| Natasha Andersen | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Shebah Ronay | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1995–1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 23 October 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 11 March 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||||||
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Natasha Andersen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , played by Shebah Ronay. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 October 1995. She was created by Phil Redmond as one of the serial's original characters.
Hollyoaks initially focused on the lives and loves of seven teenagers living in a fictional suburb of Chester. Natasha was one of the original characters created by Phil Redmond, and she was introduced in the show's first episode, which aired on 23 October 1995. [1] Ronay had appeared in Reunion and The House of Eliott , before she went through "endless" auditions and won the role of Natasha. [2] She admitted that she let out "a sigh of relief" upon learning he had been cast and celebrated with a bottle of champagne. [2] Of the cast, she told Frank Loughlin of the Liverpool Echo : "I don't think anyone of us was prepared for it all. I am so excited about seeing the first episode and the reaction to. It's been so much fun – we have all worked very full days." [2]
"Natasha, 17, is the ultimate babe. Blonde, beautiful and full of self-confidence, she is frequently the object of both lust and envy among her friends. She's at sixth form college working towards A levels and plans to go on to study Hotel and Leisure Management." [1]
— Natasha's character outline published in the Chester Chronicle (October 1995).
Natasha is described as "sophisticated, glamorous and feisty". [3] Natasha is described by British newspaper The Independent as being a snooty blonde and "gorgeous". [4] [5] They also go on to state that she is "unattainably posh". [4] The Liverpool Echo described her as "One of the first Hollyoaks babes, she was sophisticated, glamorous and feisty and the love object of Kurt. [6]
Her death was announced in January 1996 and was described as being "sensational scene in an attempt to boost ratings" and added that it would be different from "softer stories about teen romances and spots". [7] In the serial's first year on air it received criticism for not having any issue led storylines and was branded soft. [8] This prompted producers to develop a hard hitting storyline which involved Natasha, which would result in her death from the use of drugs. The storyline made front-page news and marked a change for the serial as they embarked on serious storylines. [8] Of Natasha's exit Redmond stated: "Natasha's death depicts the stark reality of unnecessary death coming very close to one group of friendly and fun-loving people for the first time in their lives and how this is bound to change their outlook in many ways". [8] Liverpool Echo described the storyline as "the drama's earliest controversial storyline featuring the much-publicised story when Natasha died on the dance floor after her drink was spiked." [6]
Natasha was stunning, glamorous, sophisticated, pouty, feisty and a total princess as well as being the ultimate object of Kurt Benson's desires, who had instantly fallen for her. She was best friends with Maddie Parker, Dawn Cunningham and Louise Taylor. Natasha was the daughter of Greg and Jane Anderson and sister of Sarah. Her parents owned the pub. Despite having feelings for Kurt, who pursued her relentlessly, and attracted to his bad boy charm, Natasha refused to give in and decided to always play hard to get. This just made Kurt even more determined to win her heart. Natasha really never got a chance to confess to Kurt how she had really felt about him. Natasha had always given Kurt challenges to win her over, including the time when Natasha asked Kurt to choose between Christmas with her family or his own. Natasha won, but she lost interest when she saw Kurt bonding with her father. Natasha had gone with her dad to Italy for a while at that time Kurt and her cousin Ruth had met and bonded at the New Year's Eve party at the Bensons. When Natasha got back she started a new interest in Dermot, a guy in college with her.
However, at Kurt's sister Lucy's eighteenth birthday party, Natasha made the fatal mistake of agreeing to go to the party with Dermot, who wanted to give her a night she would never forget. Dermot and his friend Rob Hawthorne dropped a tablet into Natasha's drink hoping that she would lose all her inhibitions hoping get lucky with her. She then stormed the dance floor and suddenly collapsed in a heap. Natasha later died in hospital. After Natasha died her father, Greg, sold the pub to her aunt Celia and uncle Jack and moved to the states with Sarah and Jane. In January 2013, Darren mentions to Ruby that his cousin Natasha died from overdose drug, and have a fear of it due to Esther's attempted suicide from drugs since her death, and seven months later in September, it was revealed that Natasha and her sister Sarah were not real cousins with Darren.
Lucy Ellmann of The Independent criticised Natasha because of her facial expressions and demure, stating: "Usually to be found at the bus-stop looking petulant (this is in fact her only look). She's unattainably posh, though she has pointed out to her one remaining parent (Alvin Stardust): "Fatha, Ay'm ova the age of consent." In the second episode she threw a glass of water over Kurt. Water. The age of consent is wasted on these people." [4] Natasha's final episode was watched by 2.1 million viewers; at the time that was Hollyoaks biggest audience share to date. [8] Francesca Babb from All About Soap branded Natasha "the original babe of the show". [9]
Brookside is a British television soap opera, set in Liverpool, England, which began on the launch night of Channel 4, 2 November 1982. It ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003. It was produced by Mersey Television and conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond.
Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. The first on- screen death was Natasha Andersen who was played by Shebah Ronay At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has upwards of 50 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.
Kurt Benson is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeremy Edwards. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 October 1995. He was created by Phil Redmond as one of the serial's original characters. Despite the character's supposed death in 1999, Kurt returned in 2020 as part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary, with the explanation being that he faked his death.
Damon Grant is a fictional character in the defunct British soap opera Brookside, played by Simon O'Brien. The character was part of the initial cast, appearing from episode one in 1982 until 1987. At the time of the soap's inception, Damon was the youngest son of Bobby and Sheila Grant, with an older brother, Barry, and older sister, Karen.
Lucy Benson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kerrie Taylor. Taylor appeared from the first episode on 23 October 1995. Taylor later quit the role with the character leaving in January 2000 when she went travelling. The character's storylines included a heroin addiction. The character has been described as a "good daughter" type who changed becoming a "hopeless addict".
James "Jambo" Bolton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Will Mellor. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 October 1995. Jambo was one of the show's original characters. Mellor left the cast in 1998. In 2004, Mellor reprised his role briefly for a Christmas special episode.
Dawn Cunningham is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lisa Williamson. Williamson was cast as one of the original characters on Hollyoaks in 1995, and was the first member of the Cunningham family to arrive in the village, before the introduction of her family. However, she left in 1997 when the character died following a battle with leukemia.
Robert "Rob" Hawthorne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Warren Derosa. Derosa first appeared in the role in January 1996 before the character departed, making his final appearance on 28 December 1999. The character is known for his status as a villain, with Derosa describing him as a "theatrical villain".
Lewis Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ben Hull. Lewis was introduced by Phil Redmond as part of the Richardson family. Lewis made his first on-screen appearance on 30 October 1995 before departing on 15 October 2001. Lewis was initially a "good bloke" but changed, becoming like his abusive father Dennis Richardson. Lewis's exit from the serial was devised by series producer Jo Hallows who decided to kill Lewis on screen as part of a suicide storyline. The storyline was devised to show the "full horror" of suicide.
Geri Hudson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Joanna Taylor. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 13 September 1999. Taylor made her final appearance as Geri during the episode broadcast on 19 December 2001.
Ellie Mills is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sarah Baxendale. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 15 February 2002. Ellie is part of the show's Hunter family. She had been referenced on-screen numerous times as her family were searching for her after she goes missing in Ibiza. She later arrives in Chester which shocks her family. Ellie is characterised as a confident and independent female but has selfish tendencies. Ellie's stories have revolved around her relationships, especially with Toby Mills, who she later marries. Writers portrayed Toby as a serial killer who goes on a prolonged murder spree in the community. Writers embroiled Ellie into his crimes and she choses not to report him to the police. Ellie later fears for her safety and flees to Liverpool. The scenes formed part of a late-night spin-off episode titled Hollyoaks: Leap of Faith, which featured Toby's death. Ellie was featured in one of the show's biggest stunts when she and Toby fall from a one-hundred foot building. Ellie survives and later allows her brother, Dan Hunter to take the blame for the murders. Ellie's lies are soon discovered and she is arrested and put on trial for covering up Toby's murders.
Ruth Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Terri Dwyer. She first appeared in January 1996 as the cousin of Natasha Andersen, and departed in 2001. She made guest appearances between 2003 and 2004, and another in 2008. Dwyer expressed interest in returning full-time in 2009.
Carol Groves is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Natalie Casey. Carol first appeared in the serial on 22 January 1996. In August 2000 it was announced that Casey had quit the role and would film her final scenes at the end of the month. Carol remained with the serial until 11 December 2000 when she left the village to never return.
Maddie Parker is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, portrayed by Yasmin Bannerman. She first appeared on 23 October 1995. She remained in the role until 1997 when she quit the role. Maddie left Hollyoaks on 18 August 1997.
Hollyoaks began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1995. The target audience was that of teenagers and it initially dramatised the lives of seven of that age group who lived in Hollyoaks, a fictional suburb in the city of Chester in Cheshire, England.
Jo Hallows is a British television producer and director, best known for her work on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and BBC drama series Grange Hill. Hallows was also Head of Drama Production at Mersey TV.
The sixth series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series and late night spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series consists of five episodes, which aired from 7 October to 11 October 2013, on E4. The series transmitted to concur with the main show's eighteenth anniversary and acted as "a celebration of Hollyoaks past and present". These celebrations included several former cast members returning for the series as part of original character Tony Hutchinson's storyline. These returns included Jeremy Edwards, James Redmond, John Pickard and Sarah Jayne Dunn.
