Alicia Metcalfe (also Harding and Gallagher) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Natalie Anderson. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 August 2010. Alicia was introduced as the sister of established character Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi). On 24 May 2015, it was announced that Anderson had quit the show and Alicia made her final on-screen appearance on 10 September 2015.
Casting On 23 May 2010, it was announced that Anderson had joined the cast of Emmerdale as Alicia, the estranged sister of established character Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi). Of her casting, Anderson commented "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining the show. It'll be wonderful to be working back home in Yorkshire again. I'm a Yorkshire girl so a part in Emmerdale is a dream come true!" Anderson revealed that she had known the series producer for a long time and had previously auditioned for a role in another soap opera in front of him, so when the part of Alicia came up he thought of her and asked her to audition. Series producer Gavin Blyth stated that Anderson was "a wonderful addition to the cast" and said Alicia would stir things up in Leyla's life from the minute she arrives. Anderson initially signed a six-month contract and began filming in June. She made her screen debut as Alicia in August.
Development
Characterisation Upon her introduction, Alicia was described as being "in-your-face" and "trashy" by Steve Hendry from the Sunday Mail. Anderson told the reporter, "She's bold and she's brassy and she does have quite a hard exterior. She is an extremely protective alpha-female. She is like a lioness of her pride, she will protect her family from anything." The actress said Alicia can display a vulnerable side and she was hoping that after a few episodes, viewers would get to see why she is the way she is. She also explained that there are many levels to Alicia and despite her initial appearance, she is anything but a bimbo. Alicia was not happy to see her estranged sister, Leyla, but Anderson did not think Alicia hated Leyla. She said "Alicia is the older, more dominant sister who has the potential to spoil everything Leyla has created in the village." A writer for the show's official website described Alicia as being spontaneous, hard-working and driven. A What's on TV writer called Alicia "a brazen, spiteful, mouthy barmaid".
Anderson worked closely with the make-up and wardrobe teams to make Alicia look "as extreme as possible." Alicia's distinctive look consists of fake tan, long nails, hair extensions and much gold jewellery. She also often wears high heels and mini skirts. Anderson also wore extra-padded bras to make her breasts look bigger. Anderson thought Alicia saw herself as glamorous, but said that her idea of glamorous and Alicia's were very different. The actress told Hendry that Alicia was not based on anyone in particular, but a type of girl who is often seen hanging around the city centre. She added that Alicia was quite unlike herself and she was excited to be seen in a different light. Katie Begley from the Daily Star observed that Alicia was a wannabe WAG.
Family Alicia was introduced along with her husband, Justin (Andrew Langtree), and their son, Jacob (Joe Warren-Plant). Anderson told Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that Alicia dotes on her son and "loves him to pieces", but things between her and her husband were strained when they first arrived. Anderson called Alicia "a strong family woman", who wanted to be a good wife and mother. Alicia came to the village to warn her sister, Leyla, not to attend their recently deceased mother's funeral. Anderson thought her character would be disliked straight away because of her introduction. Leyla ignored Alicia's warning and turned up at the funeral, where the two sisters had "a screaming match" at each other. Alicia was annoyed with Leyla, but Anderson said she respected that it was Leyla's mother too and she had a right to be there. When asked what had caused the issue, Anderson explained "All I can really say is that something has definitely gone on between them! What it is will be revealed in the next few weeks. The biggest clue I can give is that Alicia is fiercely protective of her family unit and she doesn't want anything to come between that. So you can read into that what you want!"
Anderson added that Alicia does not want to cause trouble, but she does not want her sister around. The actress hoped that viewers could see that despite the bad blood between them, the sisters were close and that they did love each other. It later emerged that Leyla was the biological mother of Jacob, not Alicia. Shahidi thought Leyla just wanted to be Jacob's aunt and treat him like anyone would treat their nephew. The actress also believed that Alicia would definitely be worried that Leyla would want to play a bigger part in Jacob's life because she is his biological mother. Shahidi said that it is something the two sisters would have to sort out for themselves. In October 2013, Alicia was forced to tell Jacob that she was not his mother, as she believed Priya Sharma (Fiona Wade) was going to do it instead. While attending a Halloween party, Alicia noticed Priya getting drunk and became worried, so she decided to tell Jacob the truth. Speaking to a What's on TV reporter, Anderson admitted that the scene was heartbreaking for her to film. She continued "This woman has looked after this little boy for 10 years and has to tell him she's not his mum. He cries his eyes out." Alicia's worst fear then came true when Jacob ran away.
Andy Sugden Following a brief fling with Declan Macey (Jason Merrells), Alicia had a relationship with Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher). Alicia learned all about Andy's troubled past and told her sister that it was ancient history as far as she was concerned. Anderson told Kate Woodward from Inside Soap that Alicia could pack a punch and Andy had one chance, so if he blew it, Alicia would be off. Anderson explained that Alicia really liked that Andy was down-to-earth and just wanted to have a family, work on the farm and come home for his tea. She said Alicia shared the same sentiments and did not have big ambitions. Fletcher and Anderson came up with the idea of Alicia being a fan of pop group Take That and so Andy buys Alicia tickets to see them live. Anderson said Alicia was flattered by the gift and loved that Andy had thought of her. Andy and Alicia's relationship went through a rough patch when Andy offered to loan Alicia some money and then tried to get her a job at the local veterinary surgery.
Anderson told Woodward, "Alicia is an incredibly proud person and thinks she's confided in Andy alone about her situation. So the fact he's gone behind her back and talked about her problems with other people makes her absolutely furious." Alicia was hurt that Andy had taken her confidential worries to someone else. Anderson hoped the couple would be able to work out their issues and get their relationship back on track. Alicia later became involved in the show's saviour sibling storyline, which saw Andy agree to have another baby with Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) in a bid to save his sick daughter Sarah Sugden Jr. (Sophia Amber Moore). Alicia tried to be supportive, but her feelings surrounding her own infertility made it hard for her to deal with her boyfriend having a baby with someone else. Anderson stated that Alicia was aware of how ill Sarah was, but there was a point at which she would have to make "a huge decision" about her relationship with Andy.
Financial problems When Justin began spoiling Jacob, Alicia felt that like she could not compete, which upset her. Alicia did not have enough money coming in to meet the demands of a seven-year-old. Deciding that she needed to give Jacob the perfect birthday, Alicia began stealing from Leyla's shop. Alicia stole cigarettes and alcohol from the stockroom and sold them on. Anderson explained that Alicia resorts to stealing because of a gift Justin sent to Jacob, which she knows will be great. During the burglary, David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) and Leyla hear a noise, but Alicia has gone by the time they investigate. Alicia's financial worries affected her relationship with her sister and things became strained between them. Alicia was forced to admit to stealing from the shop when Leyla accused employee Amy Wyatt (Chelsea Halfpenny) of committing the thefts. Alicia begged Leyla for forgiveness and admitted to stealing so she could buy Jacob presents. However, Leyla was "furious" and ordered her sister to pack her bags and leave her house.
Alicia and Jacob went to stay with Andy, who made it clear that it was not a permanent arrangement. He was also shocked that Alicia had resorted to stealing from the shop. The sisters eventually called a truce, after Leyla asked Andy to convince Alicia to come back home. Leyla missed Jacob and found it hard to cope without him around. Andy became curious about Alicia and Leyla's relationship and he pressed Alicia for more information. A show spokesperson commented "She really struggles to talk openly about the situation with Andy. But he's insistent – they can't have any secrets if their relationship has a hope in hell of working." Alicia then admitted that she was not Jacob's biological mother. Andy was shocked by the news, but glad that she had confided in him. Alicia also revealed that she felt huge pressure to compete with Leyla and Justin to be a good parent and Andy realised how much Alicia had been hurting. Meanwhile, David was unhappy that Leyla had apologised to Alicia about their argument and worried that if Alicia moved back in, there could be trouble and they could fall out again.
Temporary departure On 19 March 2012, Anderson announced that she was four-and-a-half months pregnant, and joked that she would have to conceal her bump on-screen with large handbags and by standing behind the bar, before going on maternity leave. Alicia was temporarily written out of the show and her exit storyline saw her sent to prison, after she punched Val Pollard (Charlie Hardwick) in the face. Of learning about the storyline, Anderson said "When I told the show I was pregnant I had no idea what they were going to do. I had absolutely no say and, to be honest, I really thought they would say, 'She's gone off in a taxi to see her sister', something really normal, and that would be that. Then this elaborate story came about with a previous conviction and I was going, 'thank you'. I just thought it was brilliant. It's really good fun and comic in a lot of ways. I felt privileged they had thought of it that way." The actress was six-and-a-half months pregnant when she filmed Alicia's exit. The storyline began with Alicia declaring her love for David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden). After Val interrupted, Alicia ended up punching her. When Val reported her to the police, it emerged that Alicia had broken the terms of a previous suspended sentence and she was sent to prison. Before she went, Alicia married David, so he could look after Jacob for her. Alicia returned on 18 December 2012, while Anderson signed a new one-year contract.
Dom Andrews