 She indicated that she'd "love to see Steve and Karen having the same impact on viewers as Dirty Den and Angie did".In November 2001 the two characters fall out because Karen insults Steve's mother Liz, though they later end up back together.Discussing the success of the pairing, Simon Gregson compared Steve and Karen to "a mini Jack and Vera" with "the shouting and the arguments" and "the feistiness of the characters".