Alice Bates
Encyclopedia
Alice Rose Bates was a fictional character
on ITV
's Emmerdale
from 1991-1999, 2001. She was played by two actresses: Kimberley Hewitt from 1991-1993 and by Rachel Tolboys from 1993-2001.
delivered the baby at Mill Cottage. Elsa struggled to adapt to life as a mother and so on Christmas Eve 1991, walked out on Nick, taking Alice with her. However she once again struggled to cope and handed Alice back over to Nick, saying that having Alice prevented her from having a social life.
In December 1993, a plane crashed in the village. Alice's dad Nick was out with his friend Archie Brooks who was also Alice's live-in childminder. That night Nick and Archie got a babysitter Ruth Jameson who left Alice alone, just before the plane came down. Archie was killed but Nick survived. Alice was feared dead but was pulled out of the rubble of what had been her home a few days later.
Nick spent several weeks in hospital after the plane crash. Alice went to stay with Elsa, who tried to make this a permanent arrangement, claiming that Nick and Archie were lovers and that they neglected Alice and put her in danger. The court didn't agree and custody was awarded to Nick. Elsa emigrated to Australia soon afterwards without telling anyone.
In 1996, Alice's father, Nick, was sent to prison for accidentally shooting a poacher. Alice went to live with Nick's sister Kathy, who desperately tried to contact Elsa but was shocked to discover she'd moved to Australia without telling anyone. Realising she was all Alice had left and just how selfish and uncaring Elsa was, Kathy took custody of Alice. However, later that year, Kathy and Alice started getting threats from the family of the man Nick had killed. Nick and Kathy's mother, Caroline, came to Emmerdale and wanted to take Alice to live in Scarborough. However, Kathy was determined to fulfill Nick's wish of having Alice with her.
Alice was upset when Kathy reconciled with Dave Glover
as he had left them once before. He did leave them again but not through choice. He died after saving Kim Tate
's infant son James Tate from a fire.
In May 1997, Nick's girlfriend, Karen, went to see Alice after school and took her back to the village. Alice was reluctant to go with her as she didn't know her. When Kathy found out, she was furious and ordered Karen to keep away from Alice. Karen kept coming to the village to see Alice and told Kathy that when Nick was released from custody, she, him and Alice would be moving to Boston. Kathy was annoyed at Karen for getting Nick's hopes up about being released, knowing there was very little chance he would get off. Kathy went to see Nick who confirmed that what Karen was saying was true and that even if he went to prison, he wanted Karen to take Alice. A couple of weeks later, Nick was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Not wanting to hang around, Karen left for Boston alone. Kathy meanwhile was left with the difficult task to telling Alice, then aged just six, that her dad wasn't coming home and it would just be the two of them from now on. Kathy, who had grown very close to Alice, was relived that she could keep Alice with her, but was upset at the thought of her brother spending so long in prison.
In July 1997, Alice was looked after by 14 year old Emma Cairns. Emma took Alice to the playground however as she was busy chatting to friends, Alice disappeared. The whole Village searched for her but to no avail. Meanwhile Jack Sugden
was returning from a weekend in Sheffield and as he was returning home he stopped of at a service station to call his wife Sarah. Sarah told Jack of Alice disappearance and by a stroke of luck, Jack saw Alice at the service station being led away by an unknown woman. Jack was able to save Alice and returned her to the village.
In October 1997, Alice was knocked over by a dog. The owner of the dog, Doug Hamilton seemed quite taken with Kathy and asked her out to dinner as a way of compensation for frightening Alice. After a few dates, Kathy was shocked to find out that Doug was married. Doug then asked Kathy and Alice to come on holiday with him.
In 1998, Elsa arrived in the village to try and take Alice but after realising she was settled, decided to leave her in Emmerdale.
In July 1999, Kathy's boyfriend Biff Fowler
proposed to her. Alice got on extremely well with Biff and was exited for the wedding. However on the day of the wedding, Biff couldn't go through with it and jilted Kathy at the alter before leaving Emmerdale for good on his motor-bike. Kathy and Alice were left devastated by Biff's departure.
Meanwhile Elsa was beginning to have problems in the village as it looked like everyone was against her and she was considering going home. However a slip of the tongue from Betty about Kathy's recent troubles confirmed to Elsa that she was doing the right thing and she realized she could use this information in her custody battle. Kathy's role as Alice's guardian was seriously under threat but a solicitor told her that getting Nick on side would improve her case and so Kathy went to visit him in prison. However Kathy was devastated when Nick revealed that Elsa had already been to see him and had convinced him that Alice would be better of with Elsa.
Kathy tried to poison Alice's mind against Elsa, telling her that Elsa wanted Alice away from Kathy. When Elsa turned up at the house the following day she was dismayed to find that Alice didn't want to see her. A welfare officer came out to speak to Kathy and Elsa about Alice's future and told them that if they could not reach a compromise then a judge would decide Alice's future. A couple of days later Kathy agreed to let Alice spend a couple of days on holiday in London with Elsa. When Alice returned a few days later, Kathy's temper got the better of her when Alice informed her of what a great time she'd had. Meanwhile Elsa told Alan that she thought it would only be a matter of time before Alice agreed to return to Australia with her. Alice became upset when she overheard Kathy talking about how strong her hatred for Elsa was and turned to Alan, clearly finding recent events hard to deal with. Meanwhile Elsa's husband and stepson turned and Alice enjoyed getting to know them. Alice particularly enjoyed spending time with Shane, who was only a couple of years older than her. However after a few weeks, they needed to return to Australia.
Alice was heartbroken to discover that Elsa and her family where returning to Australia. After seeing how upset her niece was, Kathy was forced to make one of the hardest decisions of her life as she agreed that Alice should go to Australia. The following day Kathy asked Alice if she would like to go and live in Australia with Elsa. When Alice asked her if she wanted her to go, Kathy was forced to fight against her feelings. Alice seemed enthusiastic about living with her mum but as the day progressed and the thought of leaving Kathy and Emmerdale behind hit Alice, she told Kathy that she didn't want to leave. That night Elsa and Brett arrived to collect Alice. Elsa thanked Kathy for everything she had done for Alice over the last few years and told her she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted. Before Alice left, she gave Kathy one of her teddies and told her to cuddle it when she felt sad. Kathy then said a tearful goodbye to Alice as she left with Elsa.
The following day, the seriousness of her actions hit Kathy and she was forced to contact a solicitor to find out her legal position. She told the solicitor that she feared Alice was being mistreated. However her hopes where dashed when she was told that without evidence of abuse, she could face charges of child abduction. It wasn't long before Elsa arrived in Emmerdale and she demanded to know why Katy had taken her daughter. Kathy wasn't prepeared to give Alice up without a fight and so disspeared with her again.
Kathy headed to the Sugden's farm with Alice and asked Jack not to tell anyone where she was. Alan Turner
assured Elsa that Kathy would return Alice soon but Elsa wasn't convinced and wanted to call the police. The following day, Alan heard the Sugden children talking in the shop and realised that Kathy was hiding Alice at the farm. Turner felt it was his duty to tell Elsa where her daughter was. Elsa headed up to the farm to have it out with Kathy but Elsa wasn't prepared for what came next. Alice, who was upset having just been to visit Nick in prison, told her mother that she hated her and didn't want to be with her. Elsa was left with no option but to return to the B&B to think things over. The following day, Kathy took Alice to see Elsa and they agree that Alice's happiness is what matters but it isn't too late to put things right. Elsa later announces that she plans to return to Australia, taking Alice with her. Kathy realises that she will never win the battle for Alice and decided to hand her back over to Elsa. Elsa however, realised how close Kathy and Alice were, and how happy Alice was around her aunt, offered Kathy the chance to move to Australia with them. Kathy decided to take up Elsa's offer and on 12th December 2001, said goodbye to Elsa and Alice as they returned to Australia, knowing she would see them soon. Kathy tied up loose ends in the village and on 21st December 2001, left to join Alice in Sydney.
Alice has been mentioned a few times since leaving Emmerdale, mainly by Alan Turner, who makes regular trips to Australia to see Kathy.
. In 1993 she was cast in Emmerdale
, taking over the role of Alice Bates
from Kimberley Hewitt. In 1999 Rachel decided to leave Emmerdale and the character of Alice was written out of Emmerdale to live with her mother Elsa. She made her last appearance on 3rd November 1999. Tolboys briefly returned to Emmerdale in November 2001 as part of a story which saw Alice's aunt Kathy leave the show. This time, her last appearance was on 12th December 2001.
Rachel now works as a dancer and makes appearances on stage and in adverts on TV.
She attended Ralph Thorsby High School in Leeds and Centre Stage Academy of performing arts in Leeds.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
from 1991-1999, 2001. She was played by two actresses: Kimberley Hewitt from 1991-1993 and by Rachel Tolboys from 1993-2001.
Early Life
Alice was born in February 1991 to Nick Bates and Elsa Feldmann. Nick and Elsa were due to be getting married however Elsa went into labour early. With no midwives around, Vet Zoe TateZoe Tate
Zoe Tate is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Leah Bracknell. She appeared between December 1989 and September 2005.-1989–2001:...
delivered the baby at Mill Cottage. Elsa struggled to adapt to life as a mother and so on Christmas Eve 1991, walked out on Nick, taking Alice with her. However she once again struggled to cope and handed Alice back over to Nick, saying that having Alice prevented her from having a social life.
In December 1993, a plane crashed in the village. Alice's dad Nick was out with his friend Archie Brooks who was also Alice's live-in childminder. That night Nick and Archie got a babysitter Ruth Jameson who left Alice alone, just before the plane came down. Archie was killed but Nick survived. Alice was feared dead but was pulled out of the rubble of what had been her home a few days later.
Nick spent several weeks in hospital after the plane crash. Alice went to stay with Elsa, who tried to make this a permanent arrangement, claiming that Nick and Archie were lovers and that they neglected Alice and put her in danger. The court didn't agree and custody was awarded to Nick. Elsa emigrated to Australia soon afterwards without telling anyone.
In 1996, Alice's father, Nick, was sent to prison for accidentally shooting a poacher. Alice went to live with Nick's sister Kathy, who desperately tried to contact Elsa but was shocked to discover she'd moved to Australia without telling anyone. Realising she was all Alice had left and just how selfish and uncaring Elsa was, Kathy took custody of Alice. However, later that year, Kathy and Alice started getting threats from the family of the man Nick had killed. Nick and Kathy's mother, Caroline, came to Emmerdale and wanted to take Alice to live in Scarborough. However, Kathy was determined to fulfill Nick's wish of having Alice with her.
Alice was upset when Kathy reconciled with Dave Glover
Dave Glover
David Edward "Dave" Glover is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale played by Ian Kelsey.-Storylines:Dave arrived in the village with his parents Ned and Jan and younger siblings Linda and Roy in August 1994. He got a job working as a farmhand at Home Farm.Until 1995, Dave...
as he had left them once before. He did leave them again but not through choice. He died after saving Kim Tate
Kim Tate
Kimberly Jane 'Kim' Tate is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. who appeared between 1989 and 1999, She was played by actress Claire King. Kim Tate is seen as one of the most iconic characters in the history of British soap opera, having been dubbed The Soap Superbitch...
's infant son James Tate from a fire.
In May 1997, Nick's girlfriend, Karen, went to see Alice after school and took her back to the village. Alice was reluctant to go with her as she didn't know her. When Kathy found out, she was furious and ordered Karen to keep away from Alice. Karen kept coming to the village to see Alice and told Kathy that when Nick was released from custody, she, him and Alice would be moving to Boston. Kathy was annoyed at Karen for getting Nick's hopes up about being released, knowing there was very little chance he would get off. Kathy went to see Nick who confirmed that what Karen was saying was true and that even if he went to prison, he wanted Karen to take Alice. A couple of weeks later, Nick was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Not wanting to hang around, Karen left for Boston alone. Kathy meanwhile was left with the difficult task to telling Alice, then aged just six, that her dad wasn't coming home and it would just be the two of them from now on. Kathy, who had grown very close to Alice, was relived that she could keep Alice with her, but was upset at the thought of her brother spending so long in prison.
In July 1997, Alice was looked after by 14 year old Emma Cairns. Emma took Alice to the playground however as she was busy chatting to friends, Alice disappeared. The whole Village searched for her but to no avail. Meanwhile Jack Sugden
Jack Sugden
John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Emmerdale. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt from 1972 to 1974 with a brief return in 1976, when he left for Italy to write a book. On his return in 1980 he was played by Clive Hornby...
was returning from a weekend in Sheffield and as he was returning home he stopped of at a service station to call his wife Sarah. Sarah told Jack of Alice disappearance and by a stroke of luck, Jack saw Alice at the service station being led away by an unknown woman. Jack was able to save Alice and returned her to the village.
In October 1997, Alice was knocked over by a dog. The owner of the dog, Doug Hamilton seemed quite taken with Kathy and asked her out to dinner as a way of compensation for frightening Alice. After a few dates, Kathy was shocked to find out that Doug was married. Doug then asked Kathy and Alice to come on holiday with him.
In 1998, Elsa arrived in the village to try and take Alice but after realising she was settled, decided to leave her in Emmerdale.
In July 1999, Kathy's boyfriend Biff Fowler
Biff Fowler
Brian Ian Francis "Biff" Fowler is a fictional character in the British ITV soapEmmerdale, played by Stuart Wade from 1994 until 1999. Biff later returned for Seth Armstrong's Funeral in October 2005.-Casting:...
proposed to her. Alice got on extremely well with Biff and was exited for the wedding. However on the day of the wedding, Biff couldn't go through with it and jilted Kathy at the alter before leaving Emmerdale for good on his motor-bike. Kathy and Alice were left devastated by Biff's departure.
Exit Storyline
One day in September 1999, Kathy returned from collecting Alice from school and was shocked to find Elsa waiting on the doorstep for them. Elsa informed Kathy that she was now married to an Australian man named Brett and he had a son, Shane. Now that Elsa had a stable family life, she wanted to get to know Alice, with the possibility of her coming to live with them at a later date, however Elsa didn't tell Kathy her plans. Alice was worried that Elsa would try and take her away again but Kathy assured her this wouldn't happen. On their first visit, Alice was hostile towards her mother, asking Kathy if she could play in her room instead of sitting with Elsa. Kathy became suspicious of Elsa's motives, especially when she asked if she could collect Alice from the school the next day. Alice began to pester Kathy for information about why her mother left her and Kathy was left wondering how much to tell Alice, then aged only eight. Elsa took Alice for a pizza after school and the ice between them began to melt. When they arrived home, Kathy was upset when Alice requested to see her mother again the following day. Kathy agreed to meet with Elsa to discuss Alice but things didn't go well when Elsa revealed the real reason she was back: She wanted Alice. The next day, Kathy went to visit Nick to tell him of Elsa's return. Nick begged Kathy to keep Elsa away from Alice and told her he was depending on her. Elsa later made Kathy furious when she showed Alice impressive pictures of Australia and told her she had a step brother, Shane, out there. Alice was upset when she walked in on Kathy and Elsa having a blazing row and ran off, clearly upset by what she'd witnessed. Elsa later told Alan Turner that she was beginning to wonder whether fighting for custody was the right thing to do as Alice seemed perfectly happy with the situation as it was.Meanwhile Elsa was beginning to have problems in the village as it looked like everyone was against her and she was considering going home. However a slip of the tongue from Betty about Kathy's recent troubles confirmed to Elsa that she was doing the right thing and she realized she could use this information in her custody battle. Kathy's role as Alice's guardian was seriously under threat but a solicitor told her that getting Nick on side would improve her case and so Kathy went to visit him in prison. However Kathy was devastated when Nick revealed that Elsa had already been to see him and had convinced him that Alice would be better of with Elsa.
Kathy tried to poison Alice's mind against Elsa, telling her that Elsa wanted Alice away from Kathy. When Elsa turned up at the house the following day she was dismayed to find that Alice didn't want to see her. A welfare officer came out to speak to Kathy and Elsa about Alice's future and told them that if they could not reach a compromise then a judge would decide Alice's future. A couple of days later Kathy agreed to let Alice spend a couple of days on holiday in London with Elsa. When Alice returned a few days later, Kathy's temper got the better of her when Alice informed her of what a great time she'd had. Meanwhile Elsa told Alan that she thought it would only be a matter of time before Alice agreed to return to Australia with her. Alice became upset when she overheard Kathy talking about how strong her hatred for Elsa was and turned to Alan, clearly finding recent events hard to deal with. Meanwhile Elsa's husband and stepson turned and Alice enjoyed getting to know them. Alice particularly enjoyed spending time with Shane, who was only a couple of years older than her. However after a few weeks, they needed to return to Australia.
Alice was heartbroken to discover that Elsa and her family where returning to Australia. After seeing how upset her niece was, Kathy was forced to make one of the hardest decisions of her life as she agreed that Alice should go to Australia. The following day Kathy asked Alice if she would like to go and live in Australia with Elsa. When Alice asked her if she wanted her to go, Kathy was forced to fight against her feelings. Alice seemed enthusiastic about living with her mum but as the day progressed and the thought of leaving Kathy and Emmerdale behind hit Alice, she told Kathy that she didn't want to leave. That night Elsa and Brett arrived to collect Alice. Elsa thanked Kathy for everything she had done for Alice over the last few years and told her she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted. Before Alice left, she gave Kathy one of her teddies and told her to cuddle it when she felt sad. Kathy then said a tearful goodbye to Alice as she left with Elsa.
Return and Second Exit
In November 2001, Kathy went to Australia to see Alice. Kathy's boyfriend Andrew was concerned when leaving the Woolpack one night to see that the lights in Kathy's house where on. Upon going to investigate, he was shocked to find Kathy there, having cut her holiday short. However he was in for an even bigger shock when Alice walked into the room. When Alice had gone to bed, Kathy told Andrew that she was concerned for her niece's safety and brought her back without Elsa's knowledge.The following day, the seriousness of her actions hit Kathy and she was forced to contact a solicitor to find out her legal position. She told the solicitor that she feared Alice was being mistreated. However her hopes where dashed when she was told that without evidence of abuse, she could face charges of child abduction. It wasn't long before Elsa arrived in Emmerdale and she demanded to know why Katy had taken her daughter. Kathy wasn't prepeared to give Alice up without a fight and so disspeared with her again.
Kathy headed to the Sugden's farm with Alice and asked Jack not to tell anyone where she was. Alan Turner
Alan Turner
Alan Turner is a former Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests and 6 ODIs from 1975 to 1977....
assured Elsa that Kathy would return Alice soon but Elsa wasn't convinced and wanted to call the police. The following day, Alan heard the Sugden children talking in the shop and realised that Kathy was hiding Alice at the farm. Turner felt it was his duty to tell Elsa where her daughter was. Elsa headed up to the farm to have it out with Kathy but Elsa wasn't prepared for what came next. Alice, who was upset having just been to visit Nick in prison, told her mother that she hated her and didn't want to be with her. Elsa was left with no option but to return to the B&B to think things over. The following day, Kathy took Alice to see Elsa and they agree that Alice's happiness is what matters but it isn't too late to put things right. Elsa later announces that she plans to return to Australia, taking Alice with her. Kathy realises that she will never win the battle for Alice and decided to hand her back over to Elsa. Elsa however, realised how close Kathy and Alice were, and how happy Alice was around her aunt, offered Kathy the chance to move to Australia with them. Kathy decided to take up Elsa's offer and on 12th December 2001, said goodbye to Elsa and Alice as they returned to Australia, knowing she would see them soon. Kathy tied up loose ends in the village and on 21st December 2001, left to join Alice in Sydney.
Alice has been mentioned a few times since leaving Emmerdale, mainly by Alan Turner, who makes regular trips to Australia to see Kathy.
About the Actor
Rachel Madeline Tolboys was born in 1990 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. In 1993 she was cast in Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, taking over the role of Alice Bates
Alice Bates
Alice Rose Bates was a fictional character on ITV's Emmerdale from 1991-1999, 2001. She was played by two actresses: Kimberley Hewitt from 1991-1993 and by Rachel Tolboys from 1993-2001.-Early Life:...
from Kimberley Hewitt. In 1999 Rachel decided to leave Emmerdale and the character of Alice was written out of Emmerdale to live with her mother Elsa. She made her last appearance on 3rd November 1999. Tolboys briefly returned to Emmerdale in November 2001 as part of a story which saw Alice's aunt Kathy leave the show. This time, her last appearance was on 12th December 2001.
Rachel now works as a dancer and makes appearances on stage and in adverts on TV.
She attended Ralph Thorsby High School in Leeds and Centre Stage Academy of performing arts in Leeds.
See also
- Emmerdale Cast List
- Rachel Tolboys at the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0865888/
- Alice Bates at Emmerdale.Org http://www.emmerdale.org/emmerdale/profiles/aliceb.htm
- Kimberley Hewitt at the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0382058/