Children's Heart Unit, Leeds NHS Trust

Jonathan meets Alex Hall . . .

Jonathan from Bradford, went with his brother Thomas to interview Alex Hall at BBC Radio Leeds. Thanks to Alex and a special mention to Clare for your note taking!!

alex hall

T-ZONE - You were in Byker Grove; did you work with Ant & Dec?

Alex Hall - Sadly I didn't work with them but I did work with a girl called 'Spuggy'.

What was the best thing about being on Max and Paddy?

Oh, working with Peter Kay! He was just lovely and very very kind. He directed as well as acted so he kept having to pop behind the camera and have a look. Paddy was nice as well but Peter was the nicest by a long way.

I must say, I didn't want to eat cooked breakfasts for a long time afterwards!

Did you enjoy playing Miss Strickland in Emmerdale and were there any stunts involved in her death scene?

Oh, I enjoyed it very very much. I got to stand around and shout at people a lot! I didn't like the clothes I had to wear for that part though; they made me look like Margaret Thatcher.

I didn't like my death scene - I had to lie in a ditch in the dark for ages. I did have a body double though who had to lie in the ditch for me so that wasn't so bad but I feel sorry for her! It was really difficult trying to keep still in the death scene. My teeth were chattering in the rain. There was a rain machine that pumped water and I got very wet. We had a stunt driver too who was driving a car on the back of the lorry, which was different!

Have you ever been in hospital?

I've been in hospital in a TV programme called 'Bodies'. I had to have my legs in stirrups like when you have a baby. The only other times I was in hospital was when I had my children, I have a son Nick who's 31 and a daughter Holly who's 23.I actually have nice memories of hospital, my Dad died in one recently and the staff were lovely.

Do your children listen to you on the radio?

When Nick was about 12, he listened. He used to sell pictures of me in the playground for 50p.

Holly tunes in on the odd night and she likes it that we get all the news first. She's good when I'm learning my lines for anything, she and her pal Becky used to help me learn my lines for Emmerdale.

On the phone-in show, what was the weirdest call you've ever had?

This is not the weirdest but the one I remember the most. A man called to say he'd just killed somebody. I had to keep him talking whilst police caught him.

What would be your ideal programme to work on in telly or radio?

I'm actually working on my ideal programme. I never really wanted to interview famous people or celebrities. I like the variety and there are some really lovely people who ring in.

I would love to work in the musical Gypsy in the west end. Singing and dancing, that's my favourite.

Do you ever worry that no one will phone into the show?

I worry on a nightly basis. I try not to play any music but sometimes I have to. Not that we don't have calls but some aren't good enough or too silly to broadcast on air. Paul our producer decides what will go on air. Paul says you can play a tune now 'Pickle' - he's very sweet!

Who's the most famous person you've ever met?

That's a hard one; I met a few people on Corrie. Donny Osmond - did he sing Puppy Love? Norman Wisdom. Oh and Ronnie Corbett and Les Dawson.

Who's the nicest celebrity you've ever met?

Peter Kay, without a doubt. There was once a chap who rang in when I worked at The Pulse Radio in Bradford, his Dad was poorly, had cancer and it was really really sad. His son Liam went and bought a video of Peter Kay and his Dad laughed and laughed. Liam wrote to Peter Kay and he phoned him and met up with him at the Apollo theatre, Manchester. He kept in touch until he died. He was gutted when Liam's Dad Bob died.

Are you ever tempted to be really rude to a caller or just cut them off?

I'm constantly tempted and do get short but it's the BBC and I can't.

What did you want to do when you left school?

I always wanted to be an actress but was 39 before I became one.

I did a lot of amateur dramatics and had a lot of fun. I also wanted to become an ice skater - I've never been on an ice rink in my life but thought I'd be good at it.

Quick fire questions, pick one:

X-Factor or Strictly Come Dancing

X-Factor!

East Enders or Coronation Street

That's easy - Corrie!!

Elvis or the Beatles

Beatles

Max or Paddy

Max! Every time!!

Blackpool or Florida

Neither, I'd sooner stay at home - Venice would be good!

Kaiser Chiefs or Sugababes

Kaiser Chiefs - sings.'I predict a riot'

Wallace or Grommet

Oh Wallace!!

Thank you so much to Alex, and all at BBC Leeds for making us so welcome


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Alex Hall - Sadly I didn't work with them but I did work with a girl called 'Spuggy'. What was the best thing about being on Max and Paddy? Oh, working with Peter Kay! He was just lovely and very very kind. He directed as well as acted so he kept having to pop behind the camera and have a look. Paddy was nice as well but Peter was the nicest by a long way. I must say, I didn't want to eat cooked breakfasts for a long time afterwards! Did you enjoy playing Miss Strickland in Emmerdale and were there any stunts involved in her death scene? Oh, I enjoyed it very very much. I got to stand around and shout at people a lot! I didn't like the clothes I had to wear for that part though; they made me look like Margaret Thatcher. I didn't like my death scene - I had to lie in a ditch in the dark for ages. I did have a body double though who had to lie in the ditch for me so that wasn't so bad but I feel sorry for her! It was really difficult trying to keep still in the death scene. My teeth were chattering in the rain. There was a rain machine that pumped water and I got very wet. We had a stunt driver too who was driving a car on the back of the lorry, which was different! Have you ever been in hospital? I've been in hospital in a TV programme called 'Bodies'. I had to have my legs in stirrups like when you have a baby. The only other times I was in hospital was when I had my children, I have a son Nick who's 31 and a daughter Holly who's 23.I actually have nice memories of hospital, my Dad died in one recently and the staff were lovely. Do your children listen to you on the radio? When Nick was about 12, he listened. He used to sell pictures of me in the playground for 50p. Holly tunes in on the odd night and she likes it that we get all the news first. She's good when I'm learning my lines for anything, she and her pal Becky used to help me learn my lines for Emmerdale. On the phone-in show, what was the weirdest call you've ever had? This is not the weirdest but the one I remember the most. A man called to say he'd just killed somebody. I had to keep him talking whilst police caught him. What would be your ideal programme to work on in telly or radio? I'm actually working on my ideal programme. I never really wanted to interview famous people or celebrities. I like the variety and there are some really lovely people who ring in. I would love to work in the musical Gypsy in the west end. Singing and dancing, that's my favourite. Do you ever worry that no one will phone into the show? I worry on a nightly basis. I try not to play any music but sometimes I have to. Not that we don't have calls but some aren't good enough or too silly to broadcast on air. Paul our producer decides what will go on air. Paul says you can play a tune now 'Pickle' - he's very sweet! Who's the most famous person you've ever met? That's a hard one; I met a few people on Corrie. Donny Osmond - did he sing Puppy Love? Norman Wisdom. Oh and Ronnie Corbett and Les Dawson. Who's the nicest celebrity you've ever met? Peter Kay, without a doubt. There was once a chap who rang in when I worked at The Pulse Radio in Bradford, his Dad was poorly, had cancer and it was really really sad. His son Liam went and bought a video of Peter Kay and his Dad laughed and laughed. Liam wrote to Peter Kay and he phoned him and met up with him at the Apollo theatre, Manchester. He kept in touch until he died. He was gutted when Liam's Dad Bob died. Are you ever tempted to be really rude to a caller or just cut them off? I'm constantly tempted and do get short but it's the BBC and I can't. What did you want to do when you left school? I always wanted to be an actress but was 39 before I became one. I did a lot of amateur dramatics and had a lot of fun. I also wanted to become an ice skater - I've never been on an ice rink in my life but thought I'd be good at it. Quick fire questions, pick one: X-Factor or Strictly Come Dancing X-Factor! East Enders or Coronation Street That's easy - Corrie!! Elvis or the Beatles Beatles Max or Paddy Max! Every time!! Blackpool or Florida Neither, I'd sooner stay at home - Venice would be good! Kaiser Chiefs or Sugababes Kaiser Chiefs - sings.'I predict a riot' Wallace or Grommet Oh Wallace!! Thank you so much to Alex, and all at BBC Leeds for making us so welcome Do you want to do a interview for us? Let us know what you want to do and we will see what we can organise. Email here! Updated Sep05