 * Mon 1st Oct
 * Wed 3rd Oct
 * Fri 5th Oct
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1991

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 * Mon 1st Jul
 * Wed 3rd Jul
 * Fri 5th Jul
 * Mon 8th Jul
 * Mon 15th Jul
 * Wed 24th Jul
 * }