Julia Sutherland meets actor Karen Bartke for an intimate examination of her past, which reveals how developing a career in comedy and acting have helped her work through some of the emotional scars from her childhood.

Julia Sutherland meets actor Karen Bartke for an intimate examination of her past, which reveals how developing a career in comedy and acting have helped her work through some of the emotional scars from her childhood.

Karen is best known as 'Officer Karen' in the popular BBC television series Scot Squad, but it was a long and tentative journey that led her into acting, then ultimately the world of improv comedy, where she excels.

Aged just five years old when her father suddenly left the family, Karen has been left with abandonment issues that have affected the rest of her life. Low self confidence and a deep-seated belief she was fundamentally unlovable informed many of her life choices - in education, professional decisions and her personal life.

Despite early signs of talent, she spent 15 years working in a job she 'fell into' after university, only pursuing acting as a career after taking redundancy. Emboldened with a fresh start in life, Karen faced her fears and became determined to turn an obsessive hobby into a career to be proud of.