they want to go with her yet. In a way, that's good because it gives me a chance to develop the role." Gemma is characterised as "care free and independent" but is more interested in having a good time rather than studying. But she is intelligent and capable of achieving more than she does. She enjoys playing netball and listening to classical and acid house music. Anthony Hayward wrote in his book "The who's who of soap operas" that Gemma soon settled into the Bishop household and became popular with other residents because of her willingness to stand up for her friends. She was also unafraid to challenge her teachers. Gemma remained unsure about her career aspirations during her time in the series. She thought about nursing, but had an invested interest in environmental science. Gemma's style was bland when she first arrived on-screen. Buchanan told Caroline Westbrook from TV Hits that she was "totally different to Gemma" because she was going to high school and dependent on her aunt and uncle. Buchanan also disliked Gemma's dress sense and style. She explained that she hated "probably just about everything in the beginning. For the first six months it was horrendous, and then for the second they tried to vamp up the show a bit. I think the grey school uniform was probably the ugliest thing." Producers also changed Gemma's appearance beyond her attire by cutting Buchanan's hair short and dying it blonde. Buchanan revealed to Chrissie Camp and David Brown from TV Week that she was "happy" with Gemma's makeover. She talked to producers about Gemma's transformation and wanted to get a new hair cut regardless. Buchanan added "Gemma is dressing in much more modern and mature stuff. There's much more care going into her appearance than before." She also believed that producers were investing more money into the show and Gemma benefited from this. Producers later entrusted the character with adult stories. They achieved this by Gemma finishing school and getting a job. Buchanan was happy that writers had further developed Gemma. She explained to Camp and Brown that when Gemma was at school she would just gossip in the corridors whereas it was more interesting to perform adult themed stories. She added "there's just more for the character to do." Buchanan wanted Gemma to be involved in more storylines that copied current issues of the early 1990s. She