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 a lot of gold jewellery. She also wears a lot of 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 was 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!"