Ex-Emmerdale star reveals ‘adored’ late soap legend ‘would try to freak everyone out’

Edna Birch, played expertly by legendary British actor, Shirley Stelfox, became one of Emmerdale’s most beloved characters over her fifteen year stint in the ITV soap.

Sharp-tongued, devoutly Christian and with a strong moral compass that would often cross over into harsh judgement of her neighbours, Edna did possess a much softer side and was an incredibly nuanced character.

Famed for her hat and her dogs, Batley and Tootsie, hearts broke across the nation when Shirley passed away at age 74 in 2015. With her final episodes already filmed, Emmerdale bosses to had to construct a final exit for Edna in her absence, which was equally as heart wrenching.

Ten years on from Shirley’s passing, former co-star Kelli Hollis, who played Ali Spencer, has opened up on what it was like to meet and work alongside Shirley.

Meeting a legend on your first day

Recalling her first day on the Emmerdale set, Kelli said: ‘It was nerve-wracking. I remember meeting the amazing Shirley Stelfox, who played Edna. Everybody sort of warned me, they were like, ‘Just so you know, she’ll try and freak you out, she’ll try and scare you’.

‘So I dipped out into the little smoking quadrant, and there she was. I was so nervous to meet her. ‘I went, ‘Hi Shirley, I’m Kelly’. 

‘She was there with this beautiful mane of hair that you never saw on screen, just sat there and she just went, ‘Oh, is it you from that new, horrible effing family?’ And I went, Yeah I effing am! Do you know what I mean?’ And that was it. And that was it sort of like bonded us for the whole time that I was there’.

‘I absolutely adored Shirley. Obviously, she just did it to try and tease you and, you know, try and sort of freak you out a little bit. But I absolutely loved Shirley. It’s so sad she’s not with us anymore, but I remember that happening on my first day.’ 

Delving deeper into her memories of her first day, and speaking on her first ever scene, Kelli said: ‘I think it was a Woolpack scene, you know, throwing you in at the deep end. 

‘Walking into the Woolpack with so many sort of iconic faces, and you know people you seen all your life. It’s like you know them, because like, say, if you’re a big soap fan, you know these people, these characters, inside out, it was so welcoming. It felt like you’d been there forever, if you know what I mean.’

Revealing an early blunder, Kelli mused ‘I remember at the beginning, they already had me hitting somebody. I remember having to do a scene in the village with Tom Lister, who played Carl King.

‘I had to run out and basically go to punch him. I remember that not going so well at the first few takes. I’m only little, but that didn’t work quite well, that first morning.’ 

Kelli played Ali between 2011 and 2015, arriving as the sister of established character, Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten), alongside her partner, Ruby Haswell (Alicya Eyo) and her two children, Sean (Luke Roskell) and Amelia (Daisy Campbell).

After Ruby died in the helicopter crash that wrought devastation on the village, Ali moved to Liverpool with Rachel, later dying off-screen as a result of a car accident.

An Emmerdale stalwart

Edna’s first storyline arose when she opposed Ashley Thomas’ (John Middleton) relationship with Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) and established herself as harshly judgemental, stern and incredibly moralistic.

A much softer side of steely Edna emerged when her granddaughter, Eve Jenson (Raine Davison), arrived in the village, to stay with her grandmother. An utter livewire, Edna was crestfallen when she was involved in a hit and run that claimed the life of her headteacher, Miss Strickland (Alex Hall). The final straw came when she kicked Edna’s beloved dog, Batley, causing Edna to banish her.

Edna lost Batley shortly after and entered into a deep grief. She reluctantly adopted another dog, Tootsie, who proved to be an enormous help in overcoming the loss of her first dog.

She was later involved in a hit and run, perpetrated by Sam Dingle (James Hooton). Upon discovering his guilt, Edna eventually forgave him.

Edna bonded with business magnate Tom King (Ken Farrington) and became an integral part of his operations as a personal assistant and a confidant, though this relationship was destroyed when he used information she’d offered, such as her husband, Harold, being gay and the true parentage of her son, Peter, against her.

The truth that her son was actually her nephew was outed eventually when Edna reunited with her estranged sister, Lily Butterfield (Anne Charleston).

She later became embroiled in unhinged Sally Spode’s (Sian Reeves) machinations and was reunited on-screen with a still-troublesome Eve (now Suzanne Shaw).

Edna’s later plotlines saw her plunged into mounting debts as a result of vet bills for Tootsie and a burglary she suffered. Her fierce independence and pride saw her completely unable to ask for help, leading to ill health resulting from a lack of food.

She later revealed that she’d reported her husbands lover, Lawrence White (John Bowe), to authorities in revenge during a time when homosexuality was illegal, leading to his imprisonment. She long believed he’d committed suicide in prison, but encountered him again when he moved to the village. The two were able to put the past behind them and learned to co-exist.

Edna was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer and left the village, telling her friends that her sister had been diagnosed with the condition and she was going to care for her.

Passing away off-screen, long time friend, Ashley, told the village of her passing, with the locals mourning the loss of their dear friend and neighbour.