Sam Trent

Sam Trent is a character that appeared in And No Birds Sing, the first episode of the series. He is introduced as the business partner of Daniel Kellaway in the company Kellaway Garden Centres, as well as an old friend of Laura Thyme.

Biography
Sam is first seen trying to persuade Daniel to invest money back into the company, rather than as a fund for the establishment of an academic post at Daniel's alma mater, the University of Malmesbury. It is revealed that Sam has a heart condition, which he treats with the drug Digoxin.

After Laura left her family home following her discovery that her husband Nick was leaving her, Sam put her up at the White Hart pub. That night, he would succumb to a fatal heart attack while driving home, colliding with a lorry at an intersection. Laura immediately suspected foul play, as he was a notoriously careful driver and he took his prescribed dose of digoxin.

Laura and Rosemary Boxer were eventually able to solve the cause of his death: the housekeeper at Daniel Kellaway's manor, Mrs Potts, had been dosing his herbal tea with foxglove in order to clear the way for Alicia, Mrs Potts' daughter and Daniel's wife, to inherit control of Kellaway Garden Centres. As the drug digoxin is derived from the foxglove plant, the added foxglove and the regular dose of digoxin combined was enough to give Sam a fatal dose of the medicine.

Sam was married to Vickie Trent, who was suspicious and jealous of Sam's close friendship with Laura.

Behind the scenes
Sam Trent was played by the actor Roger Alborough.