Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Entertainment
Megan Shaw

Emmerdale's Miss Strickland's life after the soap from TV roles to bankruptcy battle

Alex Hall is an actress and radio presenter best recognised for her role as Miss Strickland on the long-running ITV soap, she appeared sporadically between 1998 and 2001.

Miss Strickland was the headmistress of Hotten Comprehensive School, the character first appeared in November 1998, scolding Donna Windsor for bullying Robert Sugden and Andy Hopwood, while excluding Donna's friend Chelsea Campbell.

She later appeared in May 1999 when she attended Rachel Hughes' funeral and again in July 2001 she gave Andy and Katie Addyman detention.

READ MORE: Where Emmerdale's iconic Bates family are now

Her role on Emmerdale came to a dramatic end in 2001 when she was at centre of one of the biggest plots in the show's history and her character was killed off in a hit-and-run incident by some of her pupils.

The occupants of the car were Katie, Eve Birch, Marc and Ollie Reynolds, Andy, Robert and Donna. Marc was later sentenced to twelve months in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, whilst the rest received community service for their roles in the accident.

It is unknown if Miss Strickland's first name is Jean or Barbara as it has been mentioned as both, although usually referred to by her formal title, the character was addressed by the first name Jean in some early appearances.

However, when the character was killed off, she was referred to as Barbara during the police investigation and in her funeral service.

But what do we know about actress Alex Hall's life off air and what is she up to now?

Life after Emmerdale

Alex was declared bankrupt in 2013 (ITV)

Since Emmerdale other TV roles have included Wendy Frost in Bodies with Max Beesley and Keith Allen and Brenda, the dizzy Little Chef waitress in Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Alex also appeared in the BBC1 children's drama Clay and featured in the spring of 2010 series of Waterloo Road.

After putting her acting days behind her Alex went on to have a successful radio career becoming one of the UK's top radio presenters, taking over the late show from Andy Peebles on BBC Radio York.

Later bagging her own late-night phone-in talk show which was broadcast across a huge area covering Leeds, Sheffield and York covering a mix of debate and entertainment with phone-in contributions from listeners.

However, her mid-morning phone-in show was axed in favour of a show presented by ex-Gladiator Jet - Diane Youdale and co-host Neil Green.

In 2013 the familiar voice to listeners across Teesside, County Durham and North Yorkshire and the former soap star was declared bankrupt.

Alex, whose real name is Patricia Anne Fisher, was declared bankrupt at Leeds County Court in April 2013, the order was set to last for 12 months.

At the time a BBC insider said the bankruptcy order didn’t come as a surprise to many in the Radio Tees offices.

The source said: “People in the office used to say she was living beyond her means and it would appear they were right.”

Alex has been the presenter of Songs from the Shows on BBC Newcastle since 2013.

Personal life

However, Alex managed to turn her life back around, she is living proof that "Life begins at 40" - Alex got her Equity Card at the age of 39 and a half.

She lives in Leeds with her daughter Holly, who is named after a gentle creature in The Forsyte Saga, who is an avid hockey player, while her son Nick played Rugby at County Level.

Alex is on Twitter, her bio reads "actress/radio presenter/voiceover/hoarder."

However, she hasn't posted anything since 2012.

Don't miss the latest Emmerdale news - keep up to date by signing up to our dedicated newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.